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From: pds@quintus.uucp (Peter Schachte)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.cog-eng,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Why are there no Speech Recognition products for the Mac??
Keywords: Voice Recognition, Voice Synthesis, Speech, Voice Response
Message-ID: <927@quintus.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 89 23:21:20 GMT
References: <2972@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <1029@ditsyda.oz> <434@eutrc3.UUCP>
Sender: news@quintus.UUCP
Reply-To: pds@quintus.UUCP (Peter Schachte)
Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Inc.
Lines: 25

In article <434@eutrc3.UUCP> rcbaab@eutrc3.UUCP (Annard Brouwer) writes:
>Why does everybody want a speech recognition device for their Mac (or
>other computers)?

Because I can speak much faster than I can type.  For editing, I'd want
a combination of mouse and speech recognition (point somewhere and say
"insert 'point somewhere and say'," and the phrase appears).  Or how
about pointing with the mouse and saying "move this...," then moving
the mouse and saying "here."

One reservation I think people have is about composing "blind."  Like
composing text by talking into a dictation machine.  That requires
keeping in mind the structure of the thing being composed (sort of like
editing with TECO; anyone remember that?)  But it wouldn't be like
that.  As you speak, your words would appear, just as if you typed
them, only much faster.  I don't think anyone can predict how it would
feel to use such a technology until they've tried it.

One thing, though:  it'd be pretty hard to enter a program vocally.  I
guess programming languages would have to get more natural
language-like.  Maybe COBOL would become the programming language of
choice :-).
-Peter Schachte
pds@quintus.uucp
..!sun!quintus!pds