WICD network manager

[vector]

I would like people to test a relatively new network app for me. I would like to see if it is any better than our current solutions especially for wireless hook up. I have made the latest package 1.5.3 and it's in the testing 5.9 repo. Installation is pretty simple just install via gslapt, slaptget or your preferred method. Then we need to temporarily disable our old network setup by renaming all the rc.inet1 rc.inet2 rc.inet3 etc to rc.inet*.old or something in the /etc/rc.d folder just so the startup scripts no longer see them. Next add this line to your /etc/rc.d/rc.local file
"/etc/rc.d/rc.wicd start" without the quotes. You also need to update your system to python-2.5.2 if you have not done so already. You should get a tray icon on reboot that you can configure your wired/wireless network from if you are using xfce4 or kde. If you are using a non tray style window manager you should be able to call wicd-client from a terminal to do the same. It defaults to using dhcp for wired connections and of course you will need to configure the wireless part. Let me know how it goes and if your impressed unimpressed and should we consider this for future releases?  The wicd website is here for more information wicd.net
Thanks for helping with this!!!
Cheers,
Vec

[bigpaws]

I use WICD on my laptops and find it to be one of the
better solutions, at least for me.

Bigpaws

[wcs]

Required the dbus-python package to work.

Only tried for a wired setup.
Autodetected everything and works fine.

Disconnected and connected the cable and it gave me a nice indication on the tray (although while disconnected the message was "connected at -1%" ).
Beats going to Vasm and doing a netconf.
I suppose it would be pretty neat for wireless networks, but I'll have to try that on another computer.

Thanks!

[vector]

wcs if you have something with wireless please give this a go as this is our main concern.

Thanks.
Vec

[M0E-lnx]

I've been using wicd for my wireless for a while.
I find it begger than anything else out there (desktop-independent that is), Honestly, think we should include it in the ISO's

[wcs]

I managed to try it on a laptop with a pcmcia wireless card.

Booting with the card in was interfering with a wired connection.
I tried a vasm > netconf a couple of times, but no wired network as long as the wireless card was in.
Needed to reboot and take the pcmcia card out to get the wired.

Wicd handled this very well, connecting automatically to the wired one, but displaying the available wireless networks at the same time.
And with quite a lot of information (essid, bssid, encryption method, signal quality).

It seemed to be a very straightforward process to connnect (just write the WEP key), but I couldn't actually try it, as none of those networks were mine. 
The scanning part went fine, though.
Looks like it is a great little tool.

[stretchedthin]

I just tried it on my laptop with Vector Light 5.9.  I used this same laptop with Zenwalk and some time ago and I remember the WICD network manager from that distro. 

I liked it then and I found the experience even better in Vector.  My laptop uses a zd1211rw driver which Zenwalk does not include by default.  Vector of course has it right out of the box.

The only draw back with light is starting it with the wcid-client, but that easily resolved.

I would also recommend it's use to future releases.

[wcs]

I remember trying to connect to some wireless network with VL SOHO 5.0 a couple of years ago and it was quite frustrating.
It's great to see these cool tools developing.

[hata_ph]

I try to package WICD for VL but it seem the normal SlackBuild script cannot install it....

Finally, do the actual installation.  This step will need to be done as
root or with sudo in most cases:
  python setup.py install
If you are packaging Wicd, you will almost surely want to use the "--root"
option; for example:
  python setup.py install --root=/package-dir

To uninstall, you can use (using root or sudo):
  python setup.py uninstall

maybe someone with more experience can package it...

[M0E-lnx]

vpackager can build things like this

[hata_ph]

I try to build it but encounter error...

[M0E-lnx]

That may be a bug... try building it without a description, and then edit the package to insert description

_EDIT_

Actually by looking at the scrennie, looks like wicd requires some extra steps...

try this in the source dir
python setup.py configure
mkdir -p PKG/usr
python setup.py install --prefix=$PWD/PKG/usr
then cd into PKG and create the package

This is one of those odd things vpackager is not prepared for.

[hata_ph]

I think you are right but I still cannot package it using vpackager...
Instead I install it using python setup.py install from the official guide to install it on my VL-5.9 Light. It say missing dbus...

[M0E-lnx]

install/upgrade your dbus-python using gslapt.

I know from experience, doing a manual isntall on this thing has broken my HAL a couple of times.

It runs into a grid of problems between dbus, hal and it's own daemon.
but once you get it running, it's a great tool

[vector]

you need to install dbus-python

vec