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Old 01-17-2008, 06:13 PM   #1
newbiesforever
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Angry venting my opinion of MEPIS's post-3.x network controls


I haven't posted this in the reviews, because I haven't decided what else to say about the distro overall. MEPIS is my distro, but I invariably go back to 3.4, because in my opinion, the new wireless network setup that appeared in MEPIS 6.x, and remains similar or identical in the new MEPIS 7, was a step backward. I gave up on 6, and I'm probably not going to keep 7 either.
Only in 3.4 have I successfully gotten my wireless network running and been able to use the internet. It just worked. Beginning with 6, the interface became overcomplicated, with too many settings to adjust.
Network monitor? I never needed to "monitor" my network in 3.4 once it started working. 3.4 had a nice little wireless network status applet in the taskbar that displayed colored bars if the network was on, and if actually clicked on, displayed some less vital information (including signal strength and noise level. That applet is gone now.
Manual interface vs. automatic (I think it's called "networkmanager")? I have no idea which I should use, and judging by the lack of useful results when I tried switching to automatic, the "networkmanager" or whatever it was called can't automatically run my network anyway. (I'm typing this from Windows, for obvious reasons.)
Icon set?? (From the three or four sets available in Kcontrol for eth0, wlan0, etc.) When the network doesn't run, I have more important concerns that what the icons look like.
I finally got the settings adjusted so that it said "wireless on [ip address]," but Firefox still couldn't open any websites. So I restarted the computer, because I had to do that at at least one stage in 3.x. From this point, trying to activate the network while booting (before KDE started) caused it to freeze! Argh! (Actually not "freeze," but I don't have a better word to describe the cursor flashing indefinitely, with nothing happening. I got tired of waiting after about ten minutes.)
There is not a problem with the network or my hardware, because they always work in MEPIS 3.4 and in Windows.
I may be a newbie, but I understand the KISS principle. The designers disregarded it by kludging up the network controls. If I keep MEPIS 7, I will first downgrade to 3.4, enable my network in it, then back up the configuration and hope I find all the relevant files, upgrade to 7, copy the network configuration to it, and hope it works. Unless I find something at mepislovers.org, which I'm going to now. I shouldn't have to, because if the network setup had remained as simple as in 3.x, I would probably have figured it out.

(I might mention that the reason I'm so annoyed is because I've been attempting for a year, on and off, to run my network in MEPIS 6 and now 7.)

Last edited by newbiesforever; 01-18-2008 at 01:05 AM.
 
Old 01-18-2008, 12:53 AM   #2
newbiesforever
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This post can now be more than my disgruntled complaint. I copied the relevant files from MEPIS 3.4 as I proposed, and it successfully activated my network in MEPIS 7. I'll make a list of what exactly I copied, in case anyone has my problem. (I am not exactly sure which of the files caused the change. Some of them probably had no effect.) I stand by my opinion, though. I wouldn't have had to do this if the developers hadn't fooled around with what already worked fine. If it ain't broke, improve it till it is.

Last edited by newbiesforever; 01-18-2008 at 12:56 AM.
 
Old 01-18-2008, 09:09 AM   #3
archtoad6
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Similar problem, different complaint

I refused to use 3.4.x, skipping from 3.3.2 to 6.0, because of the "System Monitor" applet going missing. -- The nice simple one w/ 3 updating vert. bars that sits in the panel & displays CPU, RAM, & Swap usage. AFAICT, it disappeared from the repositories.

So far, I have only used a wired LAN & have set it up through the CLI. So where in the menu system is the "wireless network setup" that concerns you? Does it have a command name that can be entered in a "Run Command" dialog box (Alt-F2)? I have poked around in both 3.3.2 & 6.0, but I'd rather hear from you exactly what we are talking about.

Meanwhile some good news: like 3.x, 7 is based on Debian Etch, w/o being "filtered through" Ubuntu 1st. This means that things that were available then, but disappeared, may be available again now.

(Posted from the 6.0 box).
 
Old 01-18-2008, 09:26 AM   #4
archtoad6
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Similar problem, different complaint - cont.

(Posted from the 3.3.2 box.)

Is the applet in Q KWireLess, the "Wireless Network Information" applet?
from its "About":
Quote:
KWireLess
Displays information about wireless network devices.
KWireLess is licensed to you under the terms of the GPL.
(C) 2003 Mirko Boehm
If so, its package name is kwirelessmonitor, & it can be found here: http://packages.debian.org/search?ke...ll&section=all

Although I have a 6.5 CD running live (for the sake of this thread) on a server that's under construction, I have not d/l'd a 7 ISO yet & therefore can't poke around in that.

Have you tried the MEPIS Network Assistant yet?
(Do you know where to find it?)
 
Old 01-18-2008, 11:58 AM   #5
newbiesforever
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"Wireless Network Information" sounds like what the applet with the red, green and white bars would be, but apparently it's not. MEPIS 3.4 didn't recognize "kwireless" at the run box, and this applet didn't even have an About. I'll try to post a screen capture.

Yes, all my failures to activate my network in MEPIS 7 were while using the MEPIS Network Assistant. It wouldn't even agree that my wlan0 existed, saying I had an eth0. MEPIS 3.4 says the opposite.
 
  


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