How to try the new versions of speakup

[Chris Moore]

Hello,
I’m currently running the version of speakup which is included with arch linux. My understanding is that the speakup code in the kernel is different from the patches posted on the list. How would I go about trying the fixes I have read about on this list. Also how would I test Dave’s alternative version.
Can any of this be done without recompiling the kernel and/or kernel modules?

TIA
Chris

[Chris Brannon]

Post by Chris Moore
Hello,
I’m currently running the version of speakup which is included with
arch linux. My understanding is that the speakup code in the kernel
is different from the patches posted on the list. How would I go
about trying the fixes I have read about on this list. Also how would
I test Dave’s alternative version.
Can any of this be done without recompiling the kernel and/or kernel modules?

I don't know much about David Borowski's version. Presumably it's
distributed in such a way that it can be easily built outside the
kernel, just like Speakup was years ago, before it entered the staging
tree. In that case, you should be able to build it as modules without
too much trouble. Does it come with a README?

Testing the recent changes to Speakup in the staging tree is going to be
a lot harder. You not only need to pull down the whole kernel source
with git, but you also need to pull down a specific branch from a
specific repo, where new changes to the staging tree are pushed before
they hit the master branch of the kernel. I don't really think it's
going to be easy to build and test Speakup without rebuilding the whole
bloody kernel. I'd love for someone to prove me wrong, though. If
somebody has a process for doing this, please share with the rest of
us. In short, I don't think there's a very easy way to test changes
newly added to staging. I don't even bother. Life's too short to
rebuild a whole kernel just to test a teeny tiny part of it. Compare to
the old days of 2010, when fixes could be tested by everyone with a
2-minute rebuild/reinstall.

-- Chris

[Zahari Yurukov]

Hi,

Chris Brannon wrote:
Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 01:48:58PM -0700

Post by Chris Brannon
I don't know much about David Borowski's version. Presumably it's
distributed in such a way that it can be easily built outside the
kernel, just like Speakup was years ago, before it entered the staging
tree. In that case, you should be able to build it as modules without
too much trouble. Does it come with a README?

I've tried it once, and as far as I know, it can't be build without a
copy of the entire kernel source, though I may miss something, cause I
don't know how you've build speakup before.

Post by Chris Brannon
Testing the recent changes to Speakup in the staging tree is going to be
a lot harder. You not only need to pull down the whole kernel source
with git, but you also need to pull down a specific branch from a
specific repo, where new changes to the staging tree are pushed before
they hit the master branch of the kernel.

What branch is that? Is it the same, as stated on linux-speakup.org?
Cause when I wanted to test the unicode patches, I tried several
branches, until they applied cleanly on the v4.10 branch, and then I
continued to reapply the new patches on this branch.

Post by Chris Brannon
I don't really think it's
going to be easy to build and test Speakup without rebuilding the whole
bloody kernel. I'd love for someone to prove me wrong, though. If
somebody has a process for doing this, please share with the rest of
us.

Well, I have something. Since I'm using Fedora, and RedHat don't
provide the staging modules, and noone anymore provides them(the guys
from rpm-fusion repository did til last year), I've researched this and
discovered, that it's possible to compile only certain modules from the
kernel's source tree.
So I did this once, and then I've excluded the kernel from updates for
several months, but then I've decided that's not very good idea, so I
wrote a simple script, which growed since.
Actually, I shared it here last summer, but apparently I must have
signed my message, so... :)
Here's the script:
https://github.com/zahyur/speakup-installer

That said, you still need a copy of the kernel source. Also, I haven't
tested my script on Arch, though I think it should work, but might need
some adjustments.
A key thing is the kernel version in the Makefile I've discovered that
if speakup was build with a different version in mind, it won't load. I.
e., different than the version you want to load it into.

I also would like to learn if there's an easier way.
I won't be surprised if all those gymnastics that I do are not necessary.
Still, they work for me, and I hope they also could work for you.

[Chris Brannon]

Post by Zahari Yurukov
I've tried it once, and as far as I know, it can't be build without a
copy of the entire kernel source, though I may miss something, cause I
don't know how you've build speakup before.

You usually don't need the whole source to build out-of-tree modules.
What you do need are the headers and other infrastructure. On Arch
Linux, this stuff is available in a package called linux-headers, or
linux-lts-headers (for people who use the LTS kernel).
The package name is going to vary by distro.

Post by Zahari Yurukov
What branch is that? Is it the same, as stated on linux-speakup.org?
Cause when I wanted to test the unicode patches, I tried several
branches, until they applied cleanly on the v4.10 branch, and then I
continued to reapply the new patches on this branch.

Looking at the Speakup website just now, the repository location seems
correct. Apparently we don't mention the branch name. I believe it's staging-next?

Post by Zahari Yurukov
So I did this once, and then I've excluded the kernel from updates for
several months, but then I've decided that's not very good idea, so I
wrote a simple script, which growed since.
Actually, I shared it here last summer, but apparently I must have
signed my message, so... :)
https://github.com/zahyur/speakup-installer

Nice! Thank you!

