ISight and non-Apple Apps

Question

How do I get a Mac with a built in iSight to work with other, non-Apple applications? How do I turn the dang thing on, and have it stay on without using iChat, Photobooth, or Quicktime?

Answer 1

Hello Jim Ireland,
How do I turn it on, raw.
You don't. Unlike external iSight, *a properly functioning built-in iSight* is always on (although perhaps in standby mode) when your Mac is on. To verify that your iSight is working, see Apple's Technical article: How to Troubleshoot iSight.
... I turn on the iSight through an application, it shuts off as soon as I try to use it through...
While you can have more than one iSight enabled app open simultaneously, as explained in this linked Apple technical document, iSight can be used by one application at a time.
Some websites with webcam functions won't control the iSight.
No websites can control the iSight. Only software does, but you may be attempting to describe how your browser (software app) controls it when you visit video-enabled websites.
Most video-enabled websites allow your browser software to use your built-in iSight via a Flash plug-in (unless your iSight is already in use by a different app.) If your iSight is working with Apple's apps but you are still having difficulty with a video-enabled website while no other apps are using iSight, your browswer's Flash plug-in settings may need to be configured to allow your iSight to function with there. 
To determine whether this is your problem, navigate to the video website of interest. If you do not immediately see a pop-up "Adobe Flash Player Settings" dialog box, put your mouse pointer over the video window that is playing and control-click. This should open the dialog box.
Adjust the "Settings" in the Flash dialog box as follows:
• Click on the webcam icon.
• Select the "USB Video Class Video" Camera setting.
 (External iSight users would need to set the webcam camera setting to "IIDC Firewire Video".)
• You can then click on the microphone icon to set your "Microphone," "Record Volume," and "Reduce Echo" settings.
• You should also click the privacy icon and verify that the "Allow" button is selected.  If "Deny" is selected, you will not be able to send or recored video or audio.
• Close the dialog box and see if the video website works for you now.
If the above does not solve your problem, see the website help or FAQ section to determine how to make this site work with your system. Many live video sites have unique requirements. The FAQs or Help links at their sites should give you the best answers for your compatibility, configuration, and operating questions concerning their particular operations. Some of these sites offer email or live chat technical support or their own dedicated user Discussions fora to provide help using their particular websites.
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.6) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)   iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight