On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:50:27 -0400 Bill Sconce <sco...@in-spec-inc.com> wrote:
> a whole stream of replies -- and most significantly, > an answer to the last question. (I.e., "don't give up".) I'm glad I (we) didn't. Victory! > Thanks to everyone who responded. I'll do some more reading > and choose a new approach. The library shall have its laptops > "FREE OF MICROSOFT" after all! > > More later... I was back at the library today, armed with the information from this thread. I explained to the librarian the copyright issues regarding firmware (and what firmware is), how the Linux community works, how it's very seldom that any one of us is the first to encounter a problem, and how conversely the solution to "your" problem is often just an e-mail away. I took in some CAT5 cables and a small hub, connected the first laptop via cable, and was able to download and use fwcutter (as recommended here and at the URLs suggested here). I restarted NetworkManager, and Presto. Wireless! There was their (unsecured) wifi in the popdown list. Just like on Windows. We look like heros. Heck, we ARE heros... They'll use the first laptop for a week or two, see how patrons like it or what problems they find, then we'll do the other laptop. So far, so good. (Thanks to this list! The Broadcom picture has become less disgusting than I remembered it, but I would have thrown in the towel rather than pursue the answer without the tips, and encouragement, from GNHLUG.) -Bill P.S. There was a yucky part, of course: for the first time ever I had to install the unspeakable Flash plugin on a Linux system... _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
