Chapter 18: Tux Untethered

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Overview

Going Wireless with Linux

When notebook computers first came out, the greatest thing about them was that they freed people from their desks. People could do whatever they needed or wanted to do on their computer, wherever they wanted. As a cross-legged-on-the-floor kind of guy, a laptop was really great for me, as I could plop it down on the floor in front of the TV, and then sit there writing and gaming while playing my copy of Wall Street for the umpteenth time on the VCR. Yes, everything was great, but then came the Internet. Laptops suddenly became tethered to telephone lines and Ethernet cables.

Fortunately, laptops have been unleashed again as the computer world goes wireless. With the right wireless hardware, you can now use your computer just about anywhere you can catch a wave, so to speak. Whether you happen to be at your

breakfast table, on your backyard deck, in the library of your university, or at your local Starbucks, you can now go online without having to physically hook your computer up to anything.

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