Question:
Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Wireless netwrok not working is one of the top problems with linux distros.
Sound generally works, display generally works. But wireless is a mess.
There is a similar problem with winmodems. One company actually sells drivers (linuxant) - but these drivers dont work very well, for example voip seems to be unspported.
In comparison, I've never had any significant problems with wired ethernet.
Is there any hope for the situation to improve in the wireless arena ? If people cant get thier laptops to connect to the network, there isnt hope for linux to take off.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Well, depending on the wireless card, Linux support can be great. Intel and Atheros cards work fantastically. So Linux supports wireless just fine. Some wireless manufacturers don't support Linux at all. It's a shame, and doubly so that progress on this issue can only come from one side.
Still, with things like Dell's recent announcement, hopefully we'll see better drivers from manufacturers, if they realise there is actually a market.
Until then, its best to do your research, and buy a compatible card.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Until then, its best to do your research, and buy a compatible card.
This comment is the single most important thing you should do before you buy a new machine if you even have an inkling you'll be installing linux on it.
I didn't do this, and am regretting it. I got a Dell D620 with the Broadcom card. It's an absolute pig to get working - even with the new kernel.
As far as I'm concerned, the best thing about Dell supporting linux is that all their hardware will be supported - meaning anyone with a Dell notebook (that's still relatively new) will have a chance of getting everything to work with the minimal amount of fuss.
But to answer your original question, yeah I think wireless in Linux will just get better and better. I remember what it was like 2 years ago when ndiswrapper was the best option and it didn't work half the time. Now most card will "just work".
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Well, depending on the wireless card, Linux support can be great. Intel and Atheros cards work fantastically.
I think notebook_ftw said that his Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 card doesnt work even in the latest release of Ubuntu. Mine doesnt either (with SLED that was released last summer), and this is supposed to be a linux supported card.
On the manufacturer front, are we at their whimsy ? For them to release drivers ?
Or can there be workarounds ?
If there can be workarounds, why isnt this a top priority for devlopers instead of developing eye candy like ed desktops and what not ?
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
I think notebook_ftw said that his Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 card doesnt work even in the latest release of Ubuntu. Mine doesnt either (with SLED that was released last summer), and this is supposed to be a linux supported card.
On the manufacturer front, are we at their whimsy ? For them to release drivers ?
Or can there be workarounds ?
If there can be workarounds, why isnt this a top priority for devlopers instead of developing eye candy like ed desktops and what not ?
My Intel card works just fine in Ubuntu. The only release with which it didn't work "out of the box" was 6.10, and that was because network manager wasn't included by default. The driver is proprietary, and thus not technically included in the kernel, but it is included in nearly all OS' that I have used (with XP, PC-BSD, and SLAX being the only exceptions).
As far as manufacturers go, we're not technically at their whim because we could just choose to buy a wireless card that is supported, as most of us do. But even then, we really are still at their whim because even the Intel card still uses proprietary drivers that must be supported by Intel. What Intel likes to do is make their drivers "mostly free" and then stick a few small proprietary binaries in there and slap the LGPL on it. Atheros chips doing the same thing. But as far as unsupported cards go, we really are just sitting around waiting for the manufacturer. We have workarounds like ndiswrapper, but you can only go so far with native drivers without knowing how the card actually works, and most manufacturers don't seem very willing to give that up as well.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
I think notebook_ftw said that his Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 card doesnt work even in the latest release of Ubuntu. Mine doesnt either (with SLED that was released last summer), and this is supposed to be a linux supported card.
My 3945 has had binary drivers installed since Ubuntu 6.06. With 6.06 and 6.10 however, I had to download the network-manager applet to connect to secured networks. Feisty includes this. So does Sabayon Linux. I can't vouch for other distros.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
My 3945 has had binary drivers installed since Ubuntu 6.06. With 6.06 and 6.10 however, I had to download the network-manager applet to connect to secured networks. Feisty includes this. So does Sabayon Linux. I can't vouch for other distros.
Yeah, it's funny that your Intel card isn't supported in SLED, because it worked just fine in openSUSE for me as I recall. :confused:
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Well, SLED is based on a slightly older version of OpenSUSE, so that may be why. SLED is to OpenSUSE what Debian is to Ubuntu.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
Well, SLED is based on a slightly older version of OpenSUSE, so that may be why. SLED is to OpenSUSE what Debian is to Ubuntu.
Hmmm... so you're paying for older software and less compatibility? Doesn't seem like the best idea if you ask me.
Answer:
Re: Wireless in linux - is there any hope ?
So notebook_ftw, didnt u say that u could not connect your laptop to your school network in linux ?