So far I see complaints about: recompiling kernel/drivers and windows... and, then there was Arch.
I introduce you to the 'hwd' package.
Hmm my ethernet card isnt working. > hwd -ec (probes lshwd based on tables for usb pcmcia and pci and loads appropriate modules if not already loaded)
Hmm I can't get xorg to work. > hwd -xa (probes monitor, writes xorg config) > startx... hey its working now (not ONCE has this failed me on multiple monitors including laptop LCDs and otherwise.
Anyone who updates their kernel EVERYTIME a new patch or release comes out is retarded. Typically I wait for a new 2.6. before I even touch it. But in the case of those who like it...
> Pacman -Syu (syncs db, downloads files and seeks and downloads dependencies, checks for conflicts, installs packages) All done. One command, and.... done. Upgrades the entire system... gcc/kernel/nvidia (or ati),etc in one command. No rebooting just make sure if you run a kernel update to update lilo/grub conf and for precaution... stop all running services that you don't need for just running updates.
No need to recompile anything... because that's just how life is with Arch.
Just about every Windows 98 machine can be upgraded to Windows 2000 and run fairly smoothly. I've done the upgrade on 3-4 machines running anything between 250mhz to 500mhz. Buy a small stick of 128/256 pc100 RAM and it'll be just fine.
Get a copy of windows 2000 sp4 however you'd like and upgrade... problem solved.
I can't imagine having to deal with that everytime I wanted wireless. Simple integrated type solutions that are less protrusive are much more appealing (minipci/pcmcia). If I want to move my laptop from desk to desk I want to be able to do it with one hand and not have to juggle... I just don't understand the appeal of USB wireless devices.
Dead on... miniPCI use dual U.Fl connectors, most often to seperate antennas attached to the side of the laptops frame. Sometimes in addtion to ones already onboard.
PCI cards rely mainly on external antennas most commonly with RP-SMA connectors. I have the following cards at home and sitting maybe 20 ft away from my router heres what the signal strength is
My PCI card is absolute crap... the only PCI card I have EVER LIKED was the 2wire PCI card. I wish I could get my hands on one for a relatively decent price, I'd like to play around and see what kind of chipset it has.
If they made wireless cards that plugged into your headphone port I'm sure they would work in Windows too...
and besides... signal strength is lacking... you can only fit so many antennas on a tiny little stick. Waste of money whether it works or not.
Fact remains you can get the best of both worlds in Linux if you go with the right form factor/chipset. There should be no conversation about Windows... this thread is not about Windows and nor should Windows stick it's pimply face in here.
USB is meant for digital cameras, portable storage and "bandaids" for hardware failures.
The fact that USB Wireless and "doesn't work" are in the same sentence doesn't suprise me.
Since when are passwords an issue?
Who needs a password when the idiot leaves his computer unlocked?
I work in a call center environment and its standard practice (and openly accepted and promoted by supervisors) to create chaos for those who leave their computers unlocked. I'm talking adjusting regional settings, reversing mouse buttons, lowering mouse sensitivity to the lowest possible value, customizing appearance so EVERYTHING is the same color... a good 30 minutes to fix... less if you can navigate Windows blindfolded.
With the number of people relying on IE/FF to save passwords and forms... leave that terminal open and I can pretty much view and navigate to what I want by opening IE/FF and browsing through the history.
It doesn't, however, run on a 64bit AMD kernel. This comes as no suprise to me, as the manufacturers of 64bit laptops don't even provide a 64bit OS nor 64bit driver CD.
As long as I have Google Local... that's all the usefullness I really need.
I have been a linux AND BSD user for a number of years... I'm going on 2 years with just Archlinux alone (man, I love it) and about a year and a half with FreeBSD. I love them both dearly and would never opt for any other distros besides these two. I love the work OpenBSD is doing with the wireless community and I appreciate every bit of it but given my comfortable state with linux/BSD which have become rivals somehow? I guess it's like Pepsi/Coke... they taste the same to me but apparently there is a difference? Eh, ignorance is bliss, right?
Anyways... I just do my research before I buy something. Atheros: fully supported under Linux and BSD... Madwifi works flawlessy on both of my laptops both of which running Archlinux and/or FreeBSD. Netgear WG511-T 108Mbps (miniPCI) and D-Link G650 108Mbps (PCMCIA). Perfect examples of two different form factors that work flawlessly either way you go for a price that doesn't make your wallet wish it had "parental" controls on it.
Most of the complaints I see are people using chipsets like Texas-Instruments and Broadcom, ralink and realtek... yea no kidding it doesn't work. Sure, some of them are starting to develop some decent drivers out of the realm of Ndiswrapper, but they aren't stable and I wouldn't bother wasting my time... and I hate seeing people complain about it. You get what you pay for (or the lack there-of). Kismet-wireless.net is my Buyers Guide for wireless cards. If its chipset isn't supported here... it's not getting my money.
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So far I see complaints about: recompiling kernel/drivers and windows... and, then there was Arch.
... hey its working now (not ONCE has this failed me on multiple monitors including laptop LCDs and otherwise.
I introduce you to the 'hwd' package.
Hmm my ethernet card isnt working.
> hwd -ec
(probes lshwd based on tables for usb pcmcia and pci and loads appropriate modules if not already loaded)
Hmm I can't get xorg to work.
