Emacspeak --- The Complete Audio Desktop

Beautiful Code, O'Reilly Media (2007), pp. 503 - 526

Abstract

A desktop is a workspace that one uses to organize the tools of one's trade. Graphical desktops provide rich visual interaction for performing day-to-day computing tasks; the goal of the audio desktop is to enable similar efficiencies in an eyes-free environment. Thus, the primary goal of an audio desktop is to use the expressiveness of auditory output (both verbal and nonverbal) to enable the end user to perform a full range of computing tasks:

Communication through the full range of electronic messaging services
Ready access to local documents on the client and global documents on the Web
Ability to develop software effectively in an eyes-free environment