Re: [NTLK] Bridging the Great WiFi Driver Divide

On 3/26/2007 10:58 AM, Zwerling wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> It seems that we now have a great divide within the Newton community
> between those that have a licensed wifi driver (Hiroshi's) and those
> who don't (also Hiroshi's, which appears to be the only one ever
> written). Those fortunate enough to have acquired their Newtons
> before Hiroshi ended registration have become an upper class compared
> to those of us who came along later.
*snip*
> I don't want to start the old thread up again, folks. I am just
> looking for an update, if one exists, and a peak forward, should a
> wifi future be possible for those of us left in wireless oblivion.
> Like many, I can't leave my wireless network unprotected since my
> signal can be picked up easily by others. I need to have a wifi
> solution for my Newton that includes security, and I'd like to
> occasionaly connect to hot spots when possible.
>
Well I don't know if I would call people who have or don't have the
driver one class or the other. I think that is stretching it a bit.
One thing you should keep in mind is getting wifi working is one of the
most difficult battles a Newton user will probably face at this point.
Only certain cards will work with the driver (not too hard to find, but
not new off the shelf either), also many wifi routers (especially newer
ones) won't work well with the cards that will work in a Newton. Then
on top of that most wifi security now is using WPA instead of the older
WEP method which can be cracked/hacked. And while heroshi's driver does
support WEP one many have trouble getting it to work with their
cards/routers. The only way I could get it working is if I had my wifi
router security off, which I am not about to run all the time. And it
is just not worth the hassle of turning it off, doing what I want then
back on. Meanwhile anyone could be on my network etc. It just is not
worth it.

There are a few hotspots that don't encrypt anything but they are very
few and far between. Something else to keep in mind, even if you "can"
use a hotspot I doubt you will continue past a few times (once the "new"
factor wears off). Why? Because the Newton is not exactly the best
browsing machine for websites anymore. Sure you can do it if you use
some pda portals but it is certainly not fast and I would bet that you
will need to "see" more. What about email? Sure it works well but it
depends on how much spam you get. I get so much that without filters in
place I would easily get overwhelmed. I have tried using my Newton for
email and while it is possible, SPAM makes it impractical. I suppose if
you had a email provider that filtered all your email for you that would
help greatly. However then you get to the issue of false positives that
you never see. And I prefer having a junk folder I can quickly look
though, that won't be deleted until I do it.

So while this is certainly possible, for most people it is not practical
given all of these issues. Yes I have done web browsing and email
though my Newton. Even instant messaging, IRC and Newsgroups. But
given the issues with Wifi, it is often easier just to do it via a
modem. If newer updated drivers could be written then yes it might be
better but again you would run into the problems I outlined before
regarding spam and web browsing. I just don't see someone not having
access to the driver as a "second class" Newton user.

Oh one other point that should be mentioned. Since the Newton cannot due
SSH and more and more websites are requiring it to log in. Your access
gets smaller and smaller each day. Even many POP and IMAP email
accounts are requiring security which the Newton can't currently do. So
even if you find a hotspot that does not use encryption and works with
your driver/card set up you may not be able to get your mail or go to
the websites you want if SSH is required.

Don't get me wrong a Newton is a great device and the best around for
most everything. But it is not the best in the world when it comes to
current online use. And perhaps someday we will get the updates that
will improve this. Also to be honest, most PDA's are not the best when
it comes to web surfing or email (small screen, bad data entry, etc).
When it comes down to it I suspect that most mobile users just use a laptop.

As for your particular questions. Perhaps others know more but from
what I have read:

> Is Hiroshi locatable?

Apparently not. At least no one has been able to get in touch with him.
>
> Is or will his driver be available to recent Newton converts?
Again apparently not.

> Is anyone with the skills (not me, alas) considering developing a
> driver?
That I don't know. I suppose there are a few people that might. But
weather they have the time to do so is another issue entirely.

>
> Are there any alternatives now to Hiroshi's driver to enable a Newton
> to connect to wifi networks?
None that I know of.

-Dan

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