Linux 6.9 Improves Speakup - Its In-Kernel Speech Synthesizer

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 6.9 Improves Speakup - Its In-Kernel Speech Synthesizer

The speakup driver that's long existed within the Linux kernel is a speech synthesizer that can interface with various synthesizer hardware and from user-space software can interface with /dev/synth for submitting data to the synthesizer. With Linux 6.9 the speakup driver is seeing two useful improvements...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.9-Speakup-Driver

[alex19EP]

small correction. speakup is primarily a screen reader that allows blind people like me to use the Linux console. it converts on-screen text into speech and allows you to navigate through it.

[cend]

If I read correctly, it is not a synthesizer, but a subsystem for driving speech synthesizers? It is implemented on top of ALSA or is it not?

[mxan]

It’s nice to see all the accessibility work happening lately

[alex19EP]

If I read correctly, it is not a synthesizer, but a subsystem for driving speech synthesizers? It is implemented on top of ALSA or is it not?

since speakup is a kernel module, it itself does not communicate with the audio subsystem; speech synthesis occurs in user space, for example using espeakup https://github.com/linux-speakup/espeakup .

[mikelpr]

wow why is it on kernel space? soooo curious

[Alexmitter]

wow why is it on kernel space? soooo curious

So blind people can use the system before a WM is started.

[alex19EP]

wow why is it on kernel space? soooo curious

because VT subsystem with which speakup interacts is also in the kernel.