In our last episode,

I told everyone I was shutting down the Wacky Linux project due to lack

of budget. I couldn’t afford the hardware purchases that were necessary to

get my old Compaq Armada M300 laptop wireless ready.

In an example of true open source collectivism, TR member Palmetto stepped up: “I’ve got a spare Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g PCMCIA adapter. It works

successfully in my M300 under XP. If Ubuntu has drivers for it, or if

you can get them, drop me a private message and I’ll send it to you.”

Just this afternoon, I took possession of the Wacky Linux Wireless Card – Sponsored by Palmetto

(as it shall henceforth be known). In exchange for his generosity, CNET

picked up Palmetto’s shipping costs and sent him a hefty batch of

rarified TR swag (though he refused a legendary TR Smug Mug).

Now, I’ve just got to get the darn thing to work. Based on previous discussions of Linux wireless adapters, it’s entirely possible that my Ubuntu

5.1 OS has native drivers for my device. To test the theory, I inserted

the card in my laptop’s PCMCIA slot and booted the machine.

Two things happened:

  • The machine booted safely, including the green status light on the wireless card (I know its getting power, at least)
  • For the first time ever, Ubuntu was able to get an accurate power

    level reading from the laptop’s battery. Previously, it always indicated

    the battery was 100% charged, but could never run on battery power.

    When I booted this time with the card in place, it showed a 14% charge,

    and has been charging steadily for the last half hour. (That said,

    pulling the power cord still drops the machine.)

First things first, though: What are my first steps for getting Ubuntu to the Wacky Linux Wireless Card – Sponsored by Palmetto?

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Keep up with the Trivia Geek’s ongoing Wacky Linux Adventures with the wackylinux tag. If it doesn’t say wackylinux, it’s not really a wacky Linux adventure.