FreedomBox allows you to customize your preferred way of interacting with the software and then save those preferences so that it will always respond the same way when you log on.
To access, and change FreedomBox Preferences, simply press alt+P from anywhere within the FreedomBox software. If you are using a mouse, you may access the preferences by clicking the Preferences button, near the top of the FreedomBox window. Many of the preferences are controlled through check boxes, which you can turn on or off by pressing the space bar.
The Preferences Window
FreedomBox's preferences are divided up into several categories. The idea is to select the preference type that best corresponds to the setting in FreedomBox that you wish to change. For example, if you wanted to change the way that FreedomBox displayed links, you would select "Display Preferences". When you select one of these options, you then simply tab, or Shift+Tab through the settings and make the changes that you want. When you have made all of the changes that you want, tab to the Ok button to save your changes for that area. If you don't want to save changes, move to the cancel button. Finally, if you wish to reset the settings to the factory defaults, just activate the reset button. In any case, you will be returned to the main preferences window, where you can either close the preferences page, or select a new area of customization. The Preferences Window consists of the following categories:
- General Preferences.
- Text-to-speech preferences.
- Display Preferences.
- Speech recognition preferences.
- System Access Preferences.
- Manage my Home Server.
The last option is a link that closes the preferences window, but you can also tap Escape from anywhere.
General Preferences
Enable speech synthesis
This check box just enables, or disables speech output. If you want speech, just leave this check box alone, otherwise, check it by tapping the space bar once.
Turn on NumLock At Startup
This option turns on, or off NumLock when the Freedombox is first started. By default, Freedombox will turn on NumLock when the Freedombox is started. When NumLock is on, the key pad will act like a regular calculator. When NumLock is off, the key pad will allow you to perform directional commands, such as moving you up, down, left, right, and so forth.
Play pre-recorded prompts
Many of the messages and links in the FreedomBox Network are presented as pre-recorded human speech by default. If you would rather hear synthesized speech instead, you can turn playback of these recordings off.
Speak item numbers in numbered lists
Many pages in the FreedomBox Network, as well as some pages on other sites, have lists in which each item is preceded by a number. If you don't want FreedomBox to speak those numbers, you can turn this option off.
Key Echo
If this option is turned on, FreedomBox echoes any letters, and or numbers that you type, but it will not echo sensitive information such as passwords.
Word Echo
If this option is turned on, FreedomBox will echo words that you type. For example if you are editing an email and type the word, "Hello" FreedomBox will say, "Hello" when you press the space bar, enter, or tab/shift+tab keys.
Link Alert Type
This setting allows you to specify how you want links to be indicated, while you are listening to a page read continually. By default, links will be indicated by a tone. The indicator will be heard before the actual text of the link is spoken. You can also have links indicated by word, by selecting "Word" from the drop down list box. If you do not wish to here any link indicator, just select, "None" from the drop down list box. By selecting none, you will not hear any textual, or auditory alert before the name of the link itself. As a result, it may be somewhat difficult to accurately determine when links are present. Note, if you are arrowing through the page, or tabbing/shift+tabbing through the page, the alert indicator will not be used, regardless of the setting you choose. The setting is only applicable while continually reading through a page, such as with the control+down command.
Text-To-Speech Preferences
Text to Speech Engine
This setting lets you choose your primary speech engine. Use alt+Down arrow to open the list box. The choices are: Dec Talk, Microsoft speech API 5, and Microsoft Speech API 4. Use your up, and down arrow keys to move through these choices. When you arrow to the one you want just tab to the following two buttons, "Previous Voice", and , "Next Voice". These two buttons will cycle through the individual voices within each speech engine. When you hear the voice you want, just tab and move on through the settings.
Voice Rate
You can also control the rate of speech. The buttons, faster and Slower, will do this for you. Just move to the button, and press it with the space bar. Freedombox will respond by saying, "This is a test of your speech settings." each time the buttons are pressed.
