Configuring Multimedia Apps

Configuring Multimedia Applications

Multimedia apps in Linux come in all shapes and sizes, and for a broad variety of purposes. Today, we’re going to talk about setting up your scanner using sane, the console-based program for Linux that stands for “Scanner Access Now Easy.”

True to Linux form, sane works its magic by separating the GUI from the device driver. This marriage of the two in Windows and Mac applications made scanning in Linux nearly impossible until sane was created. It’s consistent with the overall approach in Linux, where the X Window (GUI) system is not actually a part of the core operating system code.

As always, we’ll assume that you’ve either installed sane as part of the initial install process, or that you’ve downloaded it and have successfully installed.

Once installed, you may need to create specific instructions for the program based on the manufacturer of your scanner. For the purposes of this article, we’ll talk only about HP and Epson scanners, as they cover the broadest consumer ground.

With sane installed, you’ll first need to find the configuration file. Where this is located will depend on whether you installed sane as a standalone program or let your distribution install it as part of the initial package. For standalones, the default location is /usr/local/etc/sane.d/. Remember, that’s a directory not a file. Most commercial distros create this directory at /usr/etc/sane.d/. Within the appropriate directory, you’ll need to create a manufacturer-specific configuration file in order to be able to use sane with your USB scanner. This file should appear as follows:

HP
  create /usr/local/etc/sane.d/hp.conf
  containing the lines:
    /dev/usb/scanner0
    option connect-device

Epson
   create /usr/local/etc/sane.d/epson.conf
   containing the line:
    usb /dev/usb/scanner0

Now, with the drivers loaded and the configuration files configured, you’ll be able to use sane to enhance your multimedia library. As always, I’ll cut you loose at this point to explore and learn on your own. I will, however point you a relatively recent list of supported scanners and some further instruction on the process.