Speechbuddy freeware registration key

[Tagada]

Mister Dowson,

I have discovered the SpeechBuddy open source software from Billy Verreynne. It works miracles in combination with FSUIPC, and I would like to share the pleasure.

I have tried to get in contact with the software owner, but the address given on the software's website does not work.

I therefore take the initiative to kindly ask whether SpeechBuddy would come into consideration for the release of a freeware software key.

I thank for you time for this particular request, and I assure you my profound thankfulness for your fundamental contribution to the community (I still think FS2004 is an add-on to FSUIPC).

Sincerely,

Tagada.

Attachment: e-mail sent to Billy Verreynne at 'vslabs@onwe.co.za'

Dear Billy,

This mail to warmly thank you for your stupendous SpeechBuddy program.

I have been programming it for the past three days for controlling small GA aircraft, and although I am not the best programmer in the world, I have booked successes I am reasonably proud of. I send the attached files for your consideration. Please feel free to use them as you wish.

I specially appreciate:

1) the possibility to control FS2004 without the use of the keypresses through FSUIPC (I use a quite unconventional Swiss French keyboard layout);

2) the very high reliability of your speech recognition;

3) the versatility of the programming language.

I am a registered user of FSUIPC (of which FS2004 is an add-on), I however would like to share my pleasure with a friend who is not. I would therefore want to kindly ask you whether Speechbuddy has a free registration key for FSUIPC. Shouldn't it have, I would kindly ask you the permission to request one from Peter Dowson.

As a final assault on your time, I would like to know whether you plan to update Speechbuddy for FSX; in the case you should not, I would very much appreciate any kind suggestion how this could be done from the source code.

Sincerely,

Tagada

CC: Peter Dowson through the FSUIPC forum.

[Pete Dowson]

I have discovered the SpeechBuddy open source software from Billy Verreynne. It works miracles in combination with FSUIPC, and I would like to share the pleasure.

I have tried to get in contact with the software owner, but the address given on the software's website does not work.

I therefore take the initiative to kindly ask whether SpeechBuddy would come into consideration for the release of a freeware software key.

Possibly. I don't actually know of it. Could you provide a reference so that I may see it please? Are you sure it uses FSUIPC? I'm not sure why a speech-to-keypress, or even speech-to-FScontrol (whichever it may be) would need to use FSUIPC in the first place?

I would need Version information for it in order to make the key. I can take a look if you supply some details, otherwise I'd need you to find them out for me.

I see you are asking the author about FSX as well. Can you tell me what is FS-specific about this program? As noted above I am having difficulty imagining what it could do that needs FSUIPC or is FS-version specific.

Regards,

Pete

[Tagada]

Dear Mister Dowson,

The application web page is http://www.x-plane.info/billy/speechbuddy.html

The files are available from avsim. I send you my own profiles by which I control FS2004 through FSUIPC by private message).

Sincerely,

Tagada

[Pete Dowson]

The application web page is http://www.x-plane.info/billy/speechbuddy.html

Okay, I've downloaded some files to look at, but I'm not sure when I'll get time to sort through them to work out what the program does, nor why it needs to use FSUIPC.

Unfortunately the web site isn't very explanatory. I read it and I still have no idea what it really does, nor why it needs to do any more than convert speech to keypresses or similar. Can you summarise?

Regards,

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

The application web page is http://www.x-plane.info/billy/speechbuddy.html

Hi again,

Okay, I have researched this and seen what it might be able to do (though on my system it gives OLE errors). Then I remembered -- the author did request and receive a Freeware FSUIPC Key back in June 2006. But it was for a "SpeechBuddy" not a "Speechbuddy2" -- so the key he received then, and actually built into the program, would not be applicable to the renamed one. I believe some of the other details (in the Version Info) have also changed.

I'm not sure what his intentions are with SpeechBuddy2 as he didn't request a new key, so I have written to him too. It is easy enough for me to make one, but I think it should be built into the program, as the previous one was.

Incidentally, were you using Speechbuddy before Speechbuddy2?

Regards

Pete

[Tagada]

Well, I only discovered the software two weeks ago, and Speechbuddy2 dates back from February 2003. So I never have used Speechbuddy 1.

