Steeper learning curve than I would have thought with Linux. I’ve spent some time here getting answers that work (and I am grateful), but that tend along the lines of “enter these totally cryptic lines and report back… good, now enter some more totally cryptic lines and see what happens”. So I spent some time at the local book sellers and found several volumes that give a shallow overview, and not much more, on most topics, and little at all on wireless. If I am to convert my house (and those of the relatives I am the defacto “geek squad” for) to Linux, I need a more in depth understanding of how it does things (specifically wireless). Any suggestions for starting at “A” tutorials would be greatly appreciated.
Also, at the start of this project I went to my local supplier and found the only wifi card they had with Linux listed on the box. It did eventually work, but not without hours of fiddling. I checked out several compatibility listings. But it seemed (or maybe I just am reading them wrong?) that there is not a listing of those that “just work” (lots that “kind of work”, or can be made to work).
Bottom line is I don’t mind spending money where I need to, but I dislike spending the money and still having the problems/still not having the info. Any referrals would be appreciated.
That’s a bit like saying: give me a quick, short and comprehensive tutorial for running the country. It’s a large topic with many avenues. So we can’t advise you briefly, as you request.
The wireless geeks here would be much more likely to peek out of their caves if you described the following:
- what machines do you and will you have in the house and currently what network interfaces/cards and operating systems
- how do you currently connect to the internet including makes and models of modems, routers etc
- what wireless facilities operate at the moment
- what would you like to see in the final configuration
That would make an answer a bit easier
with respect, I did not ask for quick or short. Only that extensive prior knowledge is not presupposed (my last job that entitled using unix was before there was wifi).
I can’t help in wireless but if you find an idiots guide to wireless in 10 steps, then please pass me the URL/reference, as I too would like to learn 
(I know thats not what you are looking for - but it would help me. ).
There is some information in the openSUSE HCL (hardware compatibility list):
HCL/Network Adapters (Wireless) - openSUSE
and there are stickies on our forum wireless area:
- Welcome - openSUSE Forums
- My wireless doesn’t work - a primer on what I should do next - openSUSE Forums
- Getting Your Wireless to Work - openSUSE Forums
The above is what I use at present.
… in areas “other” than wireless, I started an openSUSE concepts wiki which has a top level view of things: Concepts - openSUSE (with no wireless information due to my lack of knowledge).
… wrt to graphic card theory, this is a work in progress, and I’ve started collecting and presenting information here: openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users - openSUSE Forums
There are also many more guides/wiki on our forum and in the openSUSE wiki area, and there is a wiki team actively working to try and clean up the openSUSE documentation.
This is mostly all volunteer work, and as such they are looking for people willing to contribute their time to help clean things up more.
I hope you ultimately enjoy your experience with openSUSE linux.
here is my answer to answer your subject line question:
What just works?
- a pure Mac network, with Apple branded bits connecting all wireless
and wired nodes…put together and maintained by your personal Mac
Administrator.
but, you say you don’t wanna get a third job to pay for that? keep
reading:
- a pure Redmond network with “with M$ ready” on every retail box,
spec sheet and the hardware itself…this comes about because the
hardware manufacturers work hand-in-hand with the software maker to
ensure their hardware has the drivers/etc needed to be (pretty much)
“M$ Ready”… best if you hire a full time MS Certified “Engineer” to
make it all hum and keep the bugs (and horses, key loggers, thieves
and etc) out.
but, you say are tired of old, too expensive, locked in, choice-less
M$ Malware Bait Pro Ultimate 2010? keep reading:
http://tinyurl.com/ybklh48
which is my reading list (from a previous post)…it is NOT specific
to wireless, but it aims at your “Any suggestions for starting at ‘A’
tutorials” and will go a long to prove your assertion “Steeper
learning curve than I would have thought”
sigh…it is kinda like that old TV commercial for auto air/oil
filters: Pay me now or pay me later. (grit your teeth and BUY what the
herd buys…OR, climb the learning mountain knowing neither M$ nor
any of the hardware linked-in manufactures really care if it is easy
or not for you to have the freedom of choice…
patience helps, a lot…because to know how to follow any particular
tutorial you have have to know the lingo…(and, no one comes here
knowing something so simple and basic as “in a root terminal type”)
–
palladium
Thanks for the links. I have been going over them and will be for some time