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voculinux/tests
Jatin K MalikandGitHub 7a6d0d4e2b feat: flexible Whisper installation options for different system configurations (#63)
* fix: VOSK-only install and CLI arg handling for low-memory systems

Fixes several issues reported by users on low-memory systems (8GB RAM):

1. Install script: Don't auto-install Whisper in non-interactive mode
   - Previously, running 'curl | bash' would install Whisper by default
   - Now requires explicit --with-whisper flag to install Whisper
   - Prevents OOM errors on systems with limited RAM

2. CLI arguments: Command-line flags now properly override saved config
   - --engine vosk now works even if config file has whisper set
   - --model flag also properly overrides saved model setting
   - Checks sys.argv to detect if user explicitly provided arguments

3. Default engine: Changed from 'whisper' to 'vosk'
   - VOSK works on low-memory systems without OOM issues
   - Users can still install and use Whisper with --with-whisper flag
   - Existing configs with 'whisper' engine are still respected

Reported issues:
- OOM during installation on 8GB RAM system
- vocalinux --engine vosk being ignored
- Config file not respected when trying to force VOSK

* fix: keep whisper as default engine, improve test robustness

- Reverted default engine back to 'whisper' for better accuracy
- Install script still defaults to VOSK-only install (--with-whisper for Whisper)
- CLI args still properly override saved config
- Improved test_config_manager tests to handle module caching issues

* fix: default to Whisper install, --no-whisper for VOSK-only on low-RAM systems

Updated install behavior:
- Default (curl|bash): Installs Whisper for best experience
- --no-whisper flag: Skips Whisper AND creates config with VOSK as default engine

This allows low-RAM users (8GB) to run:
  curl -fsSL .../install.sh | bash -s -- --no-whisper

Which will:
1. Skip installing torch/whisper (avoids OOM)
2. Create ~/.config/vocalinux/config.json with engine='vosk'
3. App will use VOSK by default without needing CLI flags

* docs: clarify --no-whisper is for low-RAM systems (8GB or less)

Updated README and website to explain that --no-whisper flag:
- Is intended for systems with 8GB RAM or less
- Avoids out-of-memory errors during installation
- Configures VOSK as the default speech recognition engine

* feat: add --whisper-cpu flag for CPU-only PyTorch installation

New installation option for users without NVIDIA GPU or with limited RAM:

Install script changes:
- Added --whisper-cpu flag: Installs CPU-only PyTorch (~200MB vs ~2.3GB)
- Uses https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cpu index for smaller torch package
- Interactive mode now offers 3 options: GPU, CPU-only, or skip Whisper
- Updated help text to explain all Whisper installation options

Documentation updates:
- README: Added --whisper-cpu example with explanation
- Website: Added new 'Whisper CPU-only' install option section

Installation options summary:
- Default (curl|bash): Whisper + GPU/CUDA support (~2.3GB, 5-10 min)
- --whisper-cpu: Whisper + CPU-only PyTorch (~200MB, 3-4 min)
- --no-whisper: VOSK only, no Whisper (~2-3 min)
2026-01-20 19:19:09 -08:00
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