You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little hacked off, it's been a bad week. I set out to get some text to speech software. Using the synaptic package manager I've downloaded umpteen programs which then simply disappear. Oh hey're installed but with no way to run them. Oh! Except Jovie, which has an icon that does nothing. Orca doesn't even have an icon and nor do any of the others, they just take up disc space and do nothing!
Then I needed to update the Garmin. That also went into a downward spiral. The last time I did it there was no problem because I simply downloaded a map renamed it and copied it across. This time OpenStreetMap has me downloading all of Europe and then I need software to manipulate and install the maps. I use wine to unpack the maps but then have to download map programs to read the files. QMapShack downloaded through Synaptic but can't even find the maps unpacked by wine and I find it such a complicated programme I abandoned it.
To be honest I would take no pushing at all to pay garmin and use their maps, and Linux, well, I always find it so exasperating. Half of the programmes I want to run I can't, even if I can download them and, I often end up working with a windows machine and the Linux one because Linux is still too difficult to add programmes to. And no, I'm not really a newbie, I've been using it for over ten years. So far this week, I've done nothing since Sunday morning except try to make stuff work with absolutely nil success. I'm now going to use wine to settle my nerves. No, the bottled variety.

Red or white?

Any chance you could provide info on your distro (and version)?

Also, choose one of the text to speech programs that you downloaded and tell us what it is and where you got it from. We have to start somewhere...

I'm sorry, running Mint 19 now having reinstalled the machine twice. 17 expired so I decided to try LMDE. That's a disaster so I changed to 19 which is what I should have done in the first place but my fault. I've got everything that does text to speech from the SPM but shall we say Orca.
And thanks for the response.

Mint 19.1 Cinnamon?

Ok, as far as I know Orca comes installed by default with Mint 19.x. To run it the first time, run orca -s on the command line to review and modify the preferences (you may need to try running this twice if the preferences window doesn't show). On subsequent times, just run orca. This works for me on Mint 19.1 MATE, although I haven't tried fine-tuning it at all.

Apart from that, given I have never used assistive technologies, I can't further advise on Orca, except to have a read of the documentation here: https://help.gnome.org/users/orca/stable/index.html.en

Having had a further look at this, you can set up a key sequence to toggle the screen reader on and off. To give you the exact instructions for doing so, I'll need to know your desktop environment.

Thanks for that. I got the preferences page but then it reports a whole load of packages it can't find. Maybe I'll check it out tomorrow but for now I need to work. Thank you very much for the help.

Oh, it's Cinnamon by the way, sorry forgot.

Ok, speak to you tomorrow if we're both about. Given that you're using Cinnamon, to set the key sequence to toggle the screen reader on and off, it's:

Menu->Preferences->Keyboard->Shortcuts->Universal Access->Turn screen reader on or off: click twice on any of the "unassigned"s under "Keyboard bindings" and enter the key sequence. It took a few seconds to start up the first time I toggled it on.

Enjoy the rest of the wine.

Cheers

Got it sorted this morning and it's working as it should. So is there a general command for all programs which have to be started in a terminal? I presume that when they disappear it is because they have no GUI. Is it then always the name of the programme plus -s to start them in a terminal?
Regarding the maps and Garmin, I have kicked that back to OpenMaps as it is their maps which are causing the problems. Garmins own programmes won't run under wine so I don't have a choice. Thanks for all the help, it is much appreciated.

Hi,
No, but generally the description of the package provided by the package manager should give you an idea.

If you're not using a terminal, how are you starting them? Where are you proposing to run "programme -s" from?

I'm not sure what sort of Garmin device you have but I get maps for my Garmin Edge devices from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ It gives quite a bit of control over exactly what areas you want maps for. After selecting the regions it builds the map for you, and then emails you a link to a download page. After you download the map files you just copy the file onto the Garmin. Works perfectly on Linux (or any OS that can mount a vfat file system from USB).

Evo2.

It's a Nuvi and things seem to have changed on openstreetmap. Last time I updated I simply selected the maps, as you say, and then downloaded, renamed and copied to the TF card. Now I get sent to big maps for Europe, have to download a bunch of Windows programs, most os which don't run under wine. The two the do work are QMaps and MapEdit. Whether they will compile anything I have no idea because I have hundreds of numbered image files for Europe and no way of telling which are the ones I want. I'm awaiting a response from them.

Hi,
Where *exactly* (Ie a what is the URL?) are you downloading these from. Did you try the link I provided. That site provides a lot of granularity in choosing what regions you want maps for.
No additional programs are required to use the maps from the site I linked to.

Evo2.

Yep, thanks, that's the link but I still have to stitch maps together. I am wanting to cover the UK, through France to southern Spain. The total size looks like it would be something over 2 gig, which is fine. No reply or explanation yet from OpenStreetMaps, maybe they're busy. but thank you very much for your input.

When you install programs in Linux, they don't usually dump icons onto your desktop. That's the Windows way of doing things. In Linux, you own the desktop so you create the icons if you want them. All desktops have ways of doing it, but they vary. Try a right click on the desktop and see what you get.

However the new programmes do go into the desktop menu, so you can always run them from there. You shouldn't need to open a terminal to do it.