NetworkManager system-wide use

[Jon Nettleton]

On Fri, 2006-05-26 at 23:58 +0200, David Nielsen wrote:
> fre, 26 05 2006 kl. 22:30 +0100, skrev David Woodhouse:
> > On Fri, 2006-05-26 at 20:15 +0200, David Nielsen wrote:
> > > That sounds like an utterly scary scenerio. You are forgetting the the
> > > system is dynamic, so the user can insert a wifi capable device at any
> > > time and to connect to a protected network you would then for first
> > > time require the root password to install the rpm.
> > 
> > By that logic, we shouldn't allow anything less than an 'Everything'
> > install.
> > 
> > What if the user receives a Word document in email? Are we going to
> > demand the root password and install OpenOffice? No, we must force
> > OpenOffice to be installed at all times instead.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong but having a working network is strongly desired
> functionality - say if the wifi was the only connection available and
> it's encrypted (thus needs the package in question).. how exactly will I
> be installing it again? The likily scenerio would be using media or
> downloading it - I personally don't carry around media with me when I'm
> on the go so that's not an option and if I can't get online that's not
> possible either.
> 
> However you are right we should be careful not to turn the distro into
> an everything install just for the sake of it - regardless I remain of
> the option that we can live with a 240kb package if it makes networking
> a bit easier. I don't have wifi so I'm really not benefiting from it
> anyways, still I think I can live with it without weeping bloody tears
> at night.
> 
I have to agree that this is a lot of chatter over a 240kb package that
in this day and age is pretty essential to core functionality of the OS.
If this is an itch for whomever brought this up, roll your own RPM's
that don't need wpa_supplicant.  I know that if I had to add a wireless
card to a fedora desktop and fired it up and NM just sat there with a
spinning icon I would be pretty unhappy.  

The have the user install it manually is absolutely unacceptable.  I can
only imagine the write-ups when Core 6 comes out, "Well I installed the
distro from dvd and everything went smoothly. Anaconda is a wonderful
installer.  However after reboot when I plugged in my wireless card I
was prompted to first install another package before I could connect to
my encrypted wireless network.  I had to double check and make sure the
calendar didn't say 1998!".