Gutsy and Atheros wireless - my experience

[Mike Leone]

Derek Broughton (news at pointerstop.ca) had this to say on 10/29/07 at 09:10: 
> Mike Leone wrote:
> 
> > I needed to install kwlan; 
> 
> why?

Because I needed WPA support, and installing wpa_supplicant said it wanted
it. (I think) Something wanted it; I didn't just make that up. :-)

> 
> > that install wanted to dump 
> > network-manager-kde. OK, fine. Since I use WPA-PSK for security, I had
> > to go find and install that, too (you'd think that would get installed
> > by default, just so that you'd have the tools to have a secure wireless
> > set up on your laptop, whether you activate the feature or no. But
> > whatever.
> 
> Everything needed is installed with network-manager-kde, so you just turfed
> that and complain that you don't have what you need...

Well, no - the NIC didn't work until I installed kwlan, so something wasn't right
...

> 
> > Over the next 120 minutes, it dropped and reacquired signal 37 times. It
> > would disconnect, and then reconnect. Repeatedly.
> > 
> > Again, this is using exact same hardware (system, NIC, router) that
> > never once dropped a signal on edgy. Exact same settings, too. Yet it
> > got to the point that I was ready to rename the system "yo-yo", because
> > it went up and down so often.
> 
> OK, that's not nice, but again - since you threw out the network software
> that comes as part of kubuntu, you're not in much of a position to
> complain.

Sure I am - I didn't "throw out" anything, anyhting that got uninstalled was
done by aptitude (well, I told it to, but that was because it recommended
it).

> 
> > My conclusion - gutsy is not ready for me to try and use my Atheros
> > card. 
> 
> Do the same thing with Network-manager, with the same results, and I'll
> agree you have a problem with gutsy (and I won't be surprised, either - NM
> doesn't work for everyone), but if you start out by throwing away parts of
> the gutsy install, and then say gutsy doesn't work, you're getting what you
> deserve.


I couldn't get the NIC to be recognized at all with network-manager.

What's with the attitude? You don't have to respond, you know, and I never
said that my experiences were the same as everyone's.