Ubuntu on Apple iBook and WiFi
Well I will say that Ubuntu runs reasonably well on the rather enemic iBook that I have. However, the main issue I have is with WiFi. WiFi works–as long as I don’t want to do WPA.
Without getting too complex, WPA rqeuires this thing called a “supplicant” that snarfs the data off the line and does the encryption. In order for the supplicant to do its thing, the WiFi adapter must be told to go into “promiscuous” mode where it will listen to all traffic–not just traffic destined for it (This feature is insanely useful for packet sniffing too).
That all sounds fine and dandy, except for one thing. The drivers inside the Linux kernel for Orinoco-based cards like the Apple Airport do not have a method by which to put the adapter into promiscuous mode. I could do all the “compile, build, install” crap, but I really don’t want to do that. I just want it to work and not have to think about it.
