Re: Is there a project that is jovie successor? (fwd)

Quite agree with you on that score.  A new version of redcore Linux is
available for download and it has a very current kernel and its default
desktop is kde plasma.  Maybe one thing jovie might do when started up is
to locate something like espeak-ng or espeak or speech-dispatcher and
start those up first then come up on its own.  If it finds
speech-dispatcher maybe remind the user to run spd-conf to get
speech-dispatcher configured correctly but could generate a default
spd.conf file and let the user know that it's there and maybe reconfigure
if problems arise.


On Thu, 21 Oct 2021, Gustav Degreef wrote:

> Festival was not much of an improvement in voice quality.=C2=A0 Embrola, =
as you
> say, was too difficult to configure.=C2=A0 I'll check out Fenrir, and tds=
r but the
> voice quality is TOTALLY secondary - a smoothly working jovie/espeak (or
> equivalent) is quite adequate to get things done.=C2=A0 Which in theend i=
s really
> the important thing. Gustav
>
> On 10/21/21 1:56 PM, Jude DaShiell wrote:
> > fenrir and tdsr are a couple more to check out and mbrola and festival =
can
> > maybe help the human speech situation though not easily configured.
> >
> >
> > On Thu, 21 Oct 2021, Gustav Degreef wrote:
> >
> >> Actually, Jovie replaced ktts quite some years ago.?=C2=A0 Qtspeech is=
 supposed
> >> to
> >> be a partial replacement, but there is no frontend program to manage t=
he
> >> output of speechdispatcher (like Jovie). ?=C2=A0 e-speak works fine fo=
r me, but
> >> bothers everyne else who listens to my computer outptut (my partner an=
d
> >> friends).?=C2=A0 e-speak is clear enough, just does not sound like a p=
erson.?=C2=A0
> >> Good,
> >> I'll look into espeak-ng, thanks! Gustav
> >>
> >> On 10/21/21 11:04 AM, Jude DaShiell wrote:
> >>> I had read somewhere ktts was supposed to have replaced jovie.  Also,
> >>> espeak-ng is a successor to espeak.  It's good you got any of this
> >>> working.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:36:=
27
> >>> From: Gustav Degreef <[email protected]> To: Simion
> >>> <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Is ther=
e a
> >>> project that is jovie successor?
> >>>
> >>> Hi Simion,
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for your input and effort.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 I carefuly looked o=
ver everything
> >>> you
> >>> mentioned, including the script but it has taken me a long time.??=C2=
=A0??=C2=A0 I
> >>> only
> >>> have a
> >>> rudimentary???=C2=A0 knowledge of scripts.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 So=
 modifying or writing
> >>> scripts
> >>> is beyond
> >>> my current possibility, especially with my vision problems.??=C2=A0??=
=C2=A0 But it
> >>> really
> >>> helped me to look everything over.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 I decided the best=
 way was to go
> >>> back
> >>> to
> >>> trying to install it from the opensuse repos.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 I had f=
ailed the first
> >>> time and
> >>> created a great confusion in my setup. But it was a spare "test" setu=
p on
> >>> a
> >>> separate partition.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 I spent a lot of time cleaning up=
 the repos,
> >>> updating and
> >>> cleaning up. And now Jovie works on opensuse 15.3!??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 Th=
e packages come
> >>> from
> >>> unofficial repos, but someone else with the tech knowhow has put it
> >>> together.??=C2=A0?
> >>> I am "forced" to upgrade soon, since the opensuse 15.2 EOL is soon.??=
=C2=A0??=C2=A0
> >>> But
> >>> now I
> >>> can move forward hopefully for another 1.5 years, the life of 15.3 un=
til a
> >>> better solution comes.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 I hope you or someone else can=
 help come up
> >>> with
> >>> a
> >>> replacement for Jovie.??=C2=A0??=C2=A0 Thanks for your efforts.??=C2=
=A0??=C2=A0 Gustav.
