Wpa_supplicant mystery

[Bill Davidsen]

Aaron Konstam wrote:
> On Sun, 2008-05-11 at 15:21 -0400, Bill Davidsen wrote:
>> Aaron Konstam wrote:
>>> <snip>
>>>> Documentation? NM has been around since FC6, and people seem to keep 
>>>> saying that the documentation is being worked on. At least on FC9beta it 
>>>> really didn't work, ignored the hardwire, and brought the WiFi up on a 
>>>> random open AP. I live between an apartment building and a college, 
>>>> there are enough open APs available to choose.
>>>> nations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot
>>>>
>>> http://live.gnome.org/DarrenAlbers/NetworkManagerFAQ
>>>
>>>
>>> http://live.gnome.org/NetworkManager
>>>
>> I appreciate that you're trying to be helpful, but the FAQ does 
>> hand-waving instead of giving useful answers.
>>
>> Example
>>
>> Q: "How does NetworkManager select which wireless network to connect to?"
>>
>> A: (part1) NM only attempts to automatically connect to networks you 
>> have previously told it to connect to.  [not the case, it picked one]
> The one it picks is generally the one you connected to last. I know you
> are going to say you never connected before. No matter look at comment
> under A.  part2.

>> (part2) If NM isn't connecting to the network you want, try to force it 
>> to connect to the network you wish to be connected,... [If I knew how to 
>> force it I wouldn't be reading the FAQ, now, would I?]
> You left click on nm-applet icon and choose the AP ypu wnat to connect
> to.

This will have to wait until I get back to the laptop, the machine I 
have handy shows all the information on the wired connection, but when I 
go to the tabs to edit connections, the current connection isn't shown, 
so I'm unable to edit that if I wanted to.

This may be due to a single wired connection, but I would expect that 
when I go to edit connections I would see them all, if I wanted to set 
the IP correctly instead of using one from the DHCP pool, for instance.

>> (part3) In version 0.6.6 and later there is a profile editor that can be 
>> used to add/remove networks.  [Again, effort saved by not bothering to 
>> tell the user HOW to get that tool running]
>>
>>
>> All it would take is a hyperlink at each point where the reader is told 
>> to do something unfamiliar. However, not only is there no hyperlink, the 
>> index points to a single sentence on doing this, "For version 0.6.6 or 
>> later Use the Network Profile editor to remove unwanted networks." Do I 
>> have to tell you that there doesn't appear to be a link in the table of 
>> contents which describes the Network Profile Editor and how one accesses it?
>>
>>
>> I have written documentation for GE, IBM, SBC and technical articles for 
>> national magazines, I've dealt with enough editors to know that this FAQ 
>> is simply not well written for the target audience. And if I knew the 
>> topic I would offer to make changes, but I don't. But as people are 
>> forced to switch from known easy to use tools like 
>> system-config-network, a lot of people are going to be unhappy trying to 
>> learn a complex tool of limited capabilities.
>>
>> I would have hoped that there would be a simple way to enter a list of 
>> APs, and an option to use any of them if only one were available, if 
>> more than one were available ASK, if none of the preferred list are 
>> available ASK. That suggestion came from someone about FC6...
>>

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot