title: Java voice recognition
body: <p>Is there Anyone that has experience with any open source, or relatively cheap voice recognition API for java? I'm pretty much looking for something that will turn spoken words into text.</p>
  
  <p>From the java speech recognition page on sun, it seems that it is something that is rather dead. My requirements is something that at the least runs on linux.</p>
  
  <p>Can anyone recommend something? Pure java would be a bonus, else a linux based solution could be considered. And since this is a home project... the cheaper the better.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Edit</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>CMU Sphinx
  As Amit pointed out CMU Sphinx <a href="http://cmusphinx.sourceforge.net/html/cmusphinx.php" rel="noreferrer">http://cmusphinx.sourceforge.net/html/cmusphinx.php</a>
  My problem is a massive word error rate. Training seems like a project all in itself, I'm hoping to gather some strength to try it this weekend.</p>
  
  <p>IBM ViaVoice<br/>
  There are news announcements floating around for 2004 about <a href="http://www.linux.com/feature/10482" rel="noreferrer">Via Voice being made open source</a>. It seems the news release was premature and that it never happened. VIA Voice was <a href="http://www.articlearchives.com/computing/software-services-applications/440754-1.html" rel="noreferrer">released for linux</a> at some point, but It seems they stopped. All that seems to be left on IBM's website is <a href="http://www.ibm.com/software/speech" rel="noreferrer">ViaVoice embedded</a>.  </p>
  
  <p>IBM Websphere Voice<br/>
  I imagine this is why ViaVoice (desktop) seems discontinued. IBM created this commercial solution which will cost allot more than an arm and a leg. And just using it will take the ones you have left, at least after my experience with websphere and their IDE.</p>
  
  <p>Nuance<br/>
  It seems they still might create products for linux. But I think they got lost and followed IBM into the server market. I'm not that sure about this one, their web-site is not that friendly in finding useful information.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://freespeech.sourceforge.net/" rel="noreferrer">Open Mind / Free Speech</a><br/>
  These guys keep changing their project name. Probably some money hungry company keeps threatening them, but I dont know. The project looks a bit dead.</p>
  
  <p>I might try training Sphinx this weekend to see if it wants to be friends. Else worse case, I'll be looking at using Microsoft's speech solution. It has worked well for me in the past, but it's not a great linux solution. I could probably use it through wine, but then I'll have two separate servers...  messy messy.</p>
  
  <p>Oh and what seems a good place to visit for voice/speech <a href="http://www.speechtechmag.com" rel="noreferrer">SpeechTechMag</a>. They have a 'Anual Reference' that has a list of companies that somehow relates themselves to voice/speech.</p>