Frequently Asked Questions for outSPOKEN 9.0 for Macintosh (oSM9)

General

Speech Synthesis

Installation

Usage

Mac OS

Applications

What is outSPOKEN for Macintosh?

outSPOKEN for Macintosh, the first screen reader for any GUI (Graphical User Interface) operating system and the recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian award, allows blind, visually impaired and learning disabled people to use the Macintosh computer.

outSPOKEN is an easy-to-use screen reading program that enables the user to work with virtually any standard Macintosh application. outSPOKEN for Macintosh supports all built-in Macintosh navigation and shortcut keys and provides a unique substitute for a physical mouse by re-mapping a standard Mac numeric keypad to simulate mouse movement, which is convenient for efficient review of the Macintosh environment.

outSPOKEN 9.0 for Macintosh (oSM9) is supported under Mac OS 8.x and 9. (You must use outSPOKEN 8.0 with Mac OS 7.x.)

What changes have been made in oSM9?

  • Differences between oSM9 and oSM8:
    • Optimized to Work With Mac OS 9.
    • Improved icon recognition. Talking installer is easier and more friendly to use. Quick access to documentation on the CD.
  • Differences between oSM9 and outSPOKEN 1.x:
    • Uses Apple's PlainTalk voices which can be selected easily from the oSM9 Voice Dialog.
  • Provides improved color support:
    • Graphics and icons can be named in the oSM9 Dictionary while running in color.
    • oSM9 can identify up to 1000 different text colors. oSM9 FIND command can locate changes in text color.
  • New keyboard commands and settings provide greater accessibility and customization:
    • New Custom Settings: Dimmed Text, Caps Lock, I-Bar, Numbers, Repeat Filter
    • New Echo Typing options: Characters & Words and Auto Speak
    • New Voice Settings: Voice, Modulation, System volume and Alert volume
    • New Commands: Find Color Change, Open Icon, Where In Application, Top Window, Collapse All Windows, Uncollapse All Windows, Hide/Show Applications, Hide/Show Control Strip
  • New talking Installer provides easy installation without sighted assistance.
  • Newly rewritten manual is provided in print, audio tape, disk and, on request, in Braille.

What are the requirements for oSM9?

Minimum System Requirements:

  • Processor: Any PowerPC-based Mac running at 32 MHz or faster
  • Minimum Installed RAM: 48 MB (USB-based Mac running Mac OS 9.0x or newer); 32 MB for all other Macs
  • Virtual Memory: MUST be off on USB-based Macs running Mac OS 9.0x or newer; it is recommended that it be turned off for all other Macs.
  • CD-ROM Drive: Required for installation - Mac OS Versions: 8.x and 9.0.x. - Synthesizer: Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech version 1.5 or newer
  • Voices: MacinTalk 3 (Fred must be installed for installation)

Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech software must be properly installed in order for outSPOKEN and the outSPOKEN Installer to function.

What versions of the Macintosh Operating Systems (Mac OS) will outSPOKEN 9.0 work with?

Will oSM9 work with Mac OS 7.x?

oSM9 works with all versions of Mac OS 8.x and 9. It does not work with Mac OS 7.x. (outSPOKEN 8.0 will run under Mac OS 7.x and 8.x.)

Will oSM9 work on Apple's new G3, G4, iMac or iBook computers?

Yes. oSM9 will run on all of today's Macintosh computers, provided they meet the minimum system requirements as stated above.

Does oSM9 ship on floppy disks or on a CD?

oSM9 ships on one CD. It is not available on floppy disks.

What drivers and synthesizers are supported by oSM9?

oSM9 supports Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech Synthesis. This software is pre-installed on all of today's Macs.

Apple's English Text-to-Speech synthesis has three different quality voices: MacinTalk 2, MacinTalk 3 and MacinTalk Pro.

MacinTalk 3 voices (Albert, Fred, Junior, Kathy, Princess, Ralph) should be used with outSPOKEN. The voices most liked by our users are Fred, Junior and Ralph.

