Welcome to the Vinux wiki.

Please use the headings below or the contents links at the top to skip to a specific section.

Vinux is a dynamic Linux distribution. It's always changing.

• We find better ways to do things.
• We find better applications to use.
• We share goodies with each other which are fun.

With all this excitement, documentation can lag behind and become out-of-date quickly.

It is my hope that you will find the entries in this wiki helpful and will be patient with me while this wiki is updated and expanded. Who knows. You may write an article to be included in here

If you would like to contribute an article without using this wiki, please email your document to me at editor at vinuxproject dot org. Replace at and dot with the appropriate symbols. Thanks!

Rill, The Vinux Wiki Editor December 27, 2011

Vinux is a customised version of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution optimised to meet the needs of visually impaired users “out of the box”. It provides a screen-reader, full-screen magnification and support for braille displays as well as including a selection of popular open-source applications.

Again, here is the basic difference between Vinux and Ubuntu.

Vinux has speakup installed in the console (that is the black screen with the prompt that exists OUTSIDE of X Windows graphical mode. This allows Vinux to speak and to also drive a brailler in console or screen mode. Ubuntu does not do this without installing, compiling the kernel and configuring it yourself. Both Vinux and Ubuntu have ORCA which provides speech for users inside the graphical user interface. ORCA provides magnification and speech reader and braille output.

Vinux has additional ORCA key commands to make it easier to use for a partially sighted or blind person.

Many Ubuntu applications are not accessible because ORCA can not see the menus or sometimes the screen.

Vinux applications have been chosen so that they work with ORCA or have special usefulness to those who are visually impaired. Ubuntu has a different user group. Ubuntu users do not need the menus to speak, while many Vinux users do.

Vinux comes preconfigured for the blind and visually impaired user while Ubuntu just has ORCA.

Some of the many features in Vinux include:

• A built-in Screen Reader.
• A Full-Screen Magnifier.
• Support for Braille displays.
• Open Source.
• Multiple options for running the program (from Pen drives, inside windows, a long side windows, or as a replacement for windows).
• Completely free.
• Used easily by sighted and visually impaired people alike.
• Developed for the visually impaired, by the visually impaired as well as sighted developers.
• Development is on-going, we are constantly working to improve things for our users.

System Requirements Learning kerve current limitations considerations regarding included software

Please visit our documentation page to view documentation for different Vinux versions

click here to learn about the Vinux command line.

To learn how to accomplish common and advanced tasks [Click here to visit our How Tos page

Click here to view Frequently asked questions

Click here to visit our troubleshooting page for fixes to common problems after installation

please click here to visit our dedicated page to find out what applications are included in Vinux, as well as accessible applications we've found

You can get involved in Vinux in a number of ways. Click on the following links for more information.

dons packaging tutorial? need amended version.

Link to bug tracker.

Link to Vinux Bug Writing Guidelines.

link to roadmap. (unavailable)

from time to time we offer classes. You will be able to read our class notes. [c++

This section will allow you to contribute to documentation on the wiki.

The documentation on this wiki written by The Vinux Project and its contributors is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.