Ubuntu Linux Help

I just inherited a Logitech Quickcam Fusion, but where the heck are the drivers? I took a look at the Logitech site… and asked the same question. (Sidenote: Logitech, you need to get your act together. Where are your Linux drivers?).

Needless to say Ekiga could not use the cam. After much hair pulling, nashing of teeth and grumbling, I was able to Google enough information to put a solution together. If someone is looking for a solution on Feisty, read on…

First, I needed to install the linux headers for my kernel (so I could properly compile the drivers). To compile, I needed to tools (GCC, etc.):
(Unplug the cam!!)

sudo apt-get install build-essential

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-386

* If you use i686 the make sure your command is: sudo apt-get install linux-headers-686 instead

To get a driver go here: http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk/ and save each file to your sources folder. (Mine is …/root/sources/linux-uvc). The following should be saved:

Makefile
dynctrl.txt
svn-version.sh
uvc_compat.h
uvc_ctrl.c
uvc_driver.c
uvc_isight.c
uvc_queue.c
uvc_status.c
uvc_v4l2.c
uvc_video.c
uvcvideo.h

** I don’t know what the rules are about distribution, but if they disappear or someone cannot get them, just say so in the comments section and I will have them.
Now that I had the drivers, run the following command in the same directory you saved them to:

sudo make && sudo make install

This installs those drivers and you can type “dmesg” in the same terminal (after plugging in the cam) to see the “xxxx class device” message. That means the drivers work.

I started Ekiga, but no-go… no video…

So:

sudo modprobe uvcvideo

Seems the problem was with Ekiga preferences? I tried Tried v4l2 on the video devices, and the set the ‘USB video class device’ to auto
(I’m going from memory in this last part as I didn’t write it down… but I’m sure I saw that in a post in one of the links below). Either way… Wheeee!!! It works!

Only in Ekiga.

I don’t remember every single page I looked at, but most of them are here. There is no way I could have figured all this out myself, so big kudos to all the contributors on those sites!:

http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=10858
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/04/30/one-man-writes-linux-drivers-for-235-usb-webcams
http://mxhaard.free.fr/spca5xx.html
http://linux-uvc.berlios.de/
http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/linux-uvc/
http://qce-ga.sourceforge.net/
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=321862
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=194793

Update: If you’re looking for more information, I’ve found another resource that, among other things, has:

“…a script to install your webcam on ubuntu. The author has now one application for all the scripts. It does detect which driver is needed and installs the correct driver…”

You can find this (script) via http://ralph.n3rds.net/index.php?/archives/128-ubuntu-webcam.html 

Additionally, there’s information about Logitech QuickCam Express Plus and  Ubuntu community webcam help.