[bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

I think that Microsoft were caught a bit by the success of Linux with these
low cost machine - I suspect the cost of the Windows machine will drop with
a cut down version of the OS or probably good old XP.

Isaac
 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Adrian Higginbotham
Sent: 24 July 2008 13:17
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

A shame we don't have the situation that I understand is the case in the US
where the Windows machine is ten dollars cheaper than the linux one for one
particular model, think it's the 701 but can't remember for certain.


Adrian Higginbotham,
Manager, Leading edge research
Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994
Email: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/
BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Isaac Porat
Sent: 24 July 2008 12:11
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

Hi Adrian

We investigated putting Ubantu - as I said we thought this was not practical
- not that it could not be done with effort - the usual Linux of finding
drivers etc we did not also want to invalidate the warrantee.
Hackers have done this although I am not sure that everything worked - there
are pages and pages on the internet about problems and proposed solutions
that might or might not work.
The beauty with Ubantu is that speech is configured out of the box.

We did not try the full Xandros route.
However we tried and installed some of the speech components into Xandros
for example speech_dispatcher.  We run into the usual Linux nightmare that
one version works with one library version but not another so one has to
compile the complete thing from source only to find out that one synthesizer
works and the other does not.
I am sure that when all these problems are solved it will work beautifully
and we might use some of these approaches in the future.

But in the meantime came the Windows version which solved our problem so
there is less incentive to investigate further the Linux approach what would
be a solution for one type of machine which would be replace no doubt soon
with another model.

Regards
Isaac
 
-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Adrian Higginbotham
Sent: 24 July 2008 09:26
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

are yes, thought ubundu didn't sound quite right, but is it not still the
case that the linux distrubution installled is a cut down version which can
be replaced with a full distro of Xandros which does include access to a
screenreader?  a google around eeepc and screenreader turns up a couple of
forums where people have it up and running.


Adrian Higginbotham,
Manager, Leading edge research
Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994
Email: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/
BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Isaac Porat
Sent: 23 July 2008 21:07
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

Hello Roger Graham and Adrian

The Eee does not unfortunately run Ubantu distribution - it run Xandros,
there are many differences but one of the major ones is that it uses not
Gnom as a desktop which works with Orca the Linux screen reader but a
version of KDE.

We looked into installing Ubantu on the Eee as the screen reader is part of
the distribution but it is not practical for various reasons (the guy who
dealt with this is a Linux expert) hackers have done this  but again this is
not a practical proposition.



If one wants to experiment with Ubantu (not relevant to this discussion as
the computers we are talking about have probably too limited resources for
dual boot) , If you run Windows, Ubantus installation on top of Windows
installation has been much simplified in Ubantus latest version it
essentially installs itself as a Windows application and creates a dual boot
on your PC. You can experiment  with it and you can use add / remove
programs to get rid of it if you had enough.  I did not use it myself but
know a number  of sighted users and at least one blind person in the US who
uses it this way - he is a Linux and Orca fun.

With regard to your question Graham, Apparently Open office works well with
Orca - perhaps not surprisingly as Orca has been developed by mainly Sun
microsystem who are the main drivers behind open office.

And finally how I know a bit about the Asus Eee Linux version, because    
We did some work at a-technic putting SpeakOn on the Eee Pc Linux
distribution with a view of using it as a media platform - it works but more
effort is required to complete the job - better speech synthesizers
interface and support for some audio formats).  

In the meantime With the introduction of the Eee running Windows XP (Roger
it costs for 12 Gb £315 - £50 more than the Linux version) SpeakOn should
run on it out of the box but I did not tried it yet and wait for
confirmation that a screen readers works well with it as well. .
 
Regards
Isaac


-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Graham Page
Sent: 23 July 2008 17:45
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

interesting. are there any office typed products that run under Linux that
are accessible? if so I will definitely have a play when I get time.
 
regards
 
Graham
Graham Page
Home Phone: 0207 265 9493
Mobile: 07753 607980
Fax:  0870 706 2773
Email: gpage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MSN: gabriel_mcbird@xxxxxxxxxxx
Skype: gabriel_mcbird

----- Original Message -----
From: Adrian Higginbotham <mailto:adrian.higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 3:31 PM
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops


Roger, the linux eeePCs come with a cutdown distro of Ubuntu installed. One
of the things that has been cut is the screenreader parts so you?d need to
wipe it and do a full Ubuntu install in order to have this functionality.
You?d have to have a decent sized SD card onboard to allow you to have a
full linux istall along with add-on apps and useful amount of storage space
too.

 

 

Adrian Higginbotham,

Manager, Leading edge research

Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994

Email: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/

BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ 

 

From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Roger Woolgrove
Sent: 23 July 2008 15:23
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Small (low cost) laptops

 

Hi Isaac,

 

I've been looking into the Asus eeepc and I found out the following:

 

The Asus is very light (very very light)

It has 3 USB ports

It runs SD memory cards too

It comes with a built in webcam and microphone

It is available for the 4gb version from PC world currently at £220.

There is a 2gb version which is around £200 without the webcam and mike

It comes with Linux installed but I don't know which version

It can apparently run Windows XP but I haven't looked into it much yet.

Linux Ubuntu can easily be obtained with Orca speech software which isn't up
to Jaws and Hal standard but is workable.

The asus eeepc also - like most notepads - has WIFI connection

The keyboard is manageable for me and I have large hands but not massive,
any bigger and you'd be in trouble.

 

Roger

 

 

        ----- Original Message ----- 

        From: Isaac Porat <mailto:isaac@xxxxxxxxxxx>  

        To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

        Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 6:52 PM

        Subject: [bcab] Small (low cost) laptops

         

        Hello All

         

        I have started a new thread  here hopefully to concentrate on this
topic that like Graham I am very interested in.  This is because I am a
great believer in using a small laptop as the universal note taker / media
machine if Braille is not a must.

         

        I have included below Graham reply from the other thread which is
very relevant here.

         

        I am aware of the ASUS eeePC (£315) and a model of HP (£375)that
fall into this category and wonder like graham if anyone has experience
using these with a screen reader.

         

        Regards

        Isaac

         

        Below is Graham posting on the other thread.

         

        ...

        On the subject of knowing about things, I don't know about sight
village but I do know that a few very interesting things are happening on
the small PC front with the launch of the MSI Wind, also being sold in PC
World as the Advent 4211. This features the new Intel Atom processor running
at a speed of 1.6 GHZ and 1 GB of RAM. It also has an 80 GB hard disk and
runs Windows XP Home.

        I have had a look at this and the keyboard is very usable. It weighs
in at 1.2 KG and costs £279.00

        The only problem is that it currently only has a 3 cell battery so
battery is unlikely to last more than an hour and a half but this product is
small, light and cheap but the keyboard should be usable even by someone
with large hands. I wonder if, by any chance, anyone has tried this with a
screenreader such as Window-eyes, Hal or JAWS? I would think it would work
ok.

        Regards

        Graham

        Graham Page

          

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