MacinTalk 2 voices (Ben, Boris, Brenda, Mariel, Marvin, Mr. Hughes, Otis, Robovox, Votron, Zero) are very poor quality voices and are not recommended for use with outSPOKEN.

MacinTalk Pro voices (Agnes, Bruce and Victoria) are very high quality voices but there have been reports of problems with slow and choppy speech, and instances of lost text while typing when using these voices with outSPOKEN. Therefore, MacinTalk Pro voices should not be used with outSPOKEN.

Can I use other speech synthesis with oSM9?

Can I use external speech synthesizers with oSM9?

outSPOKEN 9.0 should work with any speech synthesis that is PlainTalk compliant. However, extensive testing was done only with Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech synthesis. (There is a known problem which prevents outSPOKEN 9.0 from working with Apple's PlainTalk Mexican-Spanish Text-to-Speech synthesis.) You cannot use external speech synthesizers on a Mac with outSPOKEN.

Can I use the original outSPOKEN voice with oSM9?

The voice used by outSPOKEN 1.x for Macintosh is not PlainTalk compliant and, therefore, will not work with oSM9.

How do I know if Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech synthesis is installed on my Mac?

Most computers now ship with this software already installed. To check, open any SimpleText document and select "Speak All" from the Sound menu. (The keyboard command is either Command-H or Command-J, depending upon the version of SimpleText.) If the document is read to you, then the Text-to-Speech (TTS) software is properly installed.

If it does not speak to you, the Text-to-Speech components might be on your Mac, but not properly installed. Use Find File to look for the components and, if found, place them in the proper locations.

The following items should be in the Extensions Folder: MacinTalk 3 extension, Speech Manager and Voices folder.(The Voices folder should contain the voice files for the MacinTalk 3 extension.)

The following item should be in the Control Panels folder: Speech.

I cannot find Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech software on my Mac. What do I do now?

You can locate it on the CD that contains your Mac OS System software. The English Text-to-Speech installer is generally located inside the "English Text-to-Speech" folder which is located in the "Software Installers" folder. Do not confuse the "English Text-to-Speech" folder with the "English Speech Recognition" folder.

How do I install oSM9?

Launch the oSM9 Installer like you would any other application. The Installer will talk you through the installation and serialization of outSPOKEN.

To launch the oSM9 Installer without sighted assistance, do the following (we assume that the Mac is on, that no applications are running and that the Installer disk is in the proper drive):

  • Close all windows (Command-Option-W).
  • Press the Space Bar to select the "Start Installing oSM9" icon. Open the selected icon (Command-O). Follow the spoken prompts.

During the installation, I get an error message saying "Installation Failed!" What happened?

Refer to the Read Me file, the Reference Guide and the Manual for detailed information. Usually, the problem is:

  • The disk on which you are installing outSPOKEN is full or locked.
  • Your Mac or Mac OS does not meet the minimum requirements. Apple's PlainTalk English Text-to-Speech software is not properly installed. You are trying to install from a copy of the original disk.

During installation, I get a message that says I must install more memory before outSPOKEN can be installed. Why?

Virtual memory must be turned off if you are running Mac OS 9 with outSPOKEN. If virtual memory is on and you are running Mac OS 9, the installer will turn it off provided you have at least 48 MB of installed memory. If you do not have that much installed memory, the installer will warn you that more memory is needed before outSPOKEN can be installed so that virtual memory can be turned off.

While most of today's Macs require at least 48 MB of installed memory before you can turn virtual memory off, some older Macs may have a lower memory requirement. If you have such a Mac, quit the outSPOKEN installer, turn off virtual memory in the Memory control panel, restart the Mac and re-launch the outSPOKEN installer.

oSM9 makes sounds when I enter outSPOKEN commands, but no speech is generated. What's up?

