While I am an experienced Linux user I consider myself a wireless newbie. Like
many here I am feeling my way, sometimes in the dark. My wireless is on my eeePC
and is Atheros. Since getting my eeePC I have installed 8 or 10 distros with
varying results which I will share, hoping that others will learn from my
mistakes, even though they reveal my appparent ignorance.

I have successflly installed many distros but not all are equal. Only a few have
been able to get the wireless to work, Ubuntu 8.04, Mandriva One 2008, gOS based
on Ubuntu 7.10, Xandros that comes with it. A few will detect the modem, but
either the tools are inadequate or my skills lacking to get it to work. Since
Ubuntu 8.04 works so well, I have not had as much patience as I usually display
in getting it to work and give up sooner than I usually do.

My point is that if one distro doesn't work try another one. The desktop seems
to make a difference in terms of what tools you have to work with in getting it
to work. Gnome has a better Network Manager than most and it works well with all
forms of encryption. I have tried WiCD (pronounced wicked) on Geubuntu and found
that I could not get my wireless to work and noticed that it did not support WPA
only WEP which is a problem since my system is set up with WPA Personal. I found
that I could not get KDE's network manager in KDE 3 and 4 to work with the same
hardware and the same base (Ubuntu 8.04) which may be a testimony to my limited
skills more than anything.

Here is the sum total of what I have learned through trial and error. You won't
get the best detection and recognition of your wireless if you are running an
older kernel. Newer is better. This is why Mandriva 2008 works for me, but not
PCLOS which is based on Mandriva but is comparatively dated. The second thing is
that you need good tools to get your network set up once your wireless is
detected and installed. Gnome works for me. If you are running a secured network
you must set it up first in your network manager. Otherwise you will not connect
automatically. Gnome seems to set it up for roaming by default, so if you want
to be dedicated to one network you will have to change the setup.

I have not had any luck with KDE except in Mandriva One 2008, but it uses its
own tools, not the standard KDE tools. I have not got any XFCE or other desktop
to work with my wireless. This has nothing to do with the desktop itself or
detection, but the tools to run the network and make use of the wireless. My
wireless seems to be present, but the tools cannot get my wireless to work with
my network settings.

If people tell me that their wireless isn't working I do not know whether they
have a wireless problem or connection problem. If it is wireless I would advise
running a newer kernel first or even changing distros if it is chronically
outdated as a starting point. If it is a connection problem then I woud look at
what tools they have available.

Finally, I have learned to be more sympathetic with other users as wireless is
finicky compared to the simplicity of ethernet.