Voice Pitch Control
Pitch control will let you change the pitch of speech. Again, you have two buttons, higher, for higher pitch, and lower, for lower pitch. Again, each time you press the buttons, freedombox will respond by saying, "This is a test of your speech settings."
Punctuation
You can also control the punctuation that is spoken by FreedomBox. To do this, move to the Punctuation list of choices, and press alt+down to open the list of choices. The punctuation choices are: none, some, most and all. When you have made your selection, just tap the tab key to move to the next item in the preferences.
Display Preferences
Use Colors Defined by Web Page Authors
This check box lets you control how colors on web pages are displayed. If you like the way that FreedomBox displays these colors, then leave this check box alone, otherwise check this check box to display the colors that the author of the web page has specified.
Use the Operating System's Default Color Scheme
Checking this check box will insure that web pages are displayed with respect to your Operating system's default set of display settings. This group of settings are commonly known as a display scheme.
Foreground Color
This drop down box lets you choose the color of text. Warning! Do not make this color the same color as the background! Making these colors the same will make it impossible to read text.
Background Color
This drop down box lets you choose the color of the background. It may help you to think of this setting as choosing the color of your paper. Warning! Do not make this color the same color as the foreground! Making these colors the same will make it impossible to read text.
Unvisited Link Color
This drop down box lets you specify the color of links that you have not yet linked to either via voice command, clicking with the mouse, or by tapping enter on a link with the keyboard.
Active Link Color
This Drop down box lets you specify the color of active links. A link is active when you move to that link via keyboard or mouse.
Visited Link Color
This drop down box lets you specify the color of links that you have previously visited via voice command, clicking with a mouse, or by tapping enter on a link with the keyboard.
Font Size (Pixels)
This drop down box lets you specify the size of text. The default size is 24 pixels.
Speech Recognition Preferences
Enable Speech Recognition
This option simply enables, or disables speech recognition. This option is turned on by default.
Control key serves as push to talk key
This option is for people who have become used to FreedomBox 1.2. If you still want to use the control key to talk to the FreedomBox, then turn this option on. Important, turning this option on is not recommended as it will interfere with some keyboard commands.
Stop listening to speech after the push to talk key is released
This option is also for people who are used to FreedomBox 1.2. If you do not want to have to hold down the talk key while you are giving FreedomBox a voice command, then leave this option unchecked. By default FreedomBox will stop listening for your speech about a second after your last word. By default, simply tap the talk key, give your command, and FreedomBox will do the rest.
Password Manager
The password manager allows you to delete passwords and account logOn information for web siteFor example, if your FreedomBox logOn information is changed, FreedomBox will still remember the old logOn information. In order to solve this problem, arrow down to the web site that you need to change the account information for, and then tab to the, "Remove Selected Passwords" button. The next time you logOn to the web site, such as the FreedomBox logOn page, FreedomBox will again ask you how you want FreedomBox to remember the LogOn information. If you tell FreedomBox that you never want account information to be remembered for a web page, and then change your mind, just move to the list box called, "Sites for which passwords are never saved", select the site from the list Then activate the, "Remove selected sites" button.
FBSA Settings
Please refer to the section on FreedomBox System Access for information about these settings.
Manage My HomeServer
This is not a preference it of itself. However, it is a link that allows you to enable the FreedomBox HomeServer service. The shortcut will allow you to remove the service from your system, or stop the service. Note, when you activate this link, you will be taken to a new page.
Remote Control Preferences
Within the Home Server page is a link to the preferences for Remote Controlling your home PC. When you activate the remote control preferences link you will be taken to the remote control preferences page. This page allows you to customize how Freedombox Remote Desktop works.
The "Capture all sound card output, not just wave output" check box specifies how the sound card on your home pc will stream that sound to your location. This check box makes the sound card stream everything that the sound card is capable of creating. Checking this option will allow you to get all available sound from your sound card when using remote desktop.
When you have made your selections, you can activate the submit button, or the cancel button to undo any settings changes that you have made