Webcams and Linux

[adam.tropics]

In the past I have always considered webcams to be in the same vein as scanners, in that we all seem to 'NEED' them, but in reality they largely end up collecting dust until its time to sell the computer and replace it!

Well having thrown my last few over the years (that'll teach me) the time has come (due to a family member being sick on the other side of the world) that I actually kind of need one!

A broad question(s) then, could anyone reccomend a mid-range webcam, and also what protocols do people actually use? oh yes, and what sort of bandwidth are we talking? I assume that a 10gig monthly on a 512 connection will be ample?

[briancurtin]

In the past I have always considered webcams to be in the same vein as scanners, in that we all seem to 'NEED' them
in the past and the present ive considered them useless. the only time i used a scanner was when i was counterfeiting a parking pass for my friend

[woedend]

logitech makes good cams, and are mainly supported under linux. I would just get a cheap one...as you said, itll end up collecting dust, and a lot of times you are just paying for extra software you can't use anyways.
Your connection will be ample. The only way i've found to actually use them via net is through amsn...it can be a little tricky. there isn't any voice support yet I am aware of either, so that means typing and watching each other.
Also...
every webcam communication program i've used has been buggy as crap, even on windows...so expect it to freeze/hang/crash here and there.

[adam.tropics]

The only way i've found to actually use them via net is through amsn...it can be a little tricky. there isn't any voice support yet I am aware of either, so that means typing and watching each other.

So may be it'd be better to just not bother and find a decent voip service instead? I looked at skype, but had a feeling that could be frowned upon around here! The main issue is that my Mother will be using a mac, and I am not sure how mac/linux sofwtare work, in the 'do they play nicely with others' sense. Therefore skype looked pretty good as they have versions for mac and linux, so I didn't forsee any problems there. Basically I need anything that doesn't involve typing! Thanks for the respones anyway.

[woedend]

i've never used skype...never really had an interest in it or know much about it. Does it support cams?
If not, I would just use amsn on your end with webcam, and find a voip service to speak with. But try it out first...any latency at all will bring skipping and buzzing to the line.