[nfbcs] Linux Installation without help?

[Blaine Clark]

Ian, there are several mainstream distributions of Linux that have 
accessibility built into the installation files and there are some that 
have taken what's available in the mainstream distributions and expanded 
them.
Knoppix has a sub distribution called Adriane that has added much to the 
installation files to allow blind users to test Live Loads from DVDs and 
USBs and to perform some reclamation work on hard drives. The added 
tools also allow a blind user to install the OS alongside or in 
replacement of the original OS on the hard drive. A Live Load is the 
result of restarting your computer and allowing it to boot from either a 
DVD, a USB or even a networked boot device. When the alternate operating 
system is loaded, it is resident in your computer's memory and does not 
affect your hard drive at all, unless you access your hard drive and 
deliberately alter any files on it. When you shut down and restart with 
the boot device disconnected, your hard drive OS will start normally and 
the Live Load will have been dumped from your computer's memory leaving 
no trace behind.
Ubuntu has enough added tools to make it's testing and installing quite 
do-able for blind users. Vinux, like Adriane, has added to those tools 
in Ubuntu to make testing and installation even easier.
All over the world there are specialty projects just like Adriane and 
Vinux. Most all of these projects follow the Debian fork of Linux for 
desktop use, which brings up an interesting fact. If you were to do a 
Live Load of Debian from DVD or USB, you could, with knowledge and 
practice, install the aids you need into the memory-resident Live Load 
to talk or Braille your way through an installation of Debian. Projects 
like Vinux and Adriane have done this for you.
The only steps a blind user would need help with are editing the BIOS to 
reset the boot order of your drives so that optical DVD drives, USB 
drives and perhaps networked drives are checked for bootable files 
before the hard drive is checked.
http://wiki.vinuxproject.org/
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-adriane/index-en.html
There are additional projects like these in South America, Asia, Europe 
and elsewhere. Linux is very flexible and customizable for those who 
learn the means to modify any distribution and to easily re-master the 
installation files to build your own custom distribution. You could then 
give your own modified computer operating system to friends who would be 
interested or could benefit from the changes you have made. This is 
exactly how Vinux is being made. The Vinux developers are all either 
totally blind or vision impaired.
So, can you install Linux without sighted help? Yes, and you can do a 
lot more with Linux without sighted help!