It seems there were fond users of it in the FSUIPC 2.X times, who might have thought SpeechBuddy stopped working with FSUIPC 3.X (I recently got a mail from "Avcomware/TV" (a user who wrote the brilliant profiles I base my present work on) in this sense . In fact SpeechBuddy works fine with my registered FSUIPC.

I have tried to get in touch with Billy Verreynne to ask him permission to request a freeware registration key, but his address given on SpeechBuddy's web site seems to be obsolete. I could trace Billy's activity on some forums unrelated to FS (in fact professional forums), and I am shy to disturb him there . Also "Avcomware/TV"told me in a mail that "Billy" would have "taken time off from simming".

I fear I would lack the programming skills necessary to put the key in the program (I however have a lot of good will, and with some precise indication I could try to modify the open source).

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Tagada

[Tagada]

Accept my apologies for missing out on the OLE errors.

I would suggest that you check that you have installed SAPI5 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detalayLang=en)

and that in windows' voice configuration panel you have:

1) "Microsoft English Recognizer v5.1" under language in the "voice recognition tab"

2) any name BUT "Microsoft sample TTS" under "voice selection" in the "vocal synthesis" tab.

I hope this will get it to work for you.

Sincerely,

Tagada

[Pete Dowson]

Well, I only discovered the software two weeks ago, and Speechbuddy2 dates back from February 2003. So I never have used Speechbuddy 1.

Even stranger then that the author would ask me for an Access Key for "SpeechBuddy" this June!

I'm thinking now that maybe the one he has a Key for is actually a LATER version -- i.e. #3 -- but that he's not "Open Sourcing" it, possibly preparing for a shareware or payware release? There was no version number associated with the details he sent me.

In case this is what is happening, I cannot supply a Key for version 2 until I hear from him that this will be okay. He may want to encourage folks to move on.

I have written to him on the address he used in June and hope to get a reply some time ...

Regards

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

I would suggest that you check that you have installed SAPI5 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detalayLang=en)

and that in windows' voice configuration panel you have:

1) "Microsoft English Recognizer v5.1" under language in the "voice recognition tab"

2) any name BUT "Microsoft sample TTS" under "voice selection" in the "vocal synthesis" tab.

Ahnaturally I'd assumed that WinXP SP2 came with such already installed. After all I think it does have some sort of speech stuff in it.

In any case I only wanted to see what it did. I have no use for it at present (I use a fully switched cockpit setup), though possibly I could use in with a headset for selecting Radar Contact actions (i.e. replying to RC by voice instead of buttons). I'll probably investigate that at a later date. I did try the commercial "Voice Buddy" program for a while, but it was too inconsistent and got me into deep trouble with ATC several times! ;-)

Regards,

Pete

[Tagada]

I cannot judge for Voice Buddy as I have not used it. However, the topics I read about it on other forums would go in the direction of the feeling you express (voiced more or less diplomatically).

For what SpeechBuddy is concerned, I am still extremely impressed that I can set a radio (COM 1, NAV1) by voice only with a very high precision (99%) by saying a pharase of the kind: "com one one two seven decimal seven five"). I am also glad that I can use FSUIPC to program more complex behaviour, eg the landing gear command "landing gear down" is not just a toggle, and will not work on a plane which does not have a gear, or if the landing gear is already down.

I have bought a X-52 full-of-buttons-and-wheels joystick just before discovering voice controlers. And now I hardly use any of the buttons or wheels of the X-52 (I have only programmed 4 things specifically on it: throttle, mixture, prop and push to talk to SpeechBuddy; all ther rest I do by voice!). It is a fact that if I had a home built cockpit I would not bother either.

I am sure you will already have advised the author of my request. Could you kindly also advise him of this thread, to show him that the interest in his excellent work withstands time.

Sincerely,

Tagada

[Pete Dowson]

I am sure you will already have advised the author of my request. Could you kindly also advise him of this thread, to show him that the interest in his excellent work withstands time.

Yes, I did link it to this thread.

:-)

Best

Pete

[Tagada]

Finally I dared annoying Billy on the professional forum: http://forums.oracle.com/forums/message33#1494033

I have now done all I could.

I hope I won't have made this blamable act for nothing.

Sincerely,

Tagada