[kde-linux] KWifiManager ?

[Duncan]

James Tyrer posted on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:47:11 -0700 as excerpted:

> Dr. Edgar Alwers wrote:
>> Hi,
>> after building KDE-4.3.0 I am trying to do the same on my laptop. I had
>> to realize, that kdenetwork do not more include a KWifiManager, as
>> kde-3.5 did. What shall we do ? googling, I found, that a
>> Network-Manager in solid was to be announced ( Aug. 2008 ). Later, some
>> comments indicates the existence of a widget, that takes over the tasks
>> of KWifiManager. However, the only thing I found in the add widgets
>> plasma was a network usage monitor. No  question, I can continue using
>> my old  kwifimanager and my old wpa- supplicant  from kde-3.5 to
>> perform my communications. But is this the kde-4 solution ? As I do not
>> think so, can somebody tell me more or less what steps I shall do ?
> 
> Sorry to say that I don't have a network.  An optional dependency for
> KDEBase is the the NetworkManager program:
> 
> http://projects.gnome.org/NetworkManager/
> 
> Do you have this installed?  Note that this is a daemon and must be
> started after the DHCP (if you are using that).
> 
> Sorry that I haven't tried it, but from what the documentation says,
> this should find your wireless network for you.

I have a netbook, but I've not done a whole lot with it.  My main machine 
is a full-tower system, so not particularly portable, and no wifi.

That said, from various threads I've seen, at least earlier kde4's 
solution wasn't particularly usable for many people -- it wouldn't 
connect, or would connect only under limited conditions (low/no 
encryption/authorization, etc).  Not actually /having/ one I use wifi on, 
I've not the foggiest whether those bugs are fixed with 4.3.1/4.3.2, but 
certainly there were bugs still around in the 4.2.4 timeframe.

So it may be that your distribution or whatever isn't shipping it, or if 
it is, the default is still the kde3 solution (if they are setup to be 
installable in parallel as it appears they are on your distribution).  
Again, I've no current 4.3.1/.2 info, but you may be better off leaving 
well enough alone for the time being.  Barring a response from someone 
who actually knows the current situation, I'd recommend trying again 
(IOW, that's what I'd do if it were me and I wasn't trying every time I 
updated something) about 4.4, which is slated for February.  Of course if 
you're using distro supplied packages, it'd be their update after that...

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman