Free Downtown Dayton Internet service.

[Derek Broughton]

Gene Heskett wrote:

> A word of advice:  If you have to go by a wifi card for the pc, make sure
> it is an Atheros chipset based design, they are the only semi-friendly to
> linux folks around.  

That's not true.  I agree Atheros chipsets are (better than semi-) friendly 
to Linux, but so are Intels.  Broadcoms are now _semi-friendly_ (in fact, 
they're ubiquitous and I've never had a problem with one).

> Brand names on the box generally don't mean a thing, so
> read
> the fine print carefully, or get return privileges.  The one I have here
> came in a NetGear box, a WG311T but that's old now & this stuff changes at
> about the same rate as our underwear.

The fine print won't usually help - it's a rare box that tells you what 
chipset is used, and the manufacturer commonly changes the chipsets without 
making any change in the packaging, even to using any kind of identifying 
serial number.  Often your best bet is to google for the device and see what 
people say - and if some work, some don't, you probably need to identify 
specific serial number ranges.
> 
> You might have to make them open the box so you can read the label on the
> chipset, my box doesn't say a thing about it on the outside.

And at least one of mine (an Atheros) doesn't say anything, _anywhere_.