README file for dialler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


WHAT DOES IT DO?

Dialler is a small utility mainly designed to help a person who,
for any reason, has trouble physically dialling a telephone, and
who has a voice-modem, to use the telephone without assistance.

After editing the file to configure it for your country and (if
you need to) any PABX you are behind, you can just execute the
program like, for example:

   dialler (01) 234 5678

And the program will turn the number into the number you actually
wanted to dial, wait for the telephone to be picked up at the
other end (exitting with a message to you if the line is busy),
play any introduction file you have pre-recorded, and then wait
for you to pick up the handset, and then get out of the way and
let you have your telephone conversation however you want to.



IS IT FINISHED?

No.  Actually, I don't even HAVE my voice-modem yet so for all I
know the dammed program might do nothing at all!  It's bound to
have heaps of bugs and things.  But if you know Perl yourself and
want to do a touch of work on it, please feel free!



HOW WOULD I USE IT?

If you remember numbers in your head, and can input them into the
computer, you could simply call findnumber with a number
yourself, as shown above.

You could set up a special menu item (or have somebody set it up
for you), which was labeled, for example "Call Rachel" and which 
called the dialler program with Rachel's number.

If you have a PalmPilot, you could use my "findnumber_pilot"
program to look up somebody's phone number just by putting in
some or all of their name, and then choosing from the options
listed which number you want, and then passing that number
automatically to dialler.  There is a script in the examples/
directory which will interface findnumber_pilot with dialler for
you.

If you have some other address book, you could write a script
that works LIKE findnumber_pilot does and use that.  You could
even send me back the script you wrote so I could include it in
the examples/ directory so that other people could use it.

If you think of something else, tell me and I'll include it!



WHY WOULD I WANT TO PLAY AN INTRO?

Lots of reasons.  My voice is very soft, so I could get somebody
with an audible voice to record a message saying something along
the lines of:

      This is Ricky Buchanan calling you.  I have a very soft
      voice which is sometimes hand to hear, so if you have any
      trouble hearing, please ask me to speak up and I will
      adjust the volume on my telephone for you.

Or if, like my friend Maree, I used a LightWrighter or any other
voice-synth type program, either built into a computer or of the
sort that sits on your lap the intro might be:

      Hi, this is Maree calling.  I use a voice synthesizer so I
      might be slow in answering you.  Please be patient, and if
      you cannot understand then ask me to repeat what I said.

Any short intro which says who you are and explains - as
succinctly as possible - what the person on the other needs to do
to make sure you can communicate with them.



I HAVE AN IDEA!

Great!  If you'd like to email it to me, then just send your
email to rb@tertius.net.au and I'll get back to you as soon as I
can.  Don't worry if I take a while to respond, I'm snowed under
with all the email!!


LEGAL STUFF

I'll get around to this.  Usual stuff, copyright me ... artistic
license ... same terms as perl ... da da da ..