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BoyLinux

We are looking for feedback on the new Xandros Network Connection applet that has been included in V4.

Please post anything that you liked/disliked about it.
How is it for ease of use?
How is it for Wireless profiles?
Anything extra that you think we can throw in it (besides a kitchen sink).

I'm going to keep this sticky for the next week or so.
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iamaloner · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:50 am Post subject:

im a complete newbie to linux

i personally am having problems connecting to the wireless internet on your version 4.

If you want this software to sell and be easy to use (which is it, but even better) you have to make it very easy to go online. I can connect using a LAN but going with a wire connection, but i have to be able to go wireless soon, and you have to make this connection wizard easily adapt to 95% of the makes and models out there. People buy PCs now for the internet, it has to be easier than it is currently.

BoyLinux · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:32 pm Post subject:

There must be more then one person that has used this.
Please please please give some feedback.
Good bad or ugly I'll take it.
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XandrosAdminAJ · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:55 pm Post subject:

I found it straight forward. I put X4 on a machine that previously had X2 on it. The only thing I had trouble with was realizing there was a new applet to use. The set up was straightforward, and saves a control centre step. I haven't used multiple profiles, b/c I set up 2 identical networks in 2 locations when I originally set it up. Obviously, having identical wireless networks would not be something to worry about with the new set up. So basically, I would say it is good, and does the job.
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Nyoke · Xplorer Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Belgium

Well, it worked great... once.
From what I found (see other post) there is some confusion between the interfaces.
I would like to have a good howto to check up on everything and edit the files concerned
which means, of coure, that your tool does not put everything inthe right spot. No offence : a quick look around will show that this is a problem with every distro. Ëxcept Gentoo, where the problem is solved by drwoning it into the megatask of having to configure everything Wink

Arne Anka · Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 10:12 am Post subject:

WIFI:

When computer is connected through WIFI, it would be nice if both an activity and a signal strength icon is shown in systray instead of just the signal strength icon.

For laptops like mine having a WIFI button, it would be nice if the NC applet could detect when WIFI is enabled and disabled with the button and take proper action (e.g. reinitiate DHCP request for IP or change the systray icon from connected to disconnected).

GENERAL:

The NC applet is not capable of detecting if there is a carrier detect signal present on a connection or not. It only seem to care about the IP configuration (as long as there is an IP configured, it does not care about if there is a physical connection present or not).

The icon on the systray should perhaps make a distinction between the PC not having any IP configured at all and not being physically connected with two different icons (I windows an icon with a cross implies no physical connection and one with an exclamation mark no IP configuration).

Most of the stuff above is how it works in Windows (MS has it merits as well Wink

).

Other than that, a nice little applet it is. Very Happy

Set · Xandrosianding Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Posts: 858

The user friendliness is alright, but it's buggy.

Sometimes when I go from different networks and switch a lot from static to dynamically assigned IP, it will make the connection go down and I have to restart in order to get the interface up and going.

//Set
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Arne Anka · Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:32 am Post subject:

Set,

I have noticed the status as reported by the NC applet when using dynamic IP is not always correct. On my laptop relatively often the NC applet will report connection as pending although I have connection (surfing works fine).

This has been reported to Xandros in their beta bug reporting system.

RevJack · Xandrosian Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 152

See my post http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=26961 regarding an issue I had.

carbon_unit · Xandrosianding Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 837

It would be nice if the connect and disconnect status boxes would go away on their own instead of requiring you to click to get it out of the middle of the screen. Or maybe have a tooltip from the taskbar applet instead of a box in the middle of the screen.
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BoyLinux · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:08 am Post subject:

Carbon.

That is part of the configuration of the applet itself.
If you right click on the applet and go to preferences.

I think we leave it on make sure people see it first then have the option to disable it. My personal preferences in the bubble option and disable the windows part of it completly.
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carbon_unit · Xandrosianding Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 837

Cool! That is just what i wanted. Cool

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farenheit · Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:52 pm Post subject:

On the whole it's been great! Made my life sooo much easier. Especially when managing multiple connections.

Only downer is that my USB WiFi adaptor is not a supported model and needs extra drivers. It was a little fiddly to set-up but extremely straight forward - however the "Install Windows driver" would not have worked with this adaptor as it needs the extra windows drivers. I posted up a solution and notes to the X4 HCL, though am not sure if there is anything that you can do to aid in installation on that point.

On the bugs side, one thing I have noticed is that LAN connections take presidence over Wifi regardless of connection status i.e. you have great wireless connection and no LAN connected: the applet shows the status of the LAN connection and NOT the Wifi if the LAN is not disabled. Pretty stupid to me!

rockerb · Xplorer Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Posts: 4 Location: California

I installed xandros 4.0 to dual boot with win 98se. The install went great, xandros connected first time with 10/100 dsl realtek lan card. When I tried to configure my win 98 connection it would except the lan card but would not connect. After sever hours of switching cards I got the win 98 connection to work but lost by xandros connection. The error reported was " dsl connection denied by modem-disconnect" . I came to relize that the win98 system was holding on to the modem even when inactive. I really did not need win 98 so I cleared the disk and reinstalled xandros as a stand alone app and every thing is working just fine. Is there a fix for this or did I just miss something?
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plerophoria · Xplorer Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 19

Connecting to Wireless is baffling. You gotta figure, MOST people getting Xandros have come from using Windows. Windows is a dumb-downer, but their wiizards (especially for complex wireless connections) is a real plus. Make connecting to the Internet a lot more user-friendly and speedy. It is frustrating and a real turn-off to have to use Windows to search the support forums because getting online is so cumbersome and complex using Xandros. Use similar terms and options as most wireless routers have (do most routers have a zillion choices-- WEP, 128WPA, 256WPA, ASCII, Hexa.. etc etc.. what IS all this stuff???)

That's my take on it. If I wasn't so perseverant, I would have quit Xandros and continued my miserable Windows usage, because Internet connection and encryption is a painful uphill battle. And I still can't connect.. so I am using Windows to type this.