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The OSS Solution to the Linux Wi-Fi Problem

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the wait-we-have-a-problem-with-that-now-too dept.

tobs writes "Matt Hartley of MadPenguin.org fame has published an open source way of solving the Linux Wi-Fi problem. He writes, "For intermediate to advanced users, who are willing to track down WiFi cards based on chipsets, live without WPA in some instances or have opted to stick with Ethernet, buying a new notebook for the sake of improved wireless connectivity may seem a little overkill. When a new user faces problems jumping through the NDISWrapper hoops, tracking down WiFi cards from HCLs and other related activities, the end result is almost always the same — they give up. What so many of us, as Linux users, fail to grasp is that projects like OpenHAL are critical to long-term development. The education on what to expect and what not to expect remains a complete load of hot air when articles claim how easy it is to setup wireless Internet on Linux machines. It's downright misleading."

7 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Weird... by mdm-adph · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's like I RTFA, but then again I don't feel like I RTFA. Anyone else notice that? Is there some "Page 2" button I'm missing?

    --
    It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
  2. Re:Scientist's viewpoint by mdm-adph · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've been using Linux from the early days, mostly for scientific computing. For that it is great. But the problem is that linux has so many driver complications, and users tend to blame it on the companies that make the devices, and things never go anywhere as a result. Well, the only driver problems I've ever had with Linux have been with ATI cards (which is ATI's fault) and the aforementioned wireless mess, and I still don't see how this isn't the fault of the companies. But, if I'm wrong, someone please enlighten me.
    --
    It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
  3. I agree by cjonslashdot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In fact, I am an experienced IT professional, and I have only a vague idea what you are talking about. The fact is, I do not spend my time studying the innards of Linux: I have other kinds of issues that I worry about. I am sure I could get a WiFi card working on Linux if I put my mind to it, and edit the right files, find the right drivers, and upgrade the BIOS as required, but I have no inclination to spend the many hours required to learn all those picky details - which I will then forget because I will not use them again. The fact is, if one has to do this, you can kiss Linux goodbye for the typical user. If Linux cannot be made to work with most (like 99%) built-in and third party devices (graphics, WiFi, sound, Bluetooth, etc.) out of the box or with *easily* found drivers - without having to edit files - then it is not a viable desktop for the typical home user. Further, it should be installable from Windows - without having to create an ISO disk and boot. These are far bigger issues than whether the scheduler is "fair" or whether the GUI is KDE or Gnome. Who cares if you can't get it running with an hour of point-and-click effort? It will then never be adopted by the masses, unless manufacturers decide to ship it pre-installed.

  4. Take the time to buy the right hardware... by Kludge · · Score: 5, Insightful

    a complete load of hot air when articles claim how easy it is to setup wireless Internet on Linux machines


    I just installed Fedora 7, and I am managing multiple wireless networks with NetworkManager, no configuration at all. Zilch.

    Of course, I have a 5 year old Dell. People think they can buy whatever hardware they want and just have it work. No. You have to be selective. That's why my 3D desktop runs on Intel video.

    Buy companies that support open source from the beginning, dammit, or other companies will never see the use of providing drivers or specs PERIOD.

    1. Re:Take the time to buy the right hardware... by Ginger+Unicorn · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I want an operating system, not a political movement.

      then support that operating system by buying hardware that it is allowed to interact with by the vendor. activism is also sometimes pragmatic you know.

      --
      (1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
  5. Re:What's the REAL Solution though? by grahamm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Typically a wireless card is a microcontroller with ROM, RAM, and a CPU --- usually an ARM. As wireless cards are intelligent with their own processor it should have been relatively simple for a high level API to have been defined (in a similar way to VESA for display cards) by which all wireless cards communicate with the host computer.

  6. Re:What's the REAL Solution though? by david.given · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Firmware is just firmware - it runs on a different CPU and only has access to the device. Binary blobs run in your kernel space and could (potentially) mess with anything on your system.

    Ah, but the firmware on the wireless card is running, effectively, at a higher privilege level than your kernel --- it can do things totally outside the kernel's control. Even if you are legally allowed to redistribute the image, how do you know what it's doing? Given that all your network traffic is passing through that thing, and that it's got complete unsupervised control over all the radio bandwidth it can eat, and that on some interfaces (such as PCI) they can even access host memory... there's a lot of scope for malicious behaviour. Without source, they can't be audited. That's what I mean by the binary blob problem.

    (The firmware source code probably includes lots of deeply patented and proprietry frequency-hopping and radio control software, which the FCC would be deeply unamused to have people play with; most likely there's also going to be a third-party embedded operating system, too, to make it all go. It would probably be a legal nightmare to release source.)

    (You're right in that there's not much difference between uploaded firmware and firmware in ROM --- it's just a variation of the same problem.)