Re: Wifi

["Weaver" <weaver@riseup.net>]

On Sun, March 9, 2014 8:08 pm, Chris Bannister wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 08, 2014 at 05:39:20PM -0500, Patrick Chkoreff wrote:
>> Once Debian was installed, I searched around and figured out that I
>> needed to do this:
>>
>> 1. Edit /etc/apt/sources.list, adding " non-free" to the end of every
>> line starting with "deb ".
>
> "contrib" should be added as well.
>
>> 2. Then:
>
> $ sudo apt-get update
>
>  3. Then
>
>> $ sudo apt-get upgrade
>
> May possibly require: $ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
>
>> $ sudo apt-get install firmware-realtek
>
Yes, this is half of it, but the other half is the same problem the rest
of Debian faces with new user uptake, and that is sufficient, coherent
documentation that deals with things on a level that a new user can
understand.

I have just bought a new (second-hand) Acer TravelMate 6593, and done my
first WiFi install ever. I'm not a guru by any means - far from it, and it
took me a while to figure out what was required and get everything
configured the way it should be through wicd, and I think you've seen me
posting here for a few years. Your average Nube would have gone back to
Windows long before getting there. No, it's not hard to get there, but you
need a map.

There are actually two iwlwifi bundles in non-free, but first you've got
to know they're there. Things are getting better. We're now getting
messages during install that never used to happen, and this is useful for
an experienced user, but no more than an invitation to confusion for a new
user who doesn't even know what a 'nube' is.

All of the free/open source software community is the same: even those
quarters you would think would have their act together with a full set of
resources. I went to the RedHat site the other day to download their
latest release, as a first step toward taking their courses, in order to
transpose that knowledge over to Debian as I gained it. Went to their
'Product' link, then 'Downloads', then 'What is an ISO', to find out the
name of their latest stable version, but it simply wasn't listed there. I
signed up for their 'membership'. Apparently a 'subscription' is required
also. Where's the 'Call to action'? Nowhere to be seen. Totally hopeless.
Finally found the ISOs, a complete list of different versions, and, having
been around for a while, understood that 'AMD64' would cover Intel except
for Itanium. Where's the advice to this effect for the 'Nube'? Again,
nowhere!

There's far more, but I think this is enough to show that any uptake they
have is limited to other Linux/BSD users, and their main market potential
from Windows users remains untapped. This from fully professional
documentation and web content writers?

I actually rang them and told them that it was obvious that their
programme would be a total waste of my time, if that's as good as their
communication skills were.

So, here we is.
Cheers!

Weaver

-- 
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its  government."
 -- Thomas Paine

Registered Linux User: 554515