[Sugar-devel] Frame icon for controlling 'wired' connection capability

[Eben Eliason]

On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 3:30 PM, Mikus Grinbergs <mikus at bga.com> wrote:
> Been thinking about how to re-establish a wired ethernet connection that had
> been "broken" (for whatever reason).  [See Ticket #7785, and two posts to
> devel at laptop.org with "#7785" in the Subject.]
>
> All I have to go by is Joyride (I normally install each build as it is
> released).  I've seen the 'Wired' icon in Frame -- but the way I remember
> it, that icon only showed up once the wired ethernet connection was active.
>  [The current Joyride 2613 only shows me two unlabeled gray circles in the
> bottom edge of Frame, neither of which can be used for anything. Do you
> suppose they are meant to represent 'wired connection resource' and 'mesh
> connection resource' ???]
>
>
> What I am writing to you about is to request that the 'Wired' icon in Frame
> be shown __all the time__ when a "wired adapter" is being detected by the
> hardware.  [Judging by the LEDs on the ethernet adapter I have plugged into
> my XO, that adapter is "powered" (i.e., "detected") only when there is a
> "live cable" plugged into it.]
>
> I believe that if the system is not (for whatever reason) automatically
> using the physical wired connection, the user *needs* a means to indicate
> "wired is what I want you to try now".  When an appropriate icon is present
> in the Frame, it is simpler to click there (and see what happens) than to
> physically re-plug the adapter (and see what happens).  That means the icon
> needs to be there already, irrespective of "network use".

The specification for the wired device is that it appears anytime a
physical ethernet connection exists.  I realize after reading your
email that my advice to Simon (who implemented it), may have been
ambiguous in this regard, assuming a wired network connection and not
a physical connection.  I'm not sure how it's presently implemented,
but I concur that the device should be present anytime the physical
cable is connected.

Simon, do you have input to help clarify the current status?

- Eben

> [Ticket #7785 was on 8.2.x, which does not have a 'wired' icon in Frame.
>  The system had uselessly set up an 196.254.x.x address for the XO's
> ethernet interface, whereas the ethernet itself provided only a 192.168.1.0
> network.  I had to massively intervene to get the XO to pay attention to
> that wired network's DHCP server.]
>
> Thanks,  mikus
>