Re: [orca-list] Considering switching to Linux

[Robert Cole <rkcole72984 gmail com>]

Hello, James.

I am not totally blind, but I do have a very limited amount of vision.

One question I have for you before you make your decision: exactly how 
old is this machine (i.e. what type of processor does it use and how 
much RAM does it have)?

As far as Linux Mint is concerned, when I used it earlier last year 
(installing from the CD edition) Orca was not installed by default. At 
that time on the Linux Mint 12 system, the Linux Mint team created a set 
of GNOME Extensions to make the newly released GNOME 3 desktop 
environment look and act more like its predecessor, but I found that it 
caused an accessibility problem.

I am currently using Fedora 16, and I really like it. It runs fast, Orca 
is installed by default, and a lot of things work wonderfully. The only 
issue right now is that you may need sighted assistance to install 
Fedora. I had to use the highest zoom level on my cell phone's camera so 
that I could read through the screens of Fedora's post-installation 
setup and configuration process, called FirstBoot. To my knowledge, this 
part of Fedora's installation is not accessible at this time.

As far as out-of-the-box accessibility goes, Ubuntu has always been 
great. Ubuntu is what I started out with back in 2005, and is what I may 
go back to once Ubuntu 12.04 is released on April 26, I I remember 
correctly.

While I have never tried it, I have heard a lot of great things about 
Vinux [1]. Here is a brief description of Vinux from the Vinux Web site 
(linked to at the end of this e-mail):

"Vinux is a remastered version of the Ubuntu Linux Distribution 
optimised for visually impaired users. It provides a screen-reader, 
full-screen magnification and support for Braille displays out of the 
box! It can be run from a Live CD without making any changes to your 
hard drive."

I hope that you find this information helpful.

Take care.

[1] http://vinuxproject.org/

On 04/09/2012 10:43 AM, JAMES AUSTIN wrote:
> Hi listers,
>
> Well, I've been following this list for a long time, and we are considering switching one of our older 
> macBooks to run Linux. I am quite experienced in the Terminal, sorry, I don't know the Linux term for it. I 
> am wondering which distro is preferred, out of Fedora,  ubuntu and Linux Mint. I really enjoy tinkering, but 
> also just like things to work when i need them to. Should i avoid Linux or give it a try. My girlfriend and I 
> are totally blind, so would need Orca to run on any of the above distros.
>
> Depending on your answers, I will have more questions.
>
> Thank you
>
> Warmest wishes
> James
>
> _______________________________________________
> orca-list mailing list
> orca-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list
> Visit http://live.gnome.org/Orca for more information on Orca.
> The manual is at http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/nightly/ats-2.html
> The FAQ is at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
> Log bugs and feature requests at http://bugzilla.gnome.org
> Find out how to help at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/HowCanIHelp