TPL wireless & linux

[E K]

--- On Mon, 12/7/09, Giles Orr <gilesorr-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:

> From: Giles Orr <gilesorr-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>
> Subject: Re: [TLUG]: TPL wireless & linux
> To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
> Received: Monday, December 7, 2009, 2:52 PM
> 2009/12/7 Matt Price <matt.price-H217xnMUJC0sA/PxXw9srA at public.gmane.org>:
> > Have other people noticed that the Toronto Public
> Library wireless
> > doesn't work for them?  For me, the connection went
> fine, and I was
> > assigned at 10.1 IP address; but use of the network
> requires you to
> > check a box on a web page & then do a handshake
> which registers your MAC
> > address with their routers.  the web page won't load
> on my ubuntu
> > machine; I had to call tech support (1-888-855-3555,
> if you're ever in
> > this situation), and they just executed the handshake
> manually, because
> > apparently 'there's a software problem and linux isn't
> supported.'
> >
> > After that my internet worked, and I found the
> following post somewhere
> > else:
> >
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> > If spyders.local is a local network address, it might
> be a problem (or
> > lack) of proper name lookup. Try enabling WINS name
> lookup as additional
> > to standard DNS.
> >
> > In Ubuntu/Debian you would do this by installing the
> winbind packages,
> > together with samba I think. Once winbind is up and
> running, add "wins"
> > to the end of the "hosts:" line in /etc/nsswitch.conf.
> Like this:
> > ***** /etc/nsswitch.conf ******
> > ....
> > hosts files dns wins
> > ....
> > *******************************
> > You might need to restart your network or reboot, but
> IIRC it usually
> > works right away.
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------
> > I'm posting this here:
> > 1 - to ask if this solution works for other people (I
> can't test it now
> > -- my laptop's already registered here)
> > 2 - to ask what this even *means* -- Why the heck
> wouldn't they just use
> > DNS here?
> > 3 - to make that 888 number available, if you don't
> want to have to mess
> > about with your system to access a public service to
> which you're
> > entitled and from which you absolutely shouldn't be
> excluded.
> 
> As far as I can tell Spyders made some fairly significant
> change very
> recently.  (I'm working on a Debian-testing
> netbook.)  I first noticed
> it at Guildwood library on Saturday, where I saw that
> they're now
> using a self-signed cert.  That's going to lead to
> tears: Firefox
> whines about it so much that it's going to freak out the
> 30-50% of
> their users who use FF.  I think I got on the internet
> fine after
> that, but today at North York Central I got the same
> complaining about
> a cert (I thought I had added it permanently?) and I
> couldn't get
> connected.  I didn't investigate further.  Being
> a TPL (but not a
> Spyders) employee, I'm going to watch this with some
> interest.  I
> entirely agree: if Winbind is required, that's a huge
> problem.  How
> would a Mac handle that?
> 
> -- 
> Giles
> http://www.gilesorr.com/
> gilesorr-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
> --

I have been using TPL wireless with Ubuntu 6.06 without problem. I use both firefox and w3m to sign up with Spyder and everything works fine. The page loads and the handshake goes well.

HTH
EK



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