The Emmabuntüs Collective is pleased to announce the release on 29 July 2024 of an update to its distribution: Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 5 1.02 (32 and 64 bits) based on Debian 12.6 Bookworm and the XFCE/LXQt desktop environments.
This distribution was originally designed to facilitate the reconditioning of computers donated to humanitarian organizations, starting with the Emmaüs communities (which is where the distribution’s name obviously comes from), to promote the discovery of GNU/Linux by beginners, as well as to extend the lifespan of computer hardware, in order to reduce the waste induced by the over-consumption of raw materials.
This new version of our distribution was created following a request from our friends at the A.S.I YOVOTOGO association, to donate 90 computers with this new feature to the Togolese association of impaired persons (FETAPH) in order to equip their 11 training centers.
To include these new capabilities, without disturbing our former users, we have added a specific window to configure and activate these accessibility functions.
The accessibility functions added in this upgrade are :
- Orca screen reader combined with the Svox-Pico speech synthesis to help the blind persons
- the Compiz window manager with its accessibility module (full-screen zoom, change of screen brightness, etc.) for the visually impaired
- MouseTweaks and mouse emulation with numeric keypad for people with physical disabilities
- eBook-speaker for audio playback of digital books in ePub format
- Daisy-player for reading audio books in Daisy format
- Kiwix in accessibility mode to read Wikipedia offline
- Ocrizer for scanning a document in OCR mode and opening the result in LibreOffice
- Elograf for voice dictation
- Tux Typing voice version for learning the keyboard of Zendalona
- NatBraille software for generating Braille books
- Gnome-calculator in accessibility mode
- and a number of accessibility utilities to make it easier to use the system update, remote control via DWService, automatic screen capture with sending to an image server, creation of a bootable key with Ventoy, configuration of Internet peripherals such as Wi-Fi, etc.
To support this development, we have also produced a set of accessibility manuals, as well as setting up a dedicated page on our website containing these manuals in French and English:
- Emmabuntüs accessibility functions manual
- First steps with the Orca screen reader
- Summary of accessibility shortcuts
- Full version of accessibility shortcuts
Version Emmabuntüs DE 5 1.02 includes the following new features and enhancements:
- Based on the Debian 12.6 Bookworm operating system
- GRUB-PC replaces Syslinux to include accessibility functions
- Accessibility functions added to Emmabuntüs
- Addition of manuals for keyboard shortcuts, first steps with Orca and accessibility functions
- Replaced qpdfview with evince for accessibility
- Replaced Galculator with gnome-calculator for accessibility
- Removed of Tuxguitar and DarkTable in 64-bit as well as SuperTux2 in order to keep the ISO size below 4 GB
- Updates : Firefox 115.13.0esr, Thunderbird 115.13.0, Warpinator 1.8.3, FreeTube 0.20.0, Ventoy 1.0.99, CTparental 5.1.15-1m, TurboPrint 2.56-1, Ancestris 12-20240609, deb-get 0.4.1-1, Boot-Repair 4ppa2075, libdvdcss2 1.4.3-dmo2
This version will be available as of 29 July 2024, from our website: emmabuntus.org, or from this link download.emmabuntus.org.