I use Kubuntu Jaunty so the problem for me lay in the version of Mencoder that comes packaged with it. To fix the problem all I did was follow these instruction for adding a thrid party repository for newer builds of MPlayer/MEncoder and then installed the latest MEncoder using apt-get.

sudo apt-get install mplayer mencoder

Thereafter I was able to capture video and audio from my webcam using the following command:

mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=320:height=240:device=/dev/video0:forceaudio:adevice=/dev/dsp -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -lameopts cbr:br=64:mode=3 -o webcam.avi

Tested on (K)Ubuntu Hardy & Intrepid (See bottom for Jaunty fix)

By default the webcam works on all Linux kernels 2.6.25+. However, the problem is that when the kernel loads the uvcvideo module, it loads it with the wrong parameters.

To correct this first unload the uvcvideo module:

~# sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo

Then reload the module with the correct parameter:

~# sudo modprobe uvcvideo quirks=16

Exactly what quirks are, I’m not sure – all I know is that various values for the quirks parameter work (I tried up to 50) without any noticeable performance difference.

Automating the Process

Now one would expect that you would want to automate this process and that’s also really simple – all you need to do is add an option to pass the quirks parameter to your kernel when the module is loaded. Exactly how you do this might vary depending on your linux distribution.

On Ubuntu do the following:

~# cd /etc/modprobe.d
~# nano options

At the bottom add the following line:

options uvcvideo quirks=16

And that’s it! Either reload the module with modprobe -r uvcvideo or restart your computer, and you won’t have to worry about it again!

I’ve only tested this solution on the Lenovo SL300 running Kubuntu Hardy and Intrepid, but I’m pretty sure it will work with all UVC webcams which aren’t displaying a picture.

Update: Upgrading to Jaunty breaks this fix. I think the reason is that modprobe no longer makes use of the options file, but instead replaces it with a series of conf files. To get the camera working again do the following:

~# cd /etc/modprobe.d
~# sudo nano uvcvideo.conf

Once again add the following line:
options uvcvideo quirks=16

And then reload the uvcvideo module with “sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo” and then “sudo modprobe uvcvideo”

Edit: If anyone successfully used this solution on a SL400 or SL500, please let me know.

Teamwork,
originally uploaded by tim ellis.

The open source development model is what makes open source software so great. The model is simple: release early, release often. The reason is simple, the sooner you can get software out there, the sooner bugs can be found and fixed, and in the long run, better software. For geeks and technical users this is the best type of development model.

For non-technical users however, software which follows this development process can be somewhat daunting. Non-technical users and new users to open source software are looking for usability and complete software packages, not a simplistic form of what one day will be a great software package. I’m pretty sure that a non-technical user who comes across semi-working software, will probably just give up using it.

Think of all those stories that you hear from people when you tell them that you use Linux. If they know what Linux is, their response will usually be something like “Oh yes, Linux, I installed it a while ago but I wasn’t able to get XYZ working.”

The reason this happens, is that we, as geeks don’t mind if something doesn’t work 100% – we can always find a work around. For the non-technical user however, this isn’t the case.

Perhaps it’s time that more emphasis is put on the average non-technical user, rather than the geek who’ll be able to work things out. Maybe it’s time to adapt the development model to cater for non-technical users, rather than have it aimed a the pursuit of perfect, bug free software. Open source software is for everybody to use – but to do that, it must be usable!

“Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need – a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu is free software.”

In even simpler terms, Ubuntu is a free alternative to Microsoft Windows software. With a little configuration it can do anything that Windows can do, from transferring music to your ipod, to playing the latest dvds, and it comes bundled with loads of great software. And best of all its free, and you’re allowed, in fact encouraged to copy it and give it to people so that they can use it as well.

So, if you’re interested you can either head over to the Ubuntu website where you can download it, or you can head over to http://www.shipit.ubuntu.com and request that they send you some cds – and yes, they will send you cds for absolutely nothing, free, gratis!

Then a week ago I needed to use GParted to sort out a hard drive issue I was having and couldn’t find my Kubuntu live cds or my GParted live cd. So, I pulled out one of the Ubuntu Feisty cds sent to me via shipit so that I could use the GParted included on the live CD.

I booted into Ubuntu Feisty and was amazed at how much more beautiful the brown “Human” theme looked compared to when I first saw it in Ubuntu Hoary Hedgehog. So for the last week the Ubuntu Human theme has been on my mind – there’s something subtle in the brown that gets to me, I just can’t place my finger on it.

Anyway, if you’re like me and absolutely love KDE, but are also spellbound by the Ubuntu Human theme then here’s how to get the Ubuntu theme in KDE.

The first step is to download the KDE Human colour scheme created by Mihai Şucan available at http://www.robodesign.ro/files/linux/kde-ubuntu-human.kcsrc.

Once the download has completed open KControl. Go to “Appearance & Themes” -> “Colors,” click “Import Scheme,” find the downloaded file, and click “Open.” That’s it, click Apply and enjoy the Human colours.

