# A brief history of talking computers

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2021-08-31
- Length: 1h 33m
- Episode: 12
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/df34c486

## Summary

Matt Campbell, a blind software engineer and creator of AccessKit, traces the history of accessibility technology from the 1980s to the present, detailing the evolution of speech synthesizers and screen readers. He discusses specific products like the Apple IIe Echo card, DECtalk, JAWS, Emacspeak, and Speakup, explaining how hardware limitations and software architecture shaped the user experience for visually impaired individuals. Campbell highlights the shift from proprietary, expensive solutions to open-source tools like Emacspeak and Linux Speakup, and finally to modern platform-native accessibility APIs and machine learning approaches like Apple's Screen Recognition.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=0) Introduction: Brodie Lockard and the history of accessible computing
- [2:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=164) Matt Campbell's background and the Apple IIe Echo synthesizer
- [7:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=464) DECtalk and the Prose 2000: Early speech synthesis technology
- [14:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=893) GUI screen readers: Outspoken, Window Bridge, and Keynote Gold
- [26:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=1604) Emacspeak, Linux Speakup, and the open-source accessibility movement
- [57:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=3466) Microsoft Active Accessibility, AT-SPI, and GNOME Orca
- [1:07:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=4039) Mobile accessibility: VoiceOver, TalkBack, and Screen Recognition
- [1:12:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers#t=4354) DECtalk samples and the future of accessibility with AccessKit

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Brian Dear (other)
- Brodie Lockard (other)
- Control Data Corp (company)
- Apple IIe (product)
- Echo II (product)
- DECtalk (product)
- Prose 2000 (product)
- Keynote Gold (product)
- Master Touch (product)
- Zoom Text (product)
- Talking Moose (product)
- outSPOKEN (product)
- Window Bridge (product)
- pwWebSpeak (product)
- Emacspeak (product)
- Apple IIGS (product)
- JAWS (product)
- Microsoft Narrator (product)
- Linux Speakup (product)
- Slackware (other)
- ZipSpeak (product)
- edBrowse (product)
- FreedomBox (product)
- GNOME (other)
- EsounD (product)
- aRts (product)
- Gnopernicus (product)
- Orca (product)
- Microsoft Active Accessibility (product)
- AT-SPI (product)
- CORBA (other)
- D-Bus (other)
- Apple VoiceOver (product)
- Google TalkBack (product)
- iPhone Screen Recognition (product)
- Microsoft UI Automation (product)
- AccessKit (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [178: Alexa Stop](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-12-07-178-alexa-stop) (Embedded.fm)
- [HP, IEEE, and Human Interface](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-08-10-hp-ieee-and-human-interface) (The Amp Hour)
- [S1E50 Turning Personal Challenges into New Technology | Robert Chappell](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-11-13-s1e50-turning-personal-challenges-into-new-technology-robert-chappell) (Being an Engineer)
- [164: Heatsink in a Shoebox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-08-09-164-heatsink-in-a-shoebox) (Embedded.fm)
- [135: No More Yoda Heads](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-01-21-135-no-more-yoda-heads) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-08-31-a-brief-history-of-talking-computers. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.