Bug#826329: brltty: Please make easier braille driver setting

[Jean-Philippe MENGUAL]

Hi,

> 
> Do you know that you can also put settings you are overriding
> into /etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf ?

I didn't know. I hope it doesn't make things a bit more complex.
>>
>> With capability to check several choices and, for devices, enter it manually
>> (useful when serial device is ttyUSB0).
> 
> My question is, how much does this really help to make configuration of
> a non-standard braille device easier?  The user still needs to know the 
> consequences
> of their choices, like using ttyUSB0 over a native USB connection.

Indeed. But 1st, the interface could give help info, eg., among choices,
"USB", "bluetooth", "serial port" "USB serial adapter" and "ttyUSB,
please enter the number)). 2nd, even if the user needs to specify info,
he will prefer doing it in a menu than in a conf file. A menu is a menu,
a conf file is "oops, computing syntax, technician language". And in
English. "#? what are #? ... oops complicated".

>> Would it be possible to implement it?
> 
> The way to go about this would be to write a debconf interface which
> makes these choices available, and which writes the state of the debconf
> database to /etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf.

Why do you prefer /etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf instead of /etc/brltty/.conf?

> We've had such code already back in the brltty 3.0 days.
> However, it was dropped because it got a little bit too complicated,
> admitedly because we were trying to *modify* the configuration file,
> which is quite a hard thing to do, if you try to do it right.
> 
> We probably need an additional debconf boolean variable which indicates
> if the xdg config file should be written by debconf, or left alone for
> the user to edit.
> 
> Most of the devices I see these days are USB, and are well autodetected
> with the default settings in /etc/brltty.conf.  I personally don't see
> enough reason to implement this, although I guess I would be fine with
> someone submitting a policy-compliant implementation of a debconf
> interface to brltty.conf.
> 
I understand. Here I often see USB displays which need to have driver
explicitly enabled in brltty.conf. Due to USB ID problems. And yes,
there is bluetooth stuff. How can I get the debconf code in brltty 3.0?
I don't know I've skills to twick it, but... why not.

Regards,

-- 
Jean-Philippe MENGUAL

HYPRA, progressons ensemble

Tél.: 01 84 73 06 61

Mail: cont...@hypra.fr

Site Web: http://hypra.fr

Bug#826329: brltty: Please make easier braille driver setting

[Mario Lang]

Jean-Philippe MENGUAL  writes:

> Today, braille display support is correct, but automate recognition is
> not warrantied
> at all. Either due to USB IDs, or because the driver needs additional
> parameters
> (e.g. Eurobraille), or because braille display needs serial ports (ttyS0
> or ttyUSB0),
> etc.

You've forgotten about Bluetooth, which also needs special
configuration.  Pairing a bluetooth device on the console is quite an
involved task, see README.Bluetooth in Documents/ directory of brltty
source.

> Then, the user needs to change brltty.conf manually. Although this file
> is quite
> well documented, it's not convinient at all for an end-user.

Do you know that you can also put settings you are overriding
into /etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf ?

> Could we imagine Debian implements something to change this file through an
> user interface? The user just would do dpkg-reconfigure brlttty to
> change it.

We could implement a debconf interface for generating
/etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf, yes.

> I identify at least 4 important settings to "humanize": braille-driver,
> braille-device,
> braille-parameter, text-table.
>
> With capability to check several choices and, for devices, enter it manually
> (useful when serial device is ttyUSB0).

My question is, how much does this really help to make configuration of
a non-standard braille device easier?  The user still needs to know the 
consequences
of their choices, like using ttyUSB0 over a native USB connection.

> Would it be possible to implement it?

The way to go about this would be to write a debconf interface which
makes these choices available, and which writes the state of the debconf
database to /etc/xdg/brltty/brltty.conf.

We've had such code already back in the brltty 3.0 days.
However, it was dropped because it got a little bit too complicated,
admitedly because we were trying to *modify* the configuration file,
which is quite a hard thing to do, if you try to do it right.

We probably need an additional debconf boolean variable which indicates
if the xdg config file should be written by debconf, or left alone for
the user to edit.

Most of the devices I see these days are USB, and are well autodetected
with the default settings in /etc/brltty.conf.  I personally don't see
enough reason to implement this, although I guess I would be fine with
someone submitting a policy-compliant implementation of a debconf
interface to brltty.conf.

-- 
CYa,
  ⡍⠁⠗⠊⠕

Bug#826329: brltty: Please make easier braille driver setting

[Jean-Philippe MENGUAL]

Package: brltty
Version: 5.3.1-3
Severity: wishlist

Dear Maintainer,

Today, braille display support is correct, but automate recognition is
not warrantied
at all. Either due to USB IDs, or because the driver needs additional
parameters
(e.g. Eurobraille), or because braille display needs serial ports (ttyS0
or ttyUSB0),
etc.

Then, the user needs to change brltty.conf manually. Although this file
is quite
well documented, it's not convinient at all for an end-user.

Could we imagine Debian implements something to change this file through an
user interface? The user just would do dpkg-reconfigure brlttty to
change it.

I identify at least 4 important settings to "humanize": braille-driver,
braille-device,
braille-parameter, text-table.

With capability to check several choices and, for devices, enter it manually
(useful when serial device is ttyUSB0).

Would it be possible to implement it?

Best regards,

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-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.5.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages brltty depends on:
ii  init-system-helpers  1.33
ii  libasound2   1.1.0-1
ii  libbluetooth35.36-1+b1
ii  libbrlapi0.6 5.3.1-3
ii  libc62.22-9
ii  libgpm2  1.20.4-6.2
ii  libicu55 55.1-7
ii  libncursesw5 6.0+20160319-1
ii  libsystemd0  230-1
ii  libtinfo56.0+20160319-1
ii  lsb-base 9.20160110

Versions of packages brltty recommends:
ii  python  2.7.11-1

Versions of packages brltty suggests:
pn  brltty-speechd   
ii  brltty-x11   5.3.1-3
pn  console-braille  

-- Configuration Files:
/etc/brltty.conf changed [not included]
/etc/brltty/Text/fr_FR.ttb changed [not included]

-- no debconf information