CentOS - Jul 2005 - Text to Speech on CentOS4

I am setting up a laptop (Sony VAIO PCG-4?) for my learning disabled 
son (age 11).  I have previously used MicroSoft 2Kpro and XPpro / 
Office 2K platforms for text-to-speech applications as that is what 
most commercial LD Assist software is written for.  However, with MS 
now requiring that one inventories ones entire computer software 
configuration with them before getting updates to their software 
coupled with the high risk nature of  doing without those updates, I 
am reluctant to continue this practice.  

What I am looking for is a robust, good quality, text-to-speech 
reader that can work with Open Office under CentOS4.  I have googled 
extensively but frankly I need a bit of guidance as to what is the 
best of breed available.  If the package uses/supports ATT Natural 
Voices as an option then that would be wonderful as I already have 
the necessary licences for those voices. Does anyone here have any 
experience with this type of software and can recommend a particular 
package?  Commercial apps. are fine.  It is functionality I am after, 
not economies.  

My next requirement will be an OCR package equivalent in function 
and accuracy to AABBY Fine Reader.  Any suggestions there?

Regards,
Jim
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James B. Byrne                mailto:ByrneJB.<token>@Harte-Lyne.ca
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On 7/28/05, James B. Byrne <ByrneJB at harte-lyne.ca>
wrote:
> I am setting up a laptop (Sony VAIO PCG-4?) for my learning disabled
> son (age 11).  I have previously used MicroSoft 2Kpro and XPpro /
> Office 2K platforms for text-to-speech applications as that is what
> most commercial LD Assist software is written for.  However, with MS
> now requiring that one inventories ones entire computer software
> configuration with them before getting updates to their software
> coupled with the high risk nature of  doing without those updates, I
> am reluctant to continue this practice.
No Comment. 
> What I am looking for is a robust, good quality, text-to-speech
> reader that can work with Open Office under CentOS4.  I have googled
> extensively but frankly I need a bit of guidance as to what is the
> best of breed available.  If the package uses/supports ATT Natural
> Voices as an option then that would be wonderful as I already have
> the necessary licences for those voices. Does anyone here have any
> experience with this type of software and can recommend a particular
> package?  Commercial apps. are fine.  It is functionality I am after,
> not economies.
The only text to speech app that I'm familiar with on the linux side
is Festival, which is included in the base centos repository. Apart
from that I haven't had much experience, but I've got a few links that
I can provide to hopefully point you in a decent direction. They're
not  part of the default centos, but if they seem like what you want,
feel free request a build. I'm sure there's enough people here willing
to help.

http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gap/  <-- Gnome Accessibility project
http://www.baum.ro/gnopernicus.html  <-- Screen Reader for Gnome
http://lars.atrc.utoronto.ca/current.html <-- general accessibility
resource site
http://www.eklhad.net/linux/jupiter/  <-- Console kernel level screen reader.
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/voice/viavoice/dev/index.shtml <-- IBM
ViaVoice for Linux

--
Jim Perrin
System Administrator -UIT
Ft Gordon & US Army Signal Center