Vinux was a

Linux distribution A Linux distribution, often abbreviated as distro, is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro—if distributed on its own—is oft ...

which was specially designed for blind and partially sighted users. Specifically it was a remastered version of the

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical (company), Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy, meritocratic gover ...

distribution and provided users with two

screen reader A screen reader is a form of assistive technology (AT) that renders text and image content as speech or braille output. Screen readers are essential to blindness, blind people, and are useful to visually impaired people, Illiteracy, illiterate, ...

s, two full-screen magnifiers, global font-size and colour changing facilities. The system also supported USB Braille displays. Vinux was originally developed in 2008 by Tony Sales, Technical Support at the Royal National College for the Blind in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was first listed on DistroWatch on 1 June 2010 as Vinux 3.0.

Features

Vinux allowed blind and visually impaired computer users to install a version of Ubuntu independently. It included

Orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

and magnifier), Speakup (a

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

screen reader),

Compiz Compiz () is a compositing window manager for the X Window System, using 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. Effects, such as a minimization animation or a cube workspace, are implemented as loa ...

(a magnifier based on 3d technology), and support for Braille displays. Braille displays operate automatically when connected and support grade 1 and 2

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

. Vinux could run from a

live CD A live CD (also live DVD, live disc, or live operating system) is a complete booting, bootable computer installation including operating system which runs directly from a CD-ROM or similar storage device into a computer's memory, rather than lo ...

live USB A live USB is a portable USB-attached external data storage device containing a full operating system that can be booted from. The term is reminiscent of USB flash drives but may encompass an external hard disk drive or solid-state drive, thou ...

without making any changes to a current operating system. It could be installed to a USB or hard drive alongside a current operating system or as a complete replacement.Download Vinux 5.1
Softpedia Linux

References

External links

*
Vinux Build Scripts

Vinux Documentation
* Royal National College for the Blind Disability software Blindness equipment Discontinued Ubuntu derivatives Linux distributions {{linux-distro-stub