Post by Zahari Yurukov
A key thing is the kernel version in the Makefile I've discovered that
if speakup was build with a different version in mind, it won't load. I.
e., different than the version you want to load it into.

Right. It needs to be kept in sync with the rest of the kernel.
Also with building things straight out of git, I'd worry about
coupling between Speakup and other code. So if you have a
v4.10 kernel from your distro, what happens if you try to build just the
Speakup modules straight out of git?
The safest bet still seems to be to build the whole kernel.

-- Chris

[Zahari Yurukov]

Hi,

Chris Brannon wrote:
Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 03:35:40PM -0700

Post by Chris Brannon
You usually don't need the whole source to build out-of-tree modules.
What you do need are the headers and other infrastructure.

Ok, but what's different with speakup then?

Post by Chris Brannon
Looking at the Speakup website just now, the repository location seems
correct. Apparently we don't mention the branch name. I believe it's staging-next?

I think I've tried that, but may be my mistake was that I expected it to apply cleanly.

Post by Chris Brannon
Also with building things straight out of git, I'd worry about
coupling between Speakup and other code. So if you have a
v4.10 kernel from your distro, what happens if you try to build just the
Speakup modules straight out of git?

You would build them from 4.10 sources.
But yeah, that's a valid concern.
Personally, I want to use the RedHat's Kernel, cause - who knows what
did they change and how my system will behave with a generic kernel.
So, probably the best will be to copy the staging directory from the
generic sources into RedHat's sources, and then build and install the
whole thing, but that's
really too much, as you said.
Actually, I think that exact thing was suggested to me, when I first
hit the absence of speakup in Fedora.

[John Covici]

I built dave's mods with no problems, because I always compile the
kernel, so I just followed his instructions and replaced the speakup
directory in staging and it went without a hitch. It takes computer
time, but that is what they are for.

I have not tried the unicode fixes, I think they are still in process
and I like some of the things Dave has done with his mods.

On Fri, 17 Mar 2017 20:14:10 -0400,

Post by Zahari Yurukov
Hi,
Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 03:35:40PM -0700

Post by Chris Brannon
You usually don't need the whole source to build out-of-tree modules.
What you do need are the headers and other infrastructure.

Ok, but what's different with speakup then?

Post by Chris Brannon
Looking at the Speakup website just now, the repository location seems
correct. Apparently we don't mention the branch name. I believe it's staging-next?

I think I've tried that, but may be my mistake was that I expected it to apply cleanly.

Post by Chris Brannon
Also with building things straight out of git, I'd worry about
coupling between Speakup and other code. So if you have a
v4.10 kernel from your distro, what happens if you try to build just the
Speakup modules straight out of git?

You would build them from 4.10 sources.
But yeah, that's a valid concern.
Personally, I want to use the RedHat's Kernel, cause - who knows what
did they change and how my system will behave with a generic kernel.
So, probably the best will be to copy the staging directory from the
generic sources into RedHat's sources, and then build and install the
whole thing, but that's
really too much, as you said.
Actually, I think that exact thing was suggested to me, when I first
hit the absence of speakup in Fedora.
--
Best wishes,
Zahari
_______________________________________________
Speakup mailing list
http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

[Okash Khawaja]

Hi,

I think for Unicode patches kernel compile is not needed. If they don't apply cleanly, that's probably because other patches have interleaved with Unicode ones.

Currently, Greg K-H's staging tree's staging-testing branch has latest speakup code. So one way would be get speakup from there and compile it out of tree which might be the most straightforward way to try new patches. That is if the specific patches you want don't apply cleanly.

Thanks,
Okash

Post by John Covici
I built dave's mods with no problems, because I always compile the
kernel, so I just followed his instructions and replaced the speakup
directory in staging and it went without a hitch. It takes computer
time, but that is what they are for.
I have not tried the unicode fixes, I think they are still in process
and I like some of the things Dave has done with his mods.
On Fri, 17 Mar 2017 20:14:10 -0400,

Post by Zahari Yurukov
Hi,
Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 03:35:40PM -0700

Post by Chris Brannon
You usually don't need the whole source to build out-of-tree modules.
What you do need are the headers and other infrastructure.

Ok, but what's different with speakup then?

Post by Chris Brannon
Looking at the Speakup website just now, the repository location seems
correct. Apparently we don't mention the branch name. I believe it's staging-next?

I think I've tried that, but may be my mistake was that I expected it to apply cleanly.

Post by Chris Brannon
Also with building things straight out of git, I'd worry about
coupling between Speakup and other code. So if you have a
v4.10 kernel from your distro, what happens if you try to build just the
Speakup modules straight out of git?

You would build them from 4.10 sources.
But yeah, that's a valid concern.
Personally, I want to use the RedHat's Kernel, cause - who knows what
did they change and how my system will behave with a generic kernel.
So, probably the best will be to copy the staging directory from the
generic sources into RedHat's sources, and then build and install the
whole thing, but that's
really too much, as you said.
Actually, I think that exact thing was suggested to me, when I first
hit the absence of speakup in Fedora.
--
Best wishes,
Zahari
_______________________________________________
Speakup mailing list
http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup

--
How do
you spend it?
John Covici
_______________________________________________
Speakup mailing list
http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup