[free-sklyarov] Topicality

[David Haworth]

On Thu, Sep 13, 2001 at 11:01:14AM +0200, Tom wrote:
> 
> please advise on whom I should sue because my computer can not read the
> books from project gutenberg to me - AMD or Gutenberg?

Tom, you don't need to sue anyone.

If you have a text-to-speech program, it will read the Gutenberg
texts to you. If you don't have one, there's nothing (apart from
shortage of cash, perhaps) to stop you going out & buying one.
I got such a program, for Windows, bundled with my first sound
card. It could read a text file directly. If the file was in another
format, you could cut it to the clipboard and have the program read
the contents of the clipboard. Admittedly I don't use Windows any
more, and I have no idea if there's a T-to-S program for Unix. But
if there isn't, there's nothing (apart from lack of ability, perhaps)
to stop me writing one.

Furthermore, I assume the eBook reader in question has a text-to-speech
feature. What would be the point of disabling a non-existent feature?

> text-to-speech conversion is a right? have you read what you're writing?

Yes, I read it very carefully. I think the right to use something you
own in any way you wish (within reason) is pretty fundamental. I say
"with reason" because some of the things you could do with things that
you own might not be socially acceptable. I don't think having
your computer read to you would be considered socially unacceptable
under most circumstances.

Dave

-- 
David Haworth
Baiersdorf, Germany
david.haworth at altavista.net