WSJ - Article on Linux netbooks

[Bill Davidsen]

Anne Wilson wrote:
> On Thursday 28 May 2009 20:27:37 Andras Simon wrote:
>> On 5/28/09, Konstantin Svist <fry.kun at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Another example from my experience: I bought a Creative webcam on
>>> impulse (it was very cheap, found it on Slickdeals). Plug it in - no
>>> dice. Search for the drivers - nothing. Some similar models are
>>> supported, but not this one (different chipset, I think, was the
>>> problem). Creative has open source page for this webcam
>>> (http://tinyurl.com/m72oq3). I'll even save you the trouble of going to
>>> that page: status is "pending" and there's no link to any sources. So
>>> what, I'm supposed to write a driver myself?
>> No. Just stop impulse buying stuff.
>>
> Not always easy.  I printed out the whole list of known-to-work webcams, and 
> couldn't find one of them in the store.  No box ever tells you what chipset 
> is being used.  In the end I bought a cheap own-brand webcam.  To my surprise 
> it worked with the gspca driver!
> 
Then you have to find application software to use the camera. I have been using 
xawtv to record off the webcam, but it needs a font from some unavailable 
package. I loaded all the fonts which are on my FC10 partition to FC11, and no 
go. I really want a cli application, but that's another issue, I'm back to FC10 
for now.

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot