RE: SSIP for Windows -- beta almost ready for release

  • From: "Macarty, Jay {PBSG}" <Jay.Macarty@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:38:09 -0600

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.
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