[PLUG] Anyone using Linux based speech recognition for text entry?

[Ben Koenig]

On 11/6/20 5:36 AM, Richard Owlett wrote:
> I'm a lousy typist. Trying to make notes on a laptop does not work 
> well because typing interrupts my train of thought.
>
> Many years ago when I was a Windows user and Dragon Naturally Speaking 
> was in its initial release I followed speech recognition casually - 
> but not recently.
>
> Are there now end-user, Debian compatible, dictation applications that 
> do NOT require proprietary software nor internet connectivity? My 
> internet searching turned up primarily old material or tool-set 
> packages packages aimed at programmers creating their own packages 
> {e.g. Sphinx}.
>
> I asked on the debian-user list and received comments from some with 
> interest in speech recognition (but not users). I was pointed to 
> Mozilla's DeepSpeech [1][2]. May not be ready to use "out of the box", 
> but seems pointed in the right direction.
>
> Comments or suggestions?
> TIA



This is somewhat off-topic which is why I waited to bring it up. If 
there is a particular Windows-only software that you used in the past 
and liked, it is worth contacting their support team and asking if they 
have a Linux port.


I can almost guarantee that you will receive a canned response. However 
these days most support teams operate according to "THE DATA". Every 
linux user asking for a port is a datapoint that disproves the narrative 
that "nobody uses linux". I've seen a few software applications where 
the company started off saying they have no interest in a linux port and 
then after a few years of people asking they release one.


Tech/Customer support teams are usually more sympathetic to the plight 
of the linux user. It's the Sales/Marketing groups that have their heads 
stuck firmly up their own rear ends. Not a short term solution by any 
means but it doesn't take a whole lot of effort so it's worth a couple 
emails to your favorite app developer.

-Ben