About #4. I wasn’t saying your configuration was wrong, I was telling you how to use other tools instead of NetworkManager. Sorry if it came off that way. Defining your wireless configuration in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts is a more admin-friendly approach to setting up your wireless config.

You take the fun out of Linux by saying it’s actually like unix. OS-wise, it’s really not. Kernel, scripts, binaries, etc… all are so different from unix, you don’t need an acronym to tell you it’s not unix. I like linux because…it’s not unix. There. I said it. Now everyone knows. Of all the really good reasons to use Linux, I subscribe to the stupidest one of all. Also, even Windows is Unix-like. It even comes with a unix shell and basic unix commands like man. Based on that logic, all popular operating systems that we know of are Unix-like and therefore we should expect them to work similar. Right?

I’m glad you use Solaris at work. Do you use OpenSolaris? It’s very different from normal Solaris. If that’s what you meant by Solaris, then forget I said anything. If you haven’t tried OpenSolaris, you should really try it ^_^.

I used to work on Solaris on E10k and E15k. If that’s what you do, you have my condolences. It’s a thankless job, and you’re a servant to those stupider than you.

I guess you’re right. Maybe I just disagree since I can’t disprove anything you say. I can really only contradict it.

1. I can’t configure my wireless network interface in Linux in the same manner as I can in OpenBSD. There’s a smattering of disparate tools in the former, that’s part of my beef.

4. The problem wasn’t my configuration, more the way the distribution and the wireless tools fit together.

5. In my opinion some things should be a given. Linux is a Unix-like operating system – I don’t think the GNU recursive acronym in this case is meant to be taken so literally – and as such I expect layer 3 to be configured and omnipresent. That’s IMO though, feel free to disagree.

As for OpenSolaris and its related technologies, sure it’s a great OS but for various reasons I wanted to run some distribution of Linux on my workstation. I do use Solaris professionally.

For what it’s worth I bought a wireless repeater and a shiny new Gbe switch – and that takes care of my wireless compatibility issues :)

In the last 5 years, I’ve bought laptops without even checking whether they’re supported by linux, and they just worked. Also, I’m determined to never use Fedora again for the 3rd time.