[pkg-wpa-devel] Another note on wpa_gui and the new configuration scheme

[Reinhard Tartler]

On Sat, Apr 15, 2006 at 01:28:27PM +0200, Felix Homann wrote:
> > > Within the new configuration scheme you have to ifup the interface in
> > > order to be able to use wpa_gui at all. That feels very strange to me!
> >
> > I don't feel this strange. wpa_gui is a gui for talking to an running
> > instance of wpasupplicant. It is in some ways a graphical equivalent to
> > wpa_cli.
> 
> No, it is not only a graphical equivalent it's a frontend providing a user 
> friendly way to control a running instance of wpa_supplicant.

What does wpa_cli do in your opinion differently to wpa_gui? (besides
relying on nothing than a running wpasupplicant instance and a terminal)

Btw, I don't find it very user friendly, but that's perhaps a matter of
taste.

> > Note that it doesn't handle any handling with the configuration file
> > itself. It just uses the wpasupplicant control interface to tell
> > wpasupplicant to save the current configuration.
> 
> I don't care how it handles the configuration file. You can't deny that it 
> handles the configuration file, can you?

It doesn't have any (configuration) file handling at all! It just
controls a running wpasupplicant instance. Everything which can be done
with wpa_gui you can do with wpa_cli as well. wpasupplicant does the
handling of the configuration file.

> > When looking at the source code, I think it is meant as another example
> > how depending applications like network manager can talk to
> > wpasupplicant, and edit/update the configuration file.
> 
> Don't look at the source code, look at what it actually provides. Does network 
> manager provide wpa_gui's functionality?

It does even more.
 
> BTW, looking through the source code I can't find anything indicating that it 
> is meant as an example only.

It doesn't do anything else than submitting commands through he
wpa_supplicant control interface.

> > You don't expect wpa_cli to do anything useful without
> > a running wpasupplicant instance as well.
> 
> Sure. But there are lots of useful things I can do without ifupping the 
> interface first.

You mean like scanning, registering network credential to the supplicant
and such?

Gruesse,
	Reinhard