I'm new to Linux and I still can't figure out how to install tarball source. I get up to the './configure' step, but when I enter it, it just says "bash: ./configure: No such file or directory". Should I add something else to the command?

You probably need to cd into the directory you created. Also, check if your distro supplies the package which may save a lot of work. If not, be sure to read the README and INSTALLATION files. Also run "./configure --help". There could be important options that you want to add when running configure.

Ubuntu does not supply the package (it's the Linux driver for QuickCam webcams, by the way) and running './configure --help' just produces the same "bash: ./configure: No such file or directory".

I agree with jschiwal, you probably aren't in the same directory as the configure script. Double check to make sure you actually cd into the right location. Check permissions on the file while you're there.

Alright, I'm sorry, but what directory has the configure script?

did you extracted the tar file??

What version of Ubuntu are you running? I'm using Hardy, and the gspca module (the driver for most webcams) is compiled and included by default. Here is a list of the webcams that gspca supports: http://tomoyo.sourceforge.jp/cgi-bin...inux/gspca.txt

To load this module, do sudo modprobe gspca in a terminal. To load it permanently, append gspca to /etc/modules.

In answer to your original question, not all source tarballs have a configure script. With some software, all you have to do is the 'make && make install' step. Other packages require that you run 'autogen.sh' in order to create the configure script. With one-file C programs, all you have to do is run 'gcc -c program.c'.

I believe I'm running Intrepid, and I ran 'sudo modprobe gspca', it said "FATAL: Module gspca not found." I also cd'd into the folder and ran 'make'. There was already a "Makefile" in there, so I entered 'make install'. It just spit out a bunch of code, and ended by saying some errors.

your first step when trying to compile from source is to read the readme's in source folder..it will tell you if it needs any special commands and what packages are required to build ..did it make without errors??and if so..did you sudo make install..??

The Readme says "Just use a plain "make" to compile the driver." And 'sudo make install' produces the same results as just 'make install'.

http://qce-ga.sourceforge.net/
If thats the source your compiling ..its
make all
insmod ./quickcam.ko

When I run 'make all', I just get the same text scrolling across the screen (a lot of the ones at the end say error), and then 'insmod ./quickcam.ko' just says "insmod: can't read './quickcam.ko': No such file or directory".

Hi there,
first thing that you need to check is whether you are in proper directory or not...
secondly, make sure that you have proper permissions..
thirdly, as u already came to know that Ubantu doesn't provide packages, so you need to check what other versions of ubantu flavour do support webcams in more convenient way...

regards,
Kapil.

post a smaple of those errors?do you have the build-essentials installed..kernel headers,gcc,etc..?

The content I receive after entering 'make all':
"make -C "/lib/modules/2.6.27-9-generic/build" SUBDIRS="/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6" modules V=1 USER_OPT="-DHAVE_UTSRELEASE_H=1"
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-9-generic'
test -e include/linux/autoconf.h -a -e include/config/auto.conf || ( \
echo; \
echo " ERROR: Kernel configuration is invalid."; \
echo " include/linux/autoconf.h or include/config/auto.conf are missing."; \
echo " Run 'make oldconfig && make prepare' on kernel src to fix it."; \
echo; \
/bin/false)
mkdir -p /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/.tmp_versions ; rm -f /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/.tmp_versions/*
make -f scripts/Makefile.build obj=/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6
gcc -Wp,-MD,/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/.qc-driver.o.d -nostdinc -isystem /usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.3.2/include -D__KERNEL__ -Iinclude -I/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-9-generic/arch/x86/include -include include/linux/autoconf.h -Iubuntu/include -Wall -Wundef -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -Werror-implicit-function-declaration -O2 -m32 -msoft-float -mregparm=3 -freg-struct-return -mpreferred-stack-boundary=2 -march=i586 -mtune=generic -ffreestanding -pipe -Wno-sign-compare -fno-asynchronous-unwind-tables -mno-sse -mno-mmx -mno-sse2 -mno-3dnow -Iinclude/asm-x86/mach-default -fno-stack-protector -fno-omit-frame-pointer -fno-optimize-sibling-calls -pg -Wdeclaration-after-statement -Wno-pointer-sign -DNOKERNEL -DHAVE_UTSRELEASE_H=1 -DMODULE -D"KBUILD_STR(s)=#s" -D"KBUILD_BASENAME=KBUILD_STR(qc_driver)" -D"KBUILD_MODNAME=KBUILD_STR(quickcam)" -c -o /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/.tmp_qc-driver.o /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c
In file included from /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:47:
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/quickcam.h:129:1: warning: "BIT" redefined
In file included from include/linux/kernel.h:15,
from include/linux/cache.h:4,
from include/linux/time.h:7,
from include/linux/videodev2.h:60,
from include/linux/videodev.h:16,
from /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/quickcam.h:95,
from /home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:47:
include/linux/bitops.h:6:1: warning: this is the location of the previous definition
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c: In function ‘qc_i2c_init’:
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:824: error: ‘struct urb’ has no member named ‘lock’
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:825: warning: assignment from incompatible pointer type
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c: In function ‘qc_isoc_start’:
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:1867: warning: assignment from incompatible pointer type
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c: In function ‘qc_v4l_ioctl’:
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:2529: error: ‘struct video_device’ has no member named ‘type’
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c: At top level:
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:3008: error: unknown field ‘type’ specified in initializer
/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.c:3009: error: unknown field ‘hardware’ specified in initializer
make[2]: *** [/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6/qc-driver.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/home/jump/Desktop/qc-usb-0.6.6] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-9-generic'
make: *** [quickcam.ko] Error 2"