DINA — DINA Is Not Aesthetics

DINA is a stripped-down, accessibility-first fork of dwm tailored for blind users and screen reader workflows.

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🧠 Philosophy

DINA doesn't draw. DINA doesn't float. DINA doesn't get in your way.
It's for users who hear, not see.

DINA removes all visual overhead and focuses on speech-based, keyboard-only navigation — ideal for Orca users and terminal-centric workflows.

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✨ What DINA Does

• ✅ Always uses monocle layout (fullscreen windows)
• ❌ No status bar
• ❌ No layout switching
• ❌ No floating window support
• ✅ Audio + speech feedback via sox and spd-say
• ✅ YAD-based application launcher, accessible with Orca
• ✅ Screen blackout toggle script for full visual suppression
• ✅ Low battery warning via notify-send + spd-say
• ✅ Clean keyboard control via sxhkd
• ✅ Orca screen reader autostart for immediate accessibility
• ✅ Workspace memory that remembers which applications belong on which workspaces

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🧱 Installation

Option 1: Debian Package (recommended)

For Debian-based systems (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.), you can install DINA using the pre-built package:

1. Download the latest release package from GitHub Releases

2. Install the package and its dependencies:

   sudo dpkg -i dina_1.0.1-1_amd64.deb
   sudo apt-get install -f  # Installs dependencies

3. Log out and select DINA from your display manager's session menu

4. On first login, the interactive setup will run automatically

Option 2: From Source

1. Build and install the DINA binary (requires sudo):

make clean
make
sudo make install

2. Setup user configs and scripts (as your user):

make userinstall

This will run the interactive setup that:

• Installs all utility scripts to your ~/.local/bin directory
• Sets up sxhkd configuration for keyboard shortcuts
• Detects and configures your preferred applications

This will:

• Detect installed browsers, file managers, and terminals
• Let you select your preferred applications by choosing numbers from a simple menu
• Update keybindings for Super+W (browser), Super+F (file manager), and Super+Return (terminal)
• Fully accessible text-based interface designed for screen reader users

Building Debian Packages

If you want to build your own Debian package, the repository includes a complete packaging system:

# Build using Docker (works on any system with Docker):
bash packaging/build-with-docker.sh

# Or directly on a Debian-based system:
bash packaging/build-package.sh

See the packaging documentation for more details.

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📁 What's Installed

Component	Path
DINA binary	/usr/local/bin/DINA
Accessibility scripts	~/.local/bin/
sxhkdrc config	~/.config/sxhkd/sxhkdrc

💡 The systemd service to restore screen blackout on resume was removed.
Users can toggle blackout manually using the provided script.

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🗝️ Default Keybindings (via sxhkd)

Key	Action
Super + j	Focus previous window
Super + l	Focus next window
Super + k	Kill focused window
Super + a	Launch accessible app menu
Super + b	Toggle screen blackout
Super + f	Open file manager
Super + w	Open web browser
Super + Return	Open terminal
Super + Backspace	Power/session menu
Super + [1–9]	Switch workspace/tag
Super + Shift + [1-9]	Move window to workspace
Super + Shift + q	Quit DINA

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🗂️ Workspace Configuration

DINA remembers which applications belong on which workspaces, creating a consistent and predictable environment.

How It Works

1. Automatic Placement: When you launch an application that has previously been assigned to a specific workspace, DINA automatically places it there and announces this with audio feedback.

2. Setting Preferences: To set a workspace preference for an application:

   • Move the application to your desired workspace using Super + Shift + [1-9]
   • DINA will remember this preference and apply it automatically next time

3. Configuration File: Your workspace layout is stored in ~/.config/dina/workspace_layout as a readable text file you can also edit manually.

4. Format: Each line in the file follows this pattern:

   ApplicationClass|ApplicationInstance|WorkspaceNumber
   

5. Clearing Preferences: To remove an application from the workspace memory, simply move it to workspace 1. DINA will announce that the application is no longer being tracked.

Example Configuration

# DINA Workspace Layout Configuration
Firefox|Navigator|2
Thunderbird|Mail|3
Terminal|xterm|4

💡 Applications will only be placed on workspaces 2-9 automatically. Workspace 1 is considered the default and not remembered.

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📦 Dependencies

Runtime Dependencies

You should have the following packages installed:

• libx11, libxinerama, libxft
• orca, yad, sxhkd, sox, acpi, speech-dispatcher
• python3 (for interactive setup)
• A terminal emulator like alacritty, foot, or xterm

Build Dependencies

For building from source:

• make, gcc
• libx11-dev, libxinerama-dev, libxft-dev

For building Debian packages:

• build-essential, debhelper, devscripts, dpkg-dev
• Alternatively, just Docker for cross-platform building

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🔗 License

DINA is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file.