> hwd -xa
(probes monitor, writes xorg config)
> startx
Anyone who updates their kernel EVERYTIME a new patch or release comes out is retarded. Typically I wait for a new 2.6. before I even touch it. But in the case of those who like it...
> Pacman -Syu
(syncs db, downloads files and seeks and downloads dependencies, checks for conflicts, installs packages)
All done. One command, and.... done. Upgrades the entire system... gcc/kernel/nvidia (or ati),etc in one command. No rebooting just make sure if you run a kernel update to update lilo/grub conf and for precaution... stop all running services that you don't need for just running updates.
No need to recompile anything... because that's just how life is with Arch.
Just about every Windows 98 machine can be upgraded to Windows 2000 and run fairly smoothly. I've done the upgrade on 3-4 machines running anything between 250mhz to 500mhz. Buy a small stick of 128/256 pc100 RAM and it'll be just fine.
Get a copy of windows 2000 sp4 however you'd like and upgrade... problem solved.
I can't imagine having to deal with that everytime I wanted wireless. Simple integrated type solutions that are less protrusive are much more appealing (minipci/pcmcia). If I want to move my laptop from desk to desk I want to be able to do it with one hand and not have to juggle... I just don't understand the appeal of USB wireless devices.
Dead on... miniPCI use dual U.Fl connectors, most often to seperate antennas attached to the side of the laptops frame. Sometimes in addtion to ones already onboard.
PCI cards rely mainly on external antennas most commonly with RP-SMA connectors. I have the following cards at home and sitting maybe 20 ft away from my router heres what the signal strength is
atheros miniPCI 108mbps (netgear wg511-t): [XXXXXXXXXX]
atheros pcmcia 108mbps (dlink g650): [XXXXXXXXXX]
prism54 pcmcia 108mbps (netgear wg511-t): [XXXXXXXXXX]
orinoco pcmcia w/ 7dbi antenna (gold): [XXXXXXXXXX]
prism3 pcmcia (dlink 650 rev P1): [XXXXXXXXX-]
broadcom miniPCI (Broadcom A/B/G): [XXXXXXXX--]
admtek PCI w/ 7dbi antenna (dlink 520): [XXXXXXX---]
My PCI card is absolute crap... the only PCI card I have EVER LIKED was the 2wire PCI card. I wish I could get my hands on one for a relatively decent price, I'd like to play around and see what kind of chipset it has.
If they made wireless cards that plugged into your headphone port I'm sure they would work in Windows too... and besides... signal strength is lacking... you can only fit so many antennas on a tiny little stick. Waste of money whether it works or not. Fact remains you can get the best of both worlds in Linux if you go with the right form factor/chipset. There should be no conversation about Windows... this thread is not about Windows and nor should Windows stick it's pimply face in here.
That's probably because your Toaster's chipset was made by Broadcom and not Atheros.
You should have known better than to buy a Toaster made by Hewlett-Packard.
USB is meant for digital cameras, portable storage and "bandaids" for hardware failures. The fact that USB Wireless and "doesn't work" are in the same sentence doesn't suprise me.
Since when are passwords an issue? Who needs a password when the idiot leaves his computer unlocked? I work in a call center environment and its standard practice (and openly accepted and promoted by supervisors) to create chaos for those who leave their computers unlocked. I'm talking adjusting regional settings, reversing mouse buttons, lowering mouse sensitivity to the lowest possible value, customizing appearance so EVERYTHING is the same color... a good 30 minutes to fix... less if you can navigate Windows blindfolded. With the number of people relying on IE/FF to save passwords and forms... leave that terminal open and I can pretty much view and navigate to what I want by opening IE/FF and browsing through the history.
It doesn't, however, run on a 64bit AMD kernel. This comes as no suprise to me, as the manufacturers of 64bit laptops don't even provide a 64bit OS nor 64bit driver CD.
As long as I have Google Local... that's all the usefullness I really need.
I have been a linux AND BSD user for a number of years... I'm going on 2 years with just Archlinux alone (man, I love it) and about a year and a half with FreeBSD. I love them both dearly and would never opt for any other distros besides these two. I love the work OpenBSD is doing with the wireless community and I appreciate every bit of it but given my comfortable state with linux/BSD which have become rivals somehow? I guess it's like Pepsi/Coke... they taste the same to me but apparently there is a difference? Eh, ignorance is bliss, right? Anyways... I just do my research before I buy something. Atheros: fully supported under Linux and BSD... Madwifi works flawlessy on both of my laptops both of which running Archlinux and/or FreeBSD. Netgear WG511-T 108Mbps (miniPCI) and D-Link G650 108Mbps (PCMCIA). Perfect examples of two different form factors that work flawlessly either way you go for a price that doesn't make your wallet wish it had "parental" controls on it. Most of the complaints I see are people using chipsets like Texas-Instruments and Broadcom, ralink and realtek... yea no kidding it doesn't work. Sure, some of them are starting to develop some decent drivers out of the realm of Ndiswrapper, but they aren't stable and I wouldn't bother wasting my time... and I hate seeing people complain about it. You get what you pay for (or the lack there-of). Kismet-wireless.net is my Buyers Guide for wireless cards. If its chipset isn't supported here... it's not getting my money.