# Speak ## SPO256-AL2 based Text-to-Speech Network Services http://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/apps/sound/speech/speak-1.0.tar.gz This package comprises a new stand-alone release of the standard 'text to speech' interface service and tools as first covered in the SPO article appearing in Linux Journal, January 1997. Generic support for using the SPO256-AL2 based board, and potentially other alternate network accessible text-to-speech resources, is now more cleanly supported in a portable manner that should allow use under virtually any UNIX'oid OS. This release supersedes the initial WorldVU based source release originally described in Linux Journal. This new release includes a new and portable SPO256 text-to-speech server, some glue scripts for init.d in Linux to use the SPO as a normal system 'service', and many of the standard utilities re-written in a more generic form. The new server should do a better job of parsing textual documents into natural sounding speech as new rules for handling common abbreviations and to improve word pacing have been added. The source for the SPO256-AL2 server is now more modular and more fully documented. The utilities now include standard man pages. The server now supports alternate forms of operation for use in client scripts. If you do not have the Linux Journal article in question, the SPO256 is essentially a serial based text-to-speech board of limited utility. The SPO256-AL2 (Vocoder) chip was originally used in many products, including the Matel speak-and-spell(tm) toy, and offers limited text-to-speech translation services. The SPO256 server augments the limited translation capabilities of the SPO256 chipset and offers a network accessible resource for text-to-speech notifications, such as system alerts, user logins, etc. This new server assumes a standard TCP 'service' has been defined in /etc/services. You should edit the /etc/services file to include an entry like the following (though a different port number may be used): speak 800/tcp # SPO256 text-to-speech network resource You will also need to copy speak.conf to /etc and modify it as needed. While the SPO256-AL2 is the primary hardware interface supported in this package, other alternate text-to-speech devices may be added later that will also use the "speak" port service. In particular, a re-implementation of rsynth is being considered. Since the utilities talk to a standard tcp port interface, they remain unchanged regardless of the underlying hardware used to produce text-to-speech output. To build the software package, first run ./config. Config will genorate the Makefiles. Config will then start 'make'. The configuration system will attempt to identify the OS it is running under, compiler options, etc. This may work under most UNIX operating systems, so the SPO package should not be assumed to be a Linux-only utility. Once make completes successfully, perform a 'make install'. This will update the /etc/services file and install the application binaries. If you have difficulty with the new source configuration tool, please review build/config.doc. Please examine the speak.conf and speak.init files, and relocate them as needed. Further documentation may be found within the supplied man pages. Comments may be addressed to David Sugar . The SPO256- AL2 Text-to-Speech board ("Computalker") may be ordered through B&G Micro, P.O. Box 280298, Dallas, TX 75228 (214) 271-5546. Linux Journal may be found http://www.ssc.com/lj.