If oSM9 generates tones, but no speech, the problem is one of the following:

  • There may be a conflicting extension inside your Extensions folder. To check, do the following:
    • Open your startup disk window by double clicking on its icon.
    • Open your System Folder by double clicking on its icon. Open the Extensions folder by double clicking on its icon. If you find one of the following extensions, drag it to the Trash:
      • Norton CrashGuard extension (part of Norton Utilities)
      • Text Services Manager Fix extension (part of SpellTools)
      • TSM Fix extension (part of Shock Wave)
    • Close all windows and restart the Macintosh.
  • There may not be enough memory to use the voice you selected as the outSPOKEN voice, or there may be a conflict with that voice. In either case, open the outSPOKEN Voice Settings (Command-SPELL) and select a different voice, preferably a MacinTalk 3 voice (Albert, Fred, Junior, Kathy, Princess, Ralph). Fred is the voice which requires the least amount of memory. (Do not select one of Apple's Mexican-Spanish Text-to-Speech voices.)

Can I use a refreshable braille display on my Macintosh using outSPOKEN?

At this time, no. However, this support is planned for the next major release of outSPOKEN for Macintosh. Please feel free to drop us any comments and suggestions about refreshable braille display support for the Macintosh.

Note: outSPOKEN for Windows does have refreshable braille display support.

How do I use the numeric keypad to enter numbers and symbols while I am using outSPOKEN?

When you use the tilde (~) key as a modifier key, pressing any key on the numeric keypad will type that key. So, you could press and hold the tilde key down and enter a series of numbers from the numeric keypad. Releasing the tilde key returns the numeric keypad to outSPOKEN's control keys.

outSPOKEN often says "icon" or "symbol." Can outSPOKEN announce what these icons and symbols are?

What is the difference between icons and symbols?

When outSPOKEN comes across a graphic, it searches its graphics dictionary for a bitmap match. If a match is found, outSPOKEN announces the text associated with that graphic. If a match is not found, outSPOKEN will say "icon" for larger graphics and "symbol" for smaller graphics.

outSPOKEN comes with many icons and symbols pre-defined. To name an graphic that is not defined, or to rename an already defined graphic, place outSPOKEN on the graphic and press Command-SAY, type in the name that you want associated with the graphic and press the RETURN key.

outSPOKEN 9.0 allows you to name graphics while in either black and white or color (we recommend 256 colors). A graphic named while in one color setting may require being defined again if the color setting is changed.

Graphic announcements are controlled by the Graphics setting in the outSPOKEN Custom Settings dialog (Command-INFO). Refer to Chapter 6 in the outSPOKEN User Manual for more information.

When I move the mouse around the screen, why does outSPOKEN sound so jerky or make clicking sounds?

Why is it so difficult to read with outSPOKEN when I use the mouse?

Although outSPOKEN will speak when you move the mouse around the screen, it is not designed to be used that way. Instead, outSPOKEN is designed to be used by a blind or visually impaired individual who cannot see to use the mouse. To navigate without using the mouse and to have outSPOKEN read what is on the screen, use the outSPOKEN reading and navigation keys located on the numeric keypad (refer to Chapter 5 in the outSPOKEN 8/9 User Manual or the Quick Tour file, which are both located in the Documents folder). For example, to read the current line, press the outSPOKEN DOWN key (the key labeled "2" on the numeric keypad).

The clicking sound that you hear when moving the mouse around the screen indicates that the mouse has been moved over a word so quickly that outSPOKEN did not have time to pronounce it.

Will outSPOKEN read what I type as I type it?

Yes. This is controlled by outSPOKEN's Echo setting. You can have outSPOKEN speak each word as you type it, or each character. You may also choose to have outSPOKEN announce both characters and words while you type, or to remain silent. There is also an "Auto Speak" setting in which outSPOKEN speaks each word as you type it as well as any partial word typed if you pause in the middle of a word.

When using outSPOKEN on my PowerBook or iBook, why do I have to enter some outSPOKEN commands twice before they work?

Depending on the keyboard layout that you are using, there may be some special characters that can be entered by using multiple key combinations. Some of these combinations may match outSPOKEN commands when you use the main keyboard to enter outSPOKEN commands. In these cases, the Mac OS will hold the first key combination it detects until a second key is pressed. While the Mac OS is holding the first key combination, outSPOKEN is unaware of it and does not respond. When you press the key combination a second time, the Mac OS does not recognize it as a valid follow up key to the first key combination, discards the first key combination and passes the second key combination on to outSPOKEN.

