Using TeamTalk 4.1 on Mac OS X

Hello, everyone who's reading this blog. It's been quite a while since I've posted anything here, but I have some rather exciting news for any of you who might use or want to use TeamTalk. It's been available for the Mac, but it wasn't until recently that I figured out how to use it, granted, in a very limited fassion. It does work, though, and I'll explain the program and how to use it below.

For anyone who doesn't know, TeamTalk is a multi-user Voice-Over-IP application designed to allow users to talk with one another. Once the client is downloaded, you can connect to an existing server, and depending on how you have the program set up, may join certain channels to talk with users. My server in particular is set up so you can chat with anyone in the lobby, which is the first channel you are connected to when you connect to a server. It's more complicated than that, but those are the basics of the program.

As many blind people who use a Mac and TeamTalk likely know by now, TeamTalk is inaccessible. It's still that way, but I have some workarounds for some of the problems. You should know that I'm not certain how to connect to another server after you connect to the first, however, so be careful that you select a server you wish to connect to. I will admit that that is a Deterrent for quite a few people, and at the moment, I don't know a workaround for the problem. You also can't connect to a server requiring a password, account username, or account password unless, of course, you have assistance in doing so. I will tell you how to use the program, severely limited as it is, however. I started using it today, and will likely continue using it as I find it very valuable.

You can download the program by going to bearware.dk. There are clients available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. On Windows, there is an accessible version of the TeamTalk client in the installer. In the combo box, you'll want to select one of the TeamTalk 4 classic instalation options for use if you're visually impaired. The mac's installer is a standard .pkg file and the instalation instructions are fairly straight forward and consistent with other applications that might be installed in the same manor.

I won't go into detail on the use of the TeamTalk client in Windows, but I would recommend using that one if at all possible. For me, it isn't possible as I have latency issues with audio in the virtual machine I use, and I require the least amount of latency possible.

Once the client is installed, launch it from your applications folder. If you can see, you shouldn't have too much difficulty using it. If you can't see, you should know that there is not an initial configuration wizard to set up the program. You will be brought to the main TeamTalk window, and aside from the title of the window and standard Close, Minimize, and Zoom buttons, you will see an unknown item. Interacting with this item will give no result.

To connect to a server, do the following:
Press F2.
Enter the hostname of the server you wish to connect to. Be careful you don't make mistakes, as I don't know if you can erase them or not.
Once the hostname has been entered, press enter. TeamTalk will use TCP and UDP ports 10333 by default, so ensure the server's settings are concurrent with the defaults by contacting the server administrator.

If everyone is in the main lobby and you have successfully been connected, you can chat with them. Voice activation is enabled by default, so you'll always be transmitting. By default, TeamTalk will use your default system input and default system output. You should know that you won't receive any audio feedback alerting you to the fact that you've connected to the server, so you'll probably want someone on to help test it with you.

By default, you have a nickname of noname. To change it, do the following:
From the TeamTalk window, press F5.
Press backspace six to eight times to ensure everything is erased.
Type the nickname you wish to use, be careful not to make mistakes. I'm reasonably certain you'd be able to erase them, but I'm not certain of that.
Once you have what you want, press enter and the change should be immediate.

IMPORTANT!

When you launch the program for the second time and any time afterword, don't reenter the server information. Instead, simply press F2, then enter.

Changing your audio devices.

To change your audio devices on TeamTalk, do the following:
Quit the program.
Open system preferences and click the sound button.
Set your default system output and default system input to your desired settings.
Launch the program, press F2, then enter.

Aside from that, you can go through the menus and read the available options there. You can change the settings that don't require a dialog, or any settings like the nickname dialog that are very uncomplicated. I recommend that you use a Windows client if possible, if simply to refer to the various dialogs. Remember, you won't be able to access any control but the first control, and the default control in any of the dialogs like the okay button in the nickname and server dialogs.

As you can see, the program is rather limited. However, it works quite well, though in a limited fashion. As I said, I use it and for me, it does what I need it to. The server hostname for my server is vrnw.org, and there's no authentication data required. Entering that hostname into the window and pressing enter to connect should work immediately, unless the server is down. As I said above, though, be careful as you will need sighted assistance if you want to erase an existing server hostname.

At the moment, I wouldn't recommend this program to anyone due to its inaccessibility, but I'm posting this blog entry in the hope that someone who uses it might find it useful, especially if they don't use every feature like me. If you found this useful or helpful, great. If not, that's great too.

Have fun, everyone!