multiple emacspeak sessions and viovoice on laptops

[RAYNER Peter <ray060@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my attempts to get multiple
emacspeak sessions talking through viavoice.  I think a fair bit of my
thought at that stage was wrong so I should try again.  
Here's the set-up: emacspeak-12.0 on rh6.2 using the viavoice beta (is
this still the only version for linux?) all running on a Dell
CPIR-GT400.  Sadly this machine doesn't have multiplexed sound
capability in hardware, a disadvantage in several respects.

On this machine (I'll call it my-machine here) I can start two
emacspeak sessions on two virtual consoles and switch between them.
There's usually a delay as I do so.  I'm betting the speech-server
dies and restarts each time, although the MESSAGES buffer doesn't
*seem* to show this as universal.  Raman had mentioned to me there
might be some timing issues.  Anyway it always comes back to life.

Of course running two emacspeak sessions on the same machine isn't the
most useful thing one can do.   On the second virtual console I can
also rlogin to remote-machine  and start emacspeak there with the
remote-tcl script as the server and the variables set to point back to
my-machine.  This also works and I can also switch between the two
virtual consoles, again with a delay.  Presumably  the speech-server
is being killed and restarted many many times.  

What I *can't*  do is start the direct tcp-based server  and have
remote-machine point back to it.  Is this because the speech-server
won't kill the existing one and take over the dsp?  Certainly, as I
mentioned last time, it complains  about not being able to open the
DSP.  

Some fixes:
1) convince work to buy a new laptop with more advanced sound
capability.  Other advantages would be getting auditory icons and
real-audio etc.  
2) Hope ESD can fill the gap in software, didn't look like much
advance there last I looked.
3) try to get the tcp-based speech-server to emulate the homicidal
tendencies of the rsh-based one.  
4) Try to arrange a vioavoice server which can accept multiple connections

Are there, btw, many other people using viovoice on laptops and
running into these kind of restrictions?
regards
Peter Rayner

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