Jim, Besides becoming a part of the tools Sina is currently involved with, the SSIP server will allow easy self-voicing of any application with the ability to utilize the same client calling format for SAPI, JAWS speech output, Window-Eyes speech output, and any other screen reader API hooks I can get specs on. From an accessibility product perspective, one thing I will be using the SSIP server for is to revisit my java screen reader application. I find it frustrating to know that java accessibility is capable of a much cleaner and more controlled experience than that exposed by the Access Bridge. The java accessibility framework is quite powerful and flexible and I want to be able to use it to its fullest extent rather than trying to work with what the bridge is willing to expose in what manner. The java screen reader project interacts directly with the accessibility API and has full access to the Accessibility Hierarchy. The SSIP server will allow the java screen reader to make use of the java accessibility API to its max and in a 100% java solution simply using SSIP to spend the text to be spoken out to JAWS, window-Eyes, or SAPI. Don't get me wrong. I think the Access bridge has come a long way in the past couple of years and I will continue to use it where it makes sense. But, I want to be able to have an alternative access solution which is written in java and thus, can get the most directly from it. -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of james.homme@xxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:21 AM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release Hi, What is the impact of this on accessibility? What will it help with? Thanks. Jim James D Homme, , Usability Engineering, Highmark Inc., james.homme@xxxxxxxxxxxx, 412-544-1810 "Never doubt that a thoughtful group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead "inthaneelf" <inthaneelf@roadr unner.com> To Sent by: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx programmingblind- cc bounce@freelists. org Subject Re: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release 11/26/2007 05:34 PM Please respond to programmingblind@ freelists.org this is one time I wish I had gotten up "earlier" instead of my normal time, ah well, since Sina has an interest in this, I'll just ask if I can link to the page for this when you get it ready. regards, inthane . For Blind Programming assistance, Information, Useful Programs, and Links to Jamal Mazrui's Text tutorial packages and Applications, visit me at: http://grabbag.alacorncomputer.com . to be able to view a simple programming project in several programming languages, visit the Fruit basket demo site at: http://fruitbasketdemo.alacorncomputer.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Macarty, Jay {PBSG}" <Jay.Macarty@xxxxxxxx> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 9:25 AM Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release Sina, Thanks for the feedback and the offer! I'll take you up on that and will contact you off list to discuss the details. -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sina Bahram Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 11:17 AM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release Jay, look no further for hosting, my friend. Since this project is directly related to the Remote Access Bridge, please allow me to offer you SVN access, if you like, site hosting, databases, and so on ... It's no problem for me to set that up, so just contact me off list. Glad to see there is now a .net parser for SSIP as well. This will open up some oppertunities. Take care, Sina -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Macarty, Jay {PBSG} Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 12:13 PM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release All, Some of you may be aware that I have been working for some time now on a server for the Speech Synthesis Interface Protocol, SSIP, for the windows platform. I started out trying to implement the server in Auto-It but couldn't get the multi-threading functionality or object oriented capabilities I wanted. I then switched to ruby but the 1.8 version didn't have the interface and abstract class support I wanted and the executable packaging wasn't quite what I wanted either. I have now switched the development over to C# and found the capabilities I wanted. There is still a little clean-up of the initial beta release and I'll have to find a website to host the download installer, but here is a description of the initial release. SSIP is a non-synthesizer specific protocol for producing speech output. The specs haven't been updated in a while but can be found at the URL http://www.freebsoft.org/doc/speechd/ssip.html SSIP uses a simple socket connection and a text command syntax. To produce the spoken output "this is a test." a calling client program might send these commands: set client_name j.macarty:demo:test1 speak this is a test. . The set client_name command simply identifies this client session for tracking purposes since the server supports multiple client sessions concurrently. The speak command tells the server to start receiving text to be spoken. The text input is terminated by a line containing a single dot. this also triggers the server to send the text to the output speech channel. The SSIP for windows server supports output to JAWS, window-Eyes or SAPI. The SpeechManager class uses an interface named ITextToSpeech with implementation classes written for each of these 3 output channels. The server was written with C# 2.0, instead of 3.x, because some corporate builds, including ours here at work, are still using Dot Net 2.0. Rather than attempting to set up the COM interface for SAPI and Window-Eyes, I decided to use the tlbimp utility and build assemblies for them. This allowed for simply creating the objects like SpVoice for SAPI and SpeakClass for Window-Eyes. Also, once the assemblies were built, it was easier to examine them using the ildasm tool to see the method calls and signatures. The current server supports multiple client connections. I tried it out with 3 clients; one speaking thru JAWS, one speaking thru Window-Eyes, and one speaking thru SAPI. The SAPI interface also supports the SET RATE, SET VOICE, and SET VOLUME SSIP commands. The server also supports the SSIP CHAR command for immediately speaking a single character. The SSIP BLOCK structure command set and the Speech Synthesis Markup Language, SSML, support are not included in this release but will be added. The install includes a small Auto-It program called SSIPVoiceClient which allows one to test out the server. The client contains an input text field where you can enter SSIP commands to send to the server and an output text area which echoes back the server response codes. I'll post another update when I have arranged for a download host and have finished packaging up the install program. I'm hoping to provide a java client API for the SSIP server, if Sina hasn't already developed one, and some client examples in other languages as well. __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind