How to connect to wireless networks in Kubuntu

The easiest way is to use the built-in Wireless Assistant. It's simple and works well, but it's annoying to use because you have to enter your password every time and it won't sit in your menu bar.

The better way is KNetworkManager.

The bad news is it doesn't come pre-installed on the current version of Kubuntu (Edgy Eft) and it won't work with a simple apt-get. The good news is it will be in the next version of Kubuntu (Feisty Fawn), and the beta is already out. If, like me, you're not quite ready to run a beta OS, there's an easy way to get it working in Edgy.

Someone on Digg claimed that networking in Linux is now better than networking in Windows. Well, not quite yet. First of all, I've heard Vista has great wireless networking ability (although I haven't seen it for myself). Second, this superior wireless support for Linux is beta software running on a beta OS. That's way too bleeding edge for most people, even Linux users.

Even so, is this a victory for open source? Well, kind of. KNetworkManager was written by Novell, which is a major corporation. Novell has done some really neat open-source stuff, including Compiz (which is the foundation for the cool spinning cube thingy). But it's still a for-profit corporation that bases most of its business on the good old fashioned "money in exchange for products/services" business model.

Still, it's another step toward Linux being a mature OS that is stable, easy to use, and can stand toe-to-toe with the big boys.