On U.S. English keyboard layouts, there are two commands that are affected by this behavior when entering outSPOKEN commands from the main keyboard:

Top Window (~-Option-U)

Up by One Tenth (~-Option-I)

When entering these commands from the main keyboard which is using a U.S. keyboard layout, these commands will have to be entered twice before they will respond. Note: As long as you hold the ~ and Option keys down, you can press the letter key repeatedly. For example: if you held down the ~ and Option keys and tapped "I" 3 times, outSPOKEN would move up 2 tenths of an inch; if you held down the ~ and Option keys and tapped "I" 11 times, outSPOKEN would move up 1 inch.

How can I best customize Mac OS 8.5.x and newer (including Mac OS 9) to work with oSM9?

  • In the Finder's Preferences (Edit menu):
    • Under the General tab, turn off "Spring-loaded folders".
  • In the Monitors (or Monitors and Sound) control panel:
    • Set the Color Depth to 256.
  • In the Appearance control panel:
    • under Options, turn "Smart Scrolling" off
    • under Appearance: set Variations to "clack and white"
    • under Appearance, set highlight color to "Other" and then click CMYK Picker and enter 0 for Cyan, Magenta and Yellow and 100 for Black.
  • In the Control Strip control panel:
    • Click the "Hide" button.
  • In the Memory control panel:
    • Turn virtual memory off.
  • While in Finder windows:
    • View windows as List.

Can I use the Help System on the Mac using outSPOKEN?

There are many different Help Systems on the Mac. outSPOKEN works with the non-graphical screens of AppleGuide. (See the Apple Guide section of the outSPOKEN Reference Guide that is located in the oSM9 Documents folder.) outSPOKEN also works with Apple's Help Center in Mac OS 8.6 and newer.

Why can't I double click an icon by pressing the outSPOKEN SELECT key twice in rapid succession?

On newer Macs running Mac OS 8 or 9, outSPOKEN cannot generate two separate SELECT commands fast enough to be recognized as a double click by the Mac OS. Instead of pressing the SELECT key twice in rapid succession, use outSPOKEN's "Open Icon" (or "Safe Double Click") command.

To use this command, simply position outSPOKEN anywhere on the icon and press Command-Option-DOWN once. This will generate a double click which will open the item represented by the icon.

There is an advantage to using this command to open icons. When pressing the SELECT key twice to double click an icon, you could not be on the name of the icon. (If you were, you would enter the Finder's edit mode and the next character that you pressed would rename the icon.) With outSPOKEN's "Open Icon" (or "Safe Double Click") command, outSPOKEN can be anywhere on the icon when you perform the command and you will not enter the Finder's edit mode.

Why can't I use outSPOKEN's SCROLL command in Mac OS 8.5.x or newer?

This is most likely caused by not properly configuring the Mac OS to work with outSPOKEN. The "Smart Scrolling" option is probably turned on in the Appearance control panel and it should be turned off.

If the Mac OS is configured properly, then the problem may be that a floating window or floating palette is covering part of the scroll bar preventing outSPOKEN from clicking on it. Verify that the ControlStrip control panel is not showing (Control-WINDOW). Also be sure that AppleGuide is not on. As described in the outSPOKEN Reference Guide, outSPOKEN does not see floating windows and floating palettes, so you may need sighted assistance to close them.

Why do windows open while I am trying to drag icons in the Finder?

In Mac OS 8 and 9, turn off the "Spring Loaded Folders" option in the Finder Preferences (located in the Edit menu) under the General tab.

Why do I have so much trouble trying to drag icons in the Finder?

If the problem is that the icon you are trying to move remains in place, try putting outSPOKEN on the icon itself rather than on the name of the icon before you press the DRAG key.

If the problem is that you cannot navigate to the desired location while you are dragging the icon, then:

  • Hide All Applications (Command-Option-TOP) before you start dragging.
  • Resize the windows so that the window containing the icon you want to drag is in one half of the screen and the window you are moving the icon to is in the other half. (Command-WINDOW, followed by LEFT, RIGHT, UP or DOWN). If you are moving the icon to the desktop, be sure that the window you have open is not covering the icon that you are moving to.

How does oSM9 work with today's applications?

outSPOKEN has been extensively tested with a wide range of software and hardware. In the vast majority of situations outSPOKEN is extremely reliable and robust. However, some applications may exhibit some unusual behavior.

ClarisWorks and AppleWorks

There are no reported problems using oSM9 with ClarisWorks (AppleWorks) versions 4 and 5. In AppleWorks 6, outSPOKEN does not reliably recognize underline and highlight text styles.

Office/Word for Macintosh

We do not recommend using any Microsoft product with outSPOKEN for Macintosh, including Office/Word, due to incompatibilities and reports of crashes.

If you choose to use Office/Word, then close all palettes and tool bars, turn off tool and screen tips, and, most importantly, disable the assistant and all animation. outSPOKEN does not recognize highlighted or underlined text in Word. When pressing the SELECT key to place the I-Bar, the I-Bar may be placed to the left by one character. After opening another Word window or a dialog box has closed, outSPOKEN may lose focus on the current window. Try Top Window. If this fails, press WINDOW and select the current window. If this fails, switch out of Office, switch back to Office and then select the appropriate window with outSPOKEN's WINDOW menu.

Word 5.x and 6.x for Macintosh

All versions of oSM work well with Microsoft Word 5.x. We do not recommend using Word 6.x for Macintosh with any version of outSPOKEN for Macintosh.

MacWrite II

oSM9 does not work with MacWrite II. You should upgrade your word processor to ClarisWorks or AppleWorks

FileMaker Pro

outSPOKEN works well with FileMaker Pro, although it does not see check boxes and radio buttons that are placed in a data base. Layouts can be designed easily enough to avoid these controls.

Netscape

We recommend Netscape 4.x, although outSPOKEN does not recognize some check boxes in the Preferences window. We recommend that you hide all palettes and tool bars. We recommend that you upgrade Netscape 3.x to 4.x. Netscape 2.x may also be used.

Internet Explorer

We do not recommend using any Microsoft product with outSPOKEN for Macintosh, including Internet Explorer, due to incompatibilities and reports of crashes.

If you choose to use Internet Explorer, you cannot press the SELECT key to click on a link. Instead, you must use the mouse button. There have also been some reports of instability after prolonged use. We recommend that you hide all palettes and tool bars and disable tool and screen tips.

Quicken 98

Uncheck the following items in the Preferences, under the General tab: Show button bars, Show account bar, Show backdrop behind windows. If you decide to check the Show Tip at startup, be sure to read the information about working with Apple Guide located in the outSPOKEN Reference Guide in the oSM9 Documents folder.

Outlook Express

We do not recommend using any Microsoft product with outSPOKEN for Macintosh, including Outlook Express, due to incompatibilities and reports of crashes.

Eudora

outSPOKEN works very well with Eudora. We recommend that you hide all palettes and tool bars and disable tool and screen tips.

Adobe Acrobat and PDF files

Many documents and manuals are in a format known as PDF. However, this file format is not accessible to screen readers such as outSPOKEN. There are two ways to convert PDF files so that they may be read by outSPOKEN:

  1. There is a service that will convert your PDF files into a format that can be read by screen readers such as outSPOKEN. Attach the PDF file to an email message and send it to one of the following email addresses. You will receive the result of the conversion in a reply. pdf2txt@sun.trace.wisc.edu -- converts the PDF file to text
  2. pdf2html@sun.trace.wisc.edu -- converts the PDF file to html.
For more information, visit the following web sites:

Trace Center: http//www.tracecenter.org

Access Adobe: http://access.adobe.com

Copy one page at a time from Adobe Acrobat Reader (press Command-A followed by Command-C) and paste it into your favorite word processor. If it is a long document, this might be very cumbersome. You may use a macro program like CE Software's QuicKeys to automate the process.

Will oSM9 work in a Windows environment created by either Windows emulator software or by installing hardware cards?

No. outSPOKEN for Macintosh will only work in the Macintosh environment.

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