NewToLinuxxx wrote:stupid question, but can I (& how would I?) transfer the program (cheese) from an older system to a newer one?
(the newer system isn't online yet and I want to use its webcam, only it's sitting there running a mint ISO. It would be worlds-easier if i could just use an SD card to swap an existing Cheese from my primary machine, to the desktop setup i built that I haven't connected yet)
[if it's a PITA to do this, or even just harder than moving a desktop out of my room and hard-wiring it for this, then i'll just hard-wire it to my router to download cheese, but i'd much rather not have to dissemble a desktop that's nicely in-place, and I want cheese asap without waiting til i wire my room up with ethernet!]
Not that stupid of a question...
Lemme babble for a minute:
You likely wouldn't want to take an older version to a newer system, it likely would have issues.
Part of what makes linux and programming for linux so efficient is that a LOT is shared between programs. This is done in other OS's too, but here is what linux does:
If I want to make a program have a message box, or a scroll bar... Or if I want to make it communicate using various network protocols, or use a webcam or whatever... Why should I write brand new code for every project?
Instead libraries of code for standard functions are made, so that when you want to take picture from a webcam instead of writing thousands of lines of code to operate the webcam you would just have your program load some standard webcam_functions that someone else wrote then you can use the code they wrote and just call different functions say "webcam_functions.takepic(hi-res)"
When you install a program you will notice all the dependencies... These are other chunks of code the program you want needs to make it work.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE AUTHOR OF "webcam_functions" IMPROVES HIS WORK? Say he updates the function "webcam_functions.takepic()", previously it only accepted arguments of hi/medium/low resolution... Tell it one of those three options and it will choose a picture size. NOW, you tell it what ever resolution you want! just call "webcam_functions.takepic(800X600)" for a 800X600 picture. This is a nice update, but if your program is still calling this function as "webcam_functions.takepic(hi-res)" the function may work, as it may expect a size now, not the generic hi/med/low....
This means that our program will not work with the new "webcam_functions" until we update it. This leaves us with 2 options: keep the old "webcam_functions" and our current program, or update them both. Easy enough... But when multiple programs use "webcam_functions", they both need to use it in the same way if they are going to use the same code... They must both update or must both be held back.
Now in practice, the author of "webcam_functions" SHOULD make his functions handle the old way for a decent while after he comes up with new ways, so that things don't break and it maintains backwards compatibility.... But eventually the old ways may no longer be supported.
As such, you should almost see your system as a set of programs working together....This is why your programs are not all the most updated versions, the makers of mint select a set of software that is compatible together and offer it to you in their repositories. This is why sometimes if you add your own repositories that are not official you may experience some instability as it may not mesh well with your current set of software/versions.
All this to say you don't want to pull some super old version to use with a newer installation...
Easiest way would be to find a .deb version of cheese that would install much like an exe on windows. Bonus points if you check and see what version of cheese installs in the version of linux your using and look for a .deb of that version.
Cheese has source for what looks like most if not all versions on their webpage.... But you really don't wanna install from source.
This is doubly-appreciated, as my free-time to be playing w/ pics is mostly taken-over by other computer problems (my thread history explains), so yeah the capability to put pics online right now is epic for me. thnx 
the whole problem is the machine i want cheese on (well, i want it on 2 machines, but mostly on one of them) is not online... I'm just gonna move it to the other room, hardwire it to modem, and download cheese cuz it's probably the easiest way (damnit!) to do this!! I was just hoping for something easier than moving a tower/keyboard/mouse/monitor from 1 room and then back, but it's looking to be the easiest way to get a webcam working on it :\