> >>> p.s. I'm posting back on the list in case it may help someone else.
> >>>
> >>> On 9/13/21 1:13 AM, Gustav Degreef wrote:
> >>>> On 8/30/21 7:15 PM, Simion wrote:
> >>>>> Hi Gustav,
> >>>>> I personally would try to compile it, if I am unable I would try fi=
rst a
> >>>>> simple bash script, the issue with next script is that is not
> >>>>> queuing??????????=C2=A0 the tasks so you can get 2 speakers at the =
same time
> >>>>> or
> >>>>> you
> >>>>> can edit the script to "killall" previous taks (so an application t=
hat
> >>>>> runs
> >>>>> in background would be needed to improve the experience)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> #! /bin/bash
> >>>>>
> >>>>> xclip -out -selection primary | xclip -in -selection clipboard
> >>>>> xsel --clipboard | tr "\n" " " | espeak
> >>>>> #end script
> >>>>>
> >>>>> or maybe python or nodejs
> >>>>> I am tempted to write something to do some cleanup on the input,
> >>>>> like when I want to read an entire reddit page of omments would be =
nice
> >>>>> if
> >>>>> I
> >>>>> could??????????=C2=A0 clean it up??????????=C2=A0 first and remove =
all the
> >>>>> "reply/report
> >>>>> ..." buttons labels
> >>>>> The reason I decided that in future I would use espeak is because i=
n my
> >>>>> current configuration jovie uses speech dispatcher and speech dispa=
tcher
> >>>>> uses
> >>>>> espeak , Qt5 is a new extra layer so a new placed that could cause
> >>>>> problems
> >>>>> (but yes Qt5 would be nice to have if you plant to write a cross
> >>>>> operating
> >>>>> system desktop application).
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I have no plans to upgrade from my system soon,??????????=C2=A0 may=
be when I
> >>>>> will
> >>>>> upgrade my computer or I am forced to upgrade.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You probably need to install and configure espeak, the language and
> >>>>> speed,
> >>>>> you can have a key bind to??????????=C2=A0 run the script, you can =
modify the
> >>>>> script
> >>>>> to??????????=C2=A0 add something like "killall espeak" to stop the =
previous
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Sorry I can't help more.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Regards, Simion
> >>>> Hi Simion,
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks for taking the time and for your effort.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On 8/28/21 11:42 PM, Gustav Degreef wrote:
> >>>>>> Hi Simion,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks for your detailed reply.??????????=C2=A0 I use opensuse lea=
p 15.2
> >>>>>> with
> >>>>>> KDE
> >>>>>> plasma 5.18.6, Qt 5.12.7. ??????????=C2=A0 Jovie continues to work=
 fine even
> >>>>>> though
> >>>>>> it has been deprecated.??????????=C2=A0 However, it no longer work=
s on
> >>>>>> opensuse
> >>>>>> 15.3 and 15.2 end of life is in December this year. Someone has bu=
ilt
> >>>>>> packages for Jovie on the Open Build Service of Suse, but I could =
not
> >>>>>> get
> >>>>>> it
> >>>>>> to install properly, I think it's due to the Qt changes, I got a
> >>>>>> dependency
> >>>>>> mess.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I have been trying to find a replacement for Jovie for 3 years at
> >>>>>> least,
> >>>>>> since it was clear it would no longer be maintained.??????????=C2=
=A0 Read
> >>>>>> Aloud
> >>>>>> is
> >>>>>> a plugin for Firefox that fills all the browser needs. Thunderbird=
 also
> >>>>>> has
> >>>>>> a Read Aloud plugin, but it only works for single emails and top p=
osted
> >>>>>> replies, list messages, etc.??????????=C2=A0 It reads only from to=
p to
> >>>>>> bottom
> >>>>>> without being able to select only parts of the mail.??????????
