WirelessClient
Launchpad Entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/xdeltas
Created: Date(2006-06-19T11:07:08Z) by KrishnaSankar
Contributors: KrishnaSankar
Packages affected:
Summary
Ubuntu needs easy and reliable (wireless) network configuration.
Rationale
Use cases
- Anne is at a conference, she wants to use the open wireless network available there
- Michael works at an IT corporation, he wants to be able to use the RADIUS secured network
- Harry is at a cafe, he wants to check for wireless networks he's able to connect to to send an e-mail
- Peter roams around a lot, he has 5 different locations where he regularly want to use the diversely configured wireless networks
- Kim comes home, plugs in her laptop and would like to use the wired connection
Scope
Design
Implementation
Code
Data preservation and migration
Outstanding issues
BoF agenda and discussion
- Wireless usability from usability studies
- Collect wireless gripes
- What is good about MAC wireless ?
- UI Expert to mock up interface
- Feature set
- Dev approach
- Interface points with other projects
- What do we need immediately ?
- What are nice to have ?
Discussion Notes (June 19, 16.00)
- The capability really comes from the hardware/drivers. But this should be recognized displayed - for example "The network card/driver does not support the function xxxxxx"
- We have all the features in the network manager. They need a little tweaking. (MattZ also mentioned the same in the blackboard discussion)
- Context driven fields - For example the WPA screen has all the fields, but actually only a few are applicable to that particular context
- System-wide credentials for Network manager
- None of the panels contain tool tips or help messages
POA (Plan of Action)
- We could redesign the Wireless GUI
- Ellen will contribute to design a usable UI
- The team to abstract best practice wireless interface that users have liked in other OSs
- The team to get feedback on time stamped vs. priority based scheme
- The team will go thru the Network wireless panels and identify what fields are required in each context
- Add very helpful tooltips and help messages for each field
- Wireless Annoyances web page ? Also get wireless annoyances from Ubuntu forums
- Need to find out what tasks are difficult and why
- The network manager team is already looking into many things.
- Sync with them
- We will fold back any work we do for the wireless interface to them
Questions after the Summit discussion [June 20,2006 4:00 AM]
- It is not as if something is drastically wrong with the wireless.
In the beginning I thought we could have a readically simple, yet effective and task oriented GUI titled "My Wireless Neighbourhood" or something like that, independent of the Networkmanager. But after the summit discussions and a little deliberation (It is 4:00 AM and I couldn't sleep, still in PST ;o( Couldn't stop thinking how we should proceed) looks like some tweaking of the wireless interfaces of the network manager is all we need.
- So where does it leave us ? Should we aim for a work item on the Network Manager as a whole than just wireless? (I think this is what Matt has in mind, probably)
- Should we wait for the network manager than going on our own on ? Their mailing list is hosed, only the last 4 days are visible now. So I couldn't trace any discussions)
But the To Do has some relevant plans for their NM0.7 [http://live.gnome.org/NetworkManagerToDo]
- Some plans we are interested include wpa supplicant dbus interface (faster and more capable), more wireless auth methods and consolidating UI options.
- In short may I propose a two folded recommendation ?
- First use the forums to see if there are any glaring annoyances in the wireless we can fix now. I think the experience is key - possibly tooltips will help more than anything else
- Second, let us wait for NM0.7. We need to integrate it anyway - may be that is the workitem.
- Thoughts ?