ndiswrapper

On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 16:24:13 -0600, Lee Harris <ldharris@...> said:

  Lee> I have been an avid Linux user and developer for many years.  I really
  Lee> have no other way to put it other than bluntly, but it seems absolutely
  Lee> lazy that you wouldn't include the installation instructions in your

Your allegations are totally uncalled for. The right thing you could've done
was to submit a patch, instead of ranting. As for laziness, see CVS commit log
to see how much work goes on a daily basis.

  Lee> Is it possible that you remedy this in your next package releases?

I have added instructions a few days ago. If you downloaded snapshot recently,
you would've noticed it.

-- 
Giri

You forget that ndiswrapper isn't in charge of making drivers for wireless 
adapters, rather it is trying to get adapters working in linux while the 
manufacturers of these adapters were too lazy to make dedicated linux 
drivers. You should go against the adapter manufacturers.

Am Samstag, 26. November 2005 23.24 schrieb Lee Harris:
> NDISWRAPPER TEAM,
>
> I have been an avid Linux user and developer for many years.  I really have
> no other way to put it other than bluntly, but it seems absolutely lazy
> that you wouldn't include the installation instructions in your README file
> found in the NDISWRAPPER package.  Having a README file that says to see
> our website for installation instructions regarding a WIRELESS NETWORK CARD
> ADAPTER seems as if were a joke in itself.  Would something like that be
> "kosher" in Windows?  Would an end-user go and buy a Wireless NIC and a
> driver CD only to find that the CD says "SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR INSTALLATION
> INSTRUCTIONS."   I was left without Internet connectivity because I had no
> other way to access the net, although I had your ndiswrapper package and
> the necessary driver from Linksys (burned to a CD).
>
> I realize maintaining readme's and package distrubution methods are
> difficult and time consuming, but telling your end-users to get on the Web
> for installation instructions is very counterproductive - especially if the
> driver is specifically FOR connecting to the internet.
>
> Is it possible that you remedy this in your next package releases?
>
>
> Best Regards,
> LD HARRIS

On Nov 26, 23:26, Lee Harris wrote:
>[..] Would an end-user go and buy a Wireless NIC and a
>driver CD only to find that the CD says "SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR INSTALLATION
>INSTRUCTIONS."

"buy". Try that again: "buy". Nice word, isn't it? If you buy, 
you may demand.  At least in theory.

ndiswrapper isn't about competing with other companies and vendors,
it isn't about taking on anyone. It's about getting some card you're
owning to *work*. 

Nobody is selling anything. ndiswrapper is free. Gratis. How good ndiswrapper 
is, is all up to *you*. If you see something you want to change or improve, 
fix it. If it's beyond your abilities, you could maybe suggest something just 
in case anyone else gets interested, but what you cannot do is just ramble.  

However, as in this case it's about documentation, and you're keen about it, 
you *can* do something about it. I myself am completely fine with just the wiki, 
so I wouldn't volunteer.   The fact that you *can* do something about what
you think is missing should be encouraging, as that's certainly not something
you can do about stuff you buy from vendors.

For what it's worth, I'm a ndiswrapper _user_ and I'm very happy with the
fact that giri, who does almost all the work (the rest of us are mostly
fiddling with small bits of the wiki) concentrates on the technical low-down
stuff: My wireless card is now working!

You can provide patches and updates. Jump in, the water is fine!

-Tor

Le Sat, Nov 26, 2005 at 04:24:13PM -0600, Lee Harris [ldharris@...]=
 a =E9crit:
> NDISWRAPPER TEAM,
>=20
> I have been an avid Linux user and developer for many years.  I really
> have no other way to put it other than bluntly, but it seems
> absolutely lazy that you wouldn't include the installation
> instructions in your README file found in the NDISWRAPPER package.
> Having a README file that says to see our website for installation
> instructions regarding a WIRELESS NETWORK CARD ADAPTER seems as if
> were a joke in itself.  Would something like that be "kosher" in
> Windows?  Would an end-user go and buy a Wireless NIC and a driver CD
> only to find that the CD says "SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR INSTALLATION
> INSTRUCTIONS."

Why don't you ask your manufacturer that you want a driver for Linux
from him ?

> I was left without Internet connectivity because I had no other way to
> access the net, although I had your ndiswrapper package and the
> necessary driver from Linksys (burned to a CD).

So, you had, once, internet access to download and burn this CD didn't
you ?
You also probably found the same way that your card needed ndiswrapper
to run on Linux.
So, you could as well have read ndiswrapper's website about how to
install it, no ?

> I realize maintaining readme's and package distrubution methods are
> difficult and time consuming, but telling your end-users to get on the
> Web for installation instructions is very counterproductive -
> especially if the driver is specifically FOR connecting to the
> internet.

As far as I know, wireless ethernet is a mean to use wirelessely a
network.  Using this network to access the internet is one of the
possible uses, not the only one.

> Is it possible that you remedy this in your next package releases?

I think the developers would certainly integrate your contributions on
this point.



Dominique