> >>>>>> LibreOffice
> >>>>>> has a text to speech plugin that even reads the clipboard contents=
, but
> >>>>>> it
> >>>>>> is cumbersome.??????????=C2=A0 Okular has a nice TTS function, but=
 it often
> >>>>>> starts
> >>>>>> two different simultaneous but voices of the same text which can't=
 be
> >>>>>> understood.??????????=C2=A0 Sometimes id functions fine.??????????=
=C2=A0 That is
> >>>>>> where I
> >>>>>> use TTS the most, and periodically to read out error messages, tex=
t
> >>>>>> boxes
> >>>>>> etc (for which Jovie is indispensable and for which I don't have a=
n
> >>>>>> adequate
> >>>>>> substitute).
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Any suggestions???????????=C2=A0 Perhaps to compile Jovie from a t=
ar
> >>>>>> binary???????????=C2=A0 Or are you seriously thinking of building =
a
> >>>>>> replacement
> >>>>>> for
> >>>>>> Jovie? Thanks, Gustav.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> On 8/26/21 12:01 PM, Simion wrote:
> >>>>>>> Hi, no problem ,
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> btw my name is Simion no Simon, don't worry it is OK just want to
> >>>>>>> mention
> >>>>>>> it to prevent issues like typos in emails
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> I still use Jovie, from my fork with a few crash fixes
> >>>>>>> I have some scripts that I use directly espeak .
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> I was not yet forced to give up on Jovie but my conclussion was t=
o not
> >>>>>>> use
> >>>>>>> Qt if I have to write my own replacement,
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> since I would not need some crossplatform solution I could probab=
ly
> >>>>>>> make
> >>>>>>> a
> >>>>>>> python application , or even something that runs in the
> >>>>>>> browser?????????????????????????????????????????????=C2=A0 or nod=
ejs.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> But for now on my distro I can still compile jovie , I have a key=
board
> >>>>>>> with
> >>>>>>> multipmedia keys so my workflow is to copy paste stuff in clipboa=
rd
> >>>>>>> and
> >>>>>>> using my keys I can play/pause/resume. I still use espeak as back=
end
> >>>>>>> with
> >>>>>>> voice speed set to max.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> On 8/26/21 12:37 PM, Gustav Degreef wrote:
> >>>>>>>> Hello Simon,
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> I saw your old message on the accessibility
> >>>>>>>> list.?????????????????????????????????????????????=C2=A0 I also =
have
> >>>>>>>> serious
> >>>>>>>> eye
> >>>>>>>> problems, though I am not
> >>>>>>>> blind.?????????????????????????????????????????????=C2=A0 I have=
 been
> >>>>>>>> using
> >>>>>>>> Jovie
> >>>>>>>> for most of my computer time for years and I am trying to find a
> >>>>>>>> replacement for it.?????????????????????????????????????????????=
=C2=A0 In
> >>>>>>>> my
> >>>>>>>> situation a screen reader is not
> >>>>>>>> suitable.??????????????????????????????????????????? Excuse me f=
or
> >>>>>>>> writing
> >>>>>>>> you directly.?????????????????????????????????????????????=C2=A0=
 Can I ask
> >>>>>>>> you
> >>>>>>>> more about this issue???????????????????????????????????????????=
???
> >>>>>>>> Gustav
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> On 5/12/18 10:18 AM, Simion wrote:
> >>>>>>>>> Hello, So I know that jovie is not be ported to KDE5 and that t=
he
> >>>>>>>>> idea
> >>>>>>>>> is
> >>>>>>>>> to use QtSpeech, I can't find if someone started a replacement =
for
> >>>>>>>>> jovie
> >>>>>>>>> that uses QtSpeech yet.
> >>>>>>>>> I plan to investigate QtSpeech and see if it works properly on
> >>>>>>>>> Linux,
> >>>>>>>>> if
> >>>>>>>>> there is no such a project started is there any interest in it?
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>