Comment 1 for bug 453260

Revision history for this message
Störm Poorun (subs-olan) wrote :

I appreciate the difficulties with 64bit WEP ASCII keys.

However, networkmanager itself (as well as Windows systems and MacOS, and Gnome using networkmanager) all permit the user to attempt to connect.

WEP ASCII keys are very common, including in public wifi networks.

Most users either a) cannot obtain the hex equivalents (e.g. in a public networks), b) do not know why their connections have failed, c) do not have the knowledge or information, or internet access, to find out why.

Having no capability to enter and attempt connection using WEP ASCII keys is therefore a major regression in the implementation of networkmanager.

I submit that it is preferable to permit a user to attempt connection
using the algorithms that were formerly permitted, albeit with a warning
message that WEP ASCII usage is deprecated and may not work. Even if it doesn't work with
half the connections it is not rational to deny any attempt at connections via this
method.

In any event, I would suggest that when a user attempts to enter a 64bit WEP
key, rand it can't connect, rather than just having their connection refused, a message should display
explaining why their connection isn't working, and what they may do to about
(get a HEX key, or use WPA for example).

This would at least prevent some users worrying what was going wrong with their
computer, and attempting all kinds of fixes (aggravated further since they may
have no internet connection to research the problem, and if their WEP key and
connection used to work fine with Gnome, KDE ,or Windows).