RE: Text to Speech software

Define "more than they should".

The concept of a database on a 1.44MB floppy was the expectation.

I must have missed the memo regarding this expectation. If this was the concept, why do we bear the extra expense of installing Imation drives in the units?

If there was a warning as to the maximum amount of race data with audio files that would fit on a 1.44MB floppy, then field support should have known better.

There was a warning. The support message was titled "VIBS and 1.44MB floppies".

A Imation Super Disk is 10 to 20 times more than a floppy disk.

An AccuVote-OS memory card is 250 times the cost of a floppy disk. I am afraid I don't see your point.

So I guess we're happy our 3.12.x software is nearly the same as the I-Mark software for more than trivial databases.

It is different in (at least) two respects:

VIBS works.
Accounts smart enough to not run VIBS work with 1.44MB floppies. Even large ones like El Paso CO.

And no, I am not happy about VIBS. I am not happy about Chinese either. I am not happy about a lot of TS related topics.

keep databases below 1.44MB even with audio files,

Great suggestion...

Thank you. Now is it feasible?

No.

What are the limits?

The limit is that databases larger than 1.44MB need super disks.

How does a customer or field support person know they now need Imation Super Disks when 1.44MB floppies worked before?

That's easy. Accounts with VIBS and probably bitmap Chinese need them. The others don't.

I don't even kid myself that I have the expertise to answer let alone analyze the issue. That's a question the whole company needs to discuss and decide.

Let me know when "the whole company" is ready with their decision.

I know the new AV-TS doesn't use floppies, but will it be hindered by requirements for larger flash RAM packages. Will a customer be told that a 2MB Flash will do, and then be required to buy a 4MB for his next election or an 8MB flash for the following election? When quoting a customer's needs, where do you draw the line?

If they want graphics (Chinese) and sound (VIBS), then you are probably off by an order of magnitude here. I suspect we will sell them 32/64/128M cards.

Are there any formulas to figure this stuff out?

Have you seen Guy's formula for AccuVote memory card size? Would you like me to make one up for the TS, where the variables include RTF text encoding, bitmap size and depth, languages, audio recording time, and effectiveness of compression on the data set? What would you use it for? Figure out whether the election will fit in 1.44MB? There is an easier way to determine that.

Or do you just "pays your money and takes your chances"?

You always pays your money and takes your chances. Rule to live by.

Ian

Ken