I'm Worried That I Won't Have Wireless In PCBSD 9

[Linuxis]

Thusfar I've been running PCBSD Isotope in Vmware on a ethernet connected laptop. However that is not the computer I use for everyday use.

The computer I use the most needs a wireless connection. Since I installed RC1 from the cd, I've not seen anything that looks like a network manager. This actually worries me because if I can't have an internet connection, I can't use an operating system to it's full potential and my own.

Thus my question is, what method will people installing lxde, fluxbox, openbox/or any other unsupported window manager be using to get onto the internet?

Can I expect absolutely no ability to connect to wireless if I install PCBSD isotope onto my computer?

I don't want to have to use network manager either, as it has many problems with Lxde, fluxbox and others.

I really like PCBSD and I'd like to try to use it as my old hardware's main OS but this issue has be worried that it simply cannot be.

[Cobalt]

Well, there's this: http://www.freshports.org/net-mgmt/wifimgr

I'm trying to remember how I did this when I was using XFCE. I believe that I started up a KDE daemon and pre-configured the wireless networks that I used (for school and home.) I just made an entry in XFCE's startup manager to start the daemon on login, and that seemed to work fine. Problem is, you still need to start KDE to manage networks, at least if you want to edit network connections.

[Linuxis]

Well, there's this: http://www.freshports.org/net-mgmt/wifimgr

I'm trying to remember how I did this when I was using XFCE. I believe that I started up a KDE daemon and pre-configured the wireless networks that I used (for school and home.) I just made an entry in XFCE's startup manager to start the daemon on login, and that seemed to work fine. Problem is, you still need to start KDE to manage networks, at least if you want to edit network connections.

That's not user friendly at all. Your solution is fundamentally flawed for me because for one, my older machine lacks a dvd drive. So KDE is impossible to install and even if I could install KDE or Gnome, I wouldn't because that would be too much for my system to take. LXDE works nicely and so does fluxbox and openbox and those are the window managers I was planning to use.

Though It would have been nice to try out the PCBSD changes to FVWM-crystal.

Anyway, the most fundamental flaw that I see in your solution is, how will I go about installing anything from the Appcafe, much less wifimgr, if I won't have any way to connect to wifi from the point of install?

If Wifimgr works (and I remember requesting it in PBI requests) then why isn't it included in the LXDE cd install?

It seems that many people, hoping to use LXDE with wifi will be frustrated and disappointed at how un-user friendly the hassle is.

I really am hoping that the staff manages to fix this in time. I'm hoping that it's not too late in the development process to handle this problem. I don't want to have to say goodbye to PCBSD. I really had my hopes up.

[NaX]

Is there a reason you don't want to use the PCBSD Network Manager. Don't you like network manager or are you experiencing bugs.

These are the related PCBSD doc pages you might find helpful.
http://wiki.pcbsd.org/index.php/Netw...eless_Settings
http://wiki.pcbsd.org/index.php/Wireless_Testing

If your hardware is supported there should be no reason it should not work. It sounds like you mostly worried about a GUI client.

There are some alternatives the PCBSD Network Manager, but I don't have any experience installing or using them.

wpa_giu
http://www.rhyous.com/2010/12/03/fre...n-freebsd-8-1/

WiFimgr
http://opal.com/freebsd/ports/net-mgmt/wifimgr/

I don't understand the reference to KDE with regards to WiFimgr as it is a GTK app originally written for XFce4.

When it comes to your chicken and the egg question related to installing something without internet. There are many possible ways around this problem. You could first use something other than wifi to connect like Ethernet or download a PBI from another computer and then copy and install using USB. Or setting up your wireless using the command line the old fashioned way first.

Like I said if your hardware is supported there is now reason you should not be able to get your wireless working and if you are having a problem with Network Manager then I suggest reporting the problems so they can get investigated and hopefully fixed.

[mike4ca]

When I installed the cd version of the RC1, which is the LXDE version, there was a network icon in the task bar. No extra install required. If you ran inside of VMware, it might not have known there was a wireless device so you did not see the icon.

Another alternative to "testing" installs is to get an extra hard drive. Just swap it out and give it a try!

[Linuxis]

When I installed the cd version of the RC1, which is the LXDE version, there was a network icon in the task bar. No extra install required. If you ran inside of VMware, it might not have known there was a wireless device so you did not see the icon.

Another alternative to "testing" installs is to get an extra hard drive. Just swap it out and give it a try!

Yeah I was checking about that. Though I have never had any extra hard drives.

I'm not a tech specialist. Anyway I'm going to take your word for it. People were showing me screenshots to prove there was a icon for wifi and I believe it.
However now I'm hoping that my network adaptor is supported and that the connection won't drop off every couple of minutes.

I installed Trisquel 5 lxde version which used network manager for internet. It would disconnect every minute, give or take a couple seconds. I couldn't get the connection stabilized so I dumped Trisquel for something else.

In support forums and chat rooms, I met others equally frustrated with Network Manager, who said that they found stability in Wicd, but Wicd isn't ported and I am really wanting to use PCBSD as my os.

[thnewguy]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anywhere in your posts where you mention what make/model of wireless card you are using. If you posted that someone could probably tell you if there are working drivers for your card.

[Linuxis]

Oh sorry, I must have forgot.

I use an Netgear wn111 v2 Usb network adaptor.

It would be nice to know if there are drivers for it.

[crborga]

Removed as I got it working finally

[Linuxis]

Crborga, you've made me sad because now I'm worried my card won't work at all.