spk2 0.0.1
Andrew Plumb, 1999

INTRODUCTION
------------
Welcome to the alpha of spk2, a command-line interface to IBM's 
ViaVoice Outloud Runtime Kit for Linux, a speech synthesis engine 
for Linux.

For more information, see:

	http://www-4.ibm.com/software/speech/dev/
	http://www-4.ibm.com/software/speech/dev/sdk_linux.html

This version is a substantial rewrite of the cmdlinespeak.cpp code
included in IBM's SDK to take advantage of Unix pipe and stream I/O.


INSTALLATION
------------
Step 1:  Install IBM's ViaVoice Outloud Runtime Kit for Linux

Step 2:  Make sure the install works.  Try running:

  /usr/lib/ViaVoiceOutloud/samples/cmdlinespeak/runcmdlinespeak

and

  /usr/lib/ViaVoiceOutloud/samples/cmdlinespeak/runcmdlinespeakfile

...if these work, you've installed things properly and should be
able to compile and use spk2 without any problems.

(Note:  Remember to set the ECIINI environment variable, as described
in the documentation.  See the runcmdlinespeak* scripts for more
insight into how they work.)

Step 3:  If the binaries I've included don't work right away, make
new ones:

	make spk2

It's a very simple make file, so you may need or want to edit it
for your own machine particulars.

Step 4:  Play with the binaries!

USAGE EXAMPLES
--------------

Simple piping examples:
	./spk2 < ./README | more
	cat ./README | ./spk2 | more
	more ./README | ./spk2

To speak the date:
	date | sed -f ~/sed.date | spk2 "The date is " -done ""

To speak the time:
	date | sed -f ~/sed.time | spk2 "The time is " -done ""

Command line options/capabilities:
      Switches	:     Embedded	:     Effect

	-v1	:	`v1	:	Use voice 1 (default)
	-v2	:	`v2	:	Use voice 2
	-v3	:	`v3	:	Use voice 3

	-vs25	:	`vs25	:	Speak at quarter-speed
	-vs50	:	`vs50	:	Speak at normal-speed
	-vs75	:	`vs75	:	Speak at three-quarter speed
	-vs100	:	`vs100	:	Speak at top-speed
`v1 `vs50
	-done "End of text."	:	Phrase to speak when done

Examine the sample text file included in the ViaVoice Outloud package:
  /usr/lib/ViaVoiceOutloud/samples/cmdlinespeak/american-voices-eci.txt

FEEDBACK
--------
There's plenty to improve upon, so feel free to toss any suggestions
and/or optimizations my way.  Contact info at the end of this file.


RELEASE INFO
------------
0.0.1:  This is the first release.  It doesn't get much more fresh 
	than this.  Use at your own risk.


TRADEMARK INFORMATION
-------------------------
*  IBM and ViaVoice are registered trademarks or trademarks of 
   International Business Machines Corporation in the United States and 
   other countries.


CONTACT INFO
------------
Andrew Plumb
E-mail:
	andrew@plumb.org (preferred)
Web:
	http://www.plumb.org/tekmage/
Snailmail:
	502-1000 Castle Hill Crescent
	Ottawa, Ontario
	K2C 3L7
	Canada

