Sparky Linux is in my by far the best Debian based alternative in my opinion except that it doesn't have a text based installer with accessibility option that will install console speech. So the result is an accessible graphical system only. Many blind users who cannot see a mouse cursor love text based accessible Debian.
Debian is near perfect for blind users but modifying the resulting installation so it can play multimedia is impossible for many brand new Linux users so many try Ubuntu but that is only accessible in graphical mode. Most blind users don't know about Slackware based Slint which although not Debian is perfect for blind users. Sparky Linux is totally Debian but with additions that cannot be included in Debian. Sparky Linux thankfully isn't Ubuntu so it would be possible to modify Debian's text based installer to make a system with console speech. I'd love them to include Stormy's new I38 script for a fast accessible Desktop.
Sparky Linux avoids being Ubuntu by being based on Debian but it takes from Ubuntu some of their utilities like Remastersys which allows the user to produce a custom iso file so that a mirror image of the installed system can be saved either as a backup or to give to others.
Sparky Linux has all the needed firmware for installation to laptops that Debian recently has provided in their installation images. Thank you Debian!
But unlike Debian, Sparky Linux includes the multimedia software and codecs that Debian policies prohibit because they are "non-free".
Modifying a Debian installation to include multimedia tools can be done but new comers to Linux cannot do it easily. Thus many go to Ubuntu or elsewhere instead of using Debian but worse is Blind users are left without console speech. I recommend new blind users install the excellent Slackware based polyglot and totally accessible system called Slint available from
http://slint.fr.
I have repeatedly attempted to contact the developers of Sparky Linux to ask if they could use Debian's accessible text installer and modify it so a console speech enabled Sparky Linux could be produced with their installation images. I believe that the reason I have not received a response is either language problems or that they are simply to busy.
I also mentioned that it would be excellent if they could include scripts such as Didier includes in Slint that easily modifies the installation to boot up in console mode. It would be wonderful include Stormy's I38 script which installs accessible version of i3 which he produced to give an alternative to the recently abandoned Ratpoison.
Stormy says he ported some of the best parts of Ratpoison over to the new script which is called I38. If you are interested in trying it out, you can get it from:
Thanks!
Regards,
David Ring