Linux Desktop Hacks

202

|

Chapter 8, Desktop Programs

#65 Put Screenshots Automatically on the Web

HACK

occurs. The software can send you an email, update a database, save a pic-

ture, record a video clip, play a sound, and more. motion is also flexible in

how it is configured and used.

To get started, first you should install motion using your distribution pack-

age manager, or from the official web site at http://www.lavrsen.dk/twiki/bin/

view/Motion/DownloadFiles. You also need to download the software depen-

dencies if you want to save images and movies when movement occurs.

Details about these requirements are on the motion web site.

Running motion is simple; just run it from the command line:

foo@bar:~$ motion

motion reads a central configuration file called motion.conf, which is nor-

mally stored in /etc. This easy-to-configure file contains settings for all fea-

tures within motion. The first section that you should concentrate on is

called

Capture Device Options. Here you should set videodevice to the

device in /dev that you are using (this is usually /dev/video0). You should

also adjust the frame rate, as this affects the accuracy of the webcam. The

next important section to complete is

Motion Detection Settings, where

you should set the threshold setting to something that is suitable. This set-

ting specifies how sensitive the motion capture is. To test this, run motion,

move in front of the camera, and see how ...