Refracta Development, Scripts, etc.
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nadir

- nadir
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## gui tools to manage network connections

Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:43 pm

I seem to recall we (fsmithred and i) talked about lack of support or other (possible) problems which might occur with wicd(-gtk) in the future.
I ran into connman(-ui), which has only a few dependencies
The bad news: I for one don't get it sorted (i don't get network-manager sorted neither, so it probably is me. In fact the only gui-manager i understand is wicd).
Back then i didn't fully understand (nor have ever heard befor) what fsmithred told me. I just checked at packages.debian, and wicd seems well and alive.
Might well be i am simply confusing things.
Richard

- Richard
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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:03 pm

Note: I don't profess to understand, but...
the Biggest problem seems to be to have the right driver already at hand.
Well, just my experience.
Once I find the driver either wicd or net-manager or ceni seem to sort it out.
fsmithred

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:17 pm

Yes, I read somewhere that wicd was no longer being developed. I checked that again later, and it seems to still be alive. I think maybe one of their websites has been abandoned, and they're just on google now. I'll take a look at conman anyway.
fsmithred

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:54 pm

I can't find any user interface for connman. Starting the daemon connects me to the network, but I don't seem to have any way to control it. Haven't tried it with wireless yet.
nadir

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Sat Dec 07, 2013 9:04 pm

I did it like that (but wouldn't bet on anything)
# connmand #to start the service, servie connman start or etc/init.d/conman start would be the same
$ conman-ui-gtk
(you have to install connman-ui for that, but it is started with -gtk at the end).
Then it opened in the systray (similar to network-manager of gnome, if i understand that correct).
I entered an SSID and a password, and it didn't connect ....
(my point was not to ask how to get that sorted, then i'd have asked in the questions section, i will stick to wicd until the masses move and explain to me .... .
Some dudes in IRC told me about other disadvantages of wicd (but i neither understood nor can repeat, and my main problem there was in fact the driver not compiled in the kernel, similar to what Richard spoke about).
There are online how-to's about connman, one at the ubuntu wiki (they don't really go into detail, though).
It might (!) be an option for the distant future (lean, only a few dependencies, etc). Not something like: Oh, wow, cool, you _must try this. So really just a small hint.
-
Thanks for the info bout wicd (as it's the only gui i understand i was scared a wee bit. As long wicd is there i will probably use it ...).
fsmithred

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:12 pm

I tried it. Had to do it in sid, as there's no connman-ui in wheezy. It works very easily (automatically) for a wired connection. I couldn't get the wireless connection to work - there seems to be a lack of interface for dealing with it (or maybe I don't know how to use it.) In fact, there wasn't much of an interface at all.
Something I read about connman says that it's designed for embedded systems. That make sense. Other stuff I read says that people think wicd is ugly, but I don't see what the problem is - it looks fine to me. The dropdown menu on connman's panel icon was kinda ugly, though.
dzz

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:28 pm

I see little in wicd development for a while. The bottom line for me is, it actually works, in sid and wheezy. So what if it's ugly, you only use it once to configure a new network. The daemon can be turned off if not needed. It's simple to use whether an experienced user or not. Manual network setup is a pain.
The only other tool I know that's not DE-specific and is actually any good is Ceni.
nadir

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## Re: gui tools to manage network connections

Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:45 pm

> fsmithred wrote:I tried it. Had to do it in sid, as there's no connman-ui in wheezy. It works very easily (automatically) for a wired connection. I couldn't get the wireless connection to work - there seems to be a lack of interface for dealing with it (or maybe I don't know how to use it.) In fact, there wasn't much of an interface at all.
> Something I read about connman says that it's designed for embedded systems. That make sense. Other stuff I read says that people think wicd is ugly, but I don't see what the problem is - it looks fine to me. The dropdown menu on connman's panel icon was kinda ugly, though.

Ok, so your experience is similar to mine (i couldn't get wireless connect, the interface was "wrong" -> it didn't list any interfaces due to gui-problems -> "the dropdown menu ... was kinda ugly").
I read the same about connman (embedded systems), but as it was recommended by users of another distro, i thought to check it anyway.

> dzz wrote:I see little in wicd development for a while. The bottom line for me is, it actually works, in sid and wheezy. So what if it's ugly, you only use it once to configure a new network. The daemon can be turned off if not needed. It's simple to use whether an experienced user or not. Manual network setup is a pain.
> The only other tool I know that's not DE-specific and is actually any good is Ceni.

Yes, wicd works for me. The main idea is that i am not that happy to rely on one tool. And, like you say, i liked that connman doesn't seem to be DE-specific -iow: it has only a few deps.
I heard good things about Ceni, but a) i don't think it is in the repos and b) i couldn't handle it.
I don't fully understand what you mean with "you only use it once to configure a network". I think these days it is quite common to regulary change the network (one still will have to set up each one only once, but switching between different wireless networks should be easy/comfortable too, and that happens all the time).
Anyway, from what both of you say it doesn't sound as if connman right now would be a good replacement. I will probably stick to wicd, perhaps try to get the head into ceni.
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