Here’s a screenshot of the Human theme on KDE 3.5.7

And here’s a screenshot of the Kalahari2 wallpaper I’m using by robertn

Here’s the link to the wallpaper.

Truth is though, that I haven’t posted anything related to KDE hacking since I started this blog, mainly because I haven’t had the time to do any of the great free software things I plan to do. Anyway, Aaron highlight 6 steps to getting involved in KDE hacking, and so far I’ve completed the first one which is learning Qt4. So not all is lost, I am one step closer to developing free software for the desktop environment which I have grown to love over the years (more on that another time).

From the site http://www.wesnoth.org:
“The Battle for Wesnoth is a free, turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme. Fight a desperate battle to reclaim the throne of Wesnoth, or take hand in any number of other adventures…”

What makes the game so great is that it is truly a strategic game because of its turn based game play. You play your turn, and then your opponent plays theirs – at no time are you playing at the same time. What makes this such a great idea for a strategy game is that you really need to think ahead as to how your opponent is going to respond to the decisions you make and vice versa.

Don’t expect the most amazing 3D graphics however, they’re more like those of Warcraft 2. But don’t let this put you off. The Battle for Wesnoth is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in a while – in fact I usually don’t even enjoy playing games.

On Ubuntu based systems you want to install several packages from universe,

wesnoth
wesnoth-data
wesnoth-music

Those are the main ones, and then you’ll probably want to install a few campaigns,

wesnoth-ttb – A Tale of Two Brothers
wesnoth-utbs – Under the Burning Sun
wesnoth-tsg – The South Guard
wesnoth-httt – Heir to the Throne
wesnoth-ei – Eastern Invasion

I’d recommend first working through the tutorial when starting the game and then going on to play the A Tale of Two Brothers campaign.

Happy (free & open) gaming!

South African Ubuntu users should consider joining the Ubuntu South Africa Community.

“This Wiki is dedicated to all Ubuntu users, developers and enthusiasts in South Africa. If you use Ubuntu or have an interest in the operating system you are automatically part of the community. We want you to feel valued and at home. We call ourselves the Ubuntu-ZA LoCo Team. Ubuntu-ZA is an official Ubuntu LoCo (Local Community) Team. From https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoFAQ:”

http://www.ubuntu-za.org/

The software will be GPL – it has to since it uses a GPL driver. I’ll develop the application and give it to my contractor, from there it will be interesting to see how the contractor handles distribution and what profits (if any) they make.

Profits can be made with GPL’d and other open source software – one only needs to look at RedHat and MySQL as examples. RedHat and MySQL however are large companies, it will be interesting to see how sustainable the model is for small projects.

I might write a paper on this once the project is completed and has been successfully deployed – I’m sure a case study of this type will be very valuable to the community.

The deal, like Novell and Xandros before it includes office document compatibility, instant messaging interoperability and collaboration on digital media. Again the big ticket part of the deal inlcudes patent covenants from Microsoft for customers operating the Linspire desktop.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/14/linspire-joins-microsofts-any-one-but-red-hat-group/

The official letter released by Linspire is available here:
http://www.linspire.com/linspire_letter.php

I’ve been thinking about this issue quite a bit today. My first reaction, like many others, was negative. However, I’ve put a bit more thought into it and now see how it can benefit the linux community while still staying true to open source philosophies (if not in the short run, then at least in the long run).

I have no doubt that including proprietary software in linux distributions will allow for better integration with proprietary systems and software, thereby increasing linux’s market share. Now that’s all very good, but I don’t think the community’s outcry is about market share. It’s more about denying users their freedom and “giving in to the enemy,” an argument which I believe to be valid. However, in my experience most first time linux users aren’t that concerned about their freedom. Usually they’re just fed up with Windows and are looking for an alternative, as was the case for me. But as people start using linux and free software (as in free speech), they start to understand the values of free software. Slowly these ideals grow in the mind of the free software user, and (hopefully) eventually turn them into free software advocates.

I believe that as long as there are movements such as the Free Software Foundation and linux distributions which remain true to open source philosophies (as I suspect debian always will), there will always be a truly free option when it comes to computing. And new users who come to believe that freedom in software is important, will ensure that the open source philosophies live on.

From my observations free software adoption usually follows a timeline which goes something like:
1. Use proprietary software
2. Use a mixture of proprietary software and free software
3. Start to understand the value of free software.
4. Switch to only free software and encourage others to use it and contribute to the community.

Deals such as those that commercial linux vendors make with Microsoft speed up the transition from only proprietary software use to a mixture of free software and proprietary software. Thereby speeding up the adoption of only free software.

Of course, there is always the risk that in the future the pool of free software users that believe in and encourage the free software philosophy will become diluted by those who know nothing of it. In the event that this happens people will stop seeing the need for open source software and start developing only proprietary software. Yet once again, the free software movement will pick up as remaining free software advocates fight for software freedom, and the cycle will repeat itself. Hopefully though, free software advocates will be successful in preventing this scenario from ever taking place.