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Author: Didier Kryn
Date:  
To: dng@lists.dyne.org
Subject: Re: [DNG] wpa_supplicant/ifup integration documentation
Sorry, this thread became private my my mis-clicking on Icedove.

Le 30/08/2015 22:37, Isaac Dunham a écrit :
> On Sun, Aug 30, 2015 at 12:58:59PM +0200, Didier Kryn wrote:
>> Le 28/08/2015 04:28, Isaac Dunham a ??crit :
>>> On Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 10:29:31AM +0200, Didier Kryn wrote:
>>>> what is missing is only a
>>>> tinier version of wpa_gui, and maybe first a curses version.
>>> wpa_config is supposed to be that curses version, though I'm sure it's
>>> a long way off.
>>      As far as I understand, wpa_config is part of wpanet, which was
>> developped for use with Busybox. But it is has not been merged into Busybox.
>> Where can it be found?
> github.com/idunham/wpanet

>
> It's a set of scripts, so it wouldn't be suitable for incorporating *in*
> Busybox.
>
> Other than busybox and wpa_supplicant, it requires "dialog" (which
> uses ncurses).
>
>>> I could make something similar to wpa_config but using wpa_cli more
>>> rather than writing a config file; *however*, this would be harder to
>>> edit and would lose comments if you make the changes permanent.
>>      wpa_gui works by interaction with wpa_supplicant, through the control
>> socket, I guess, and the changes can be made permanent.
>> Actually I am perfectly happy with wpa_gui; it is just perfect; I don't need
>> anything else on my laptop. But some people consider that Qt is too big, and
>> I agree that a lighter version with the same functionality is always a
>> progress. Also a version working without X windows, but still GUI-like (ie
>> ncurses), could be usefull.
> wpa_gui works through the control socket, as does wpa_cli.

>
>
> If you "make the changes permanent", you send a command over the control
> socket that writes out the in-memory config.
> Comments are not part of that in-memory config, so you will lose them.
>
> dialog is an ncurses-based tool for the "GUI-like" interface you mentioned.
>


     So the only thing which this UI would miss is that it couldn't put 
comments in the config file. I agree that most ESSIDs have no meaning 
and therefore motivate a description. This is a minor problem which no 
UI currently addresses. I don't think a comment is the proper method to 
do that. Comments are meant for humans who read the file, not for use by 
applications. What is missing is a formal field which could be called 
'description' and should be managed by wpa_supplicant.


     To summarize, I see three possibilities


     1) hack wpa_supplicant.conf from the UI to put a specially 
formatted comment. Very bad for the reason explained above and because 
it needs root permission and incurs race conditions with wpa_supplicant 
itself.
     2) put the load on the user: let him choose or ask for sensible ESSIDs.
     3) patch wpa_supplicant so that it accepts and stores a description 
phrase for every ESSID.


     Things could be staged: 2, then 3. And 3 might be just a request to 
the author of wpa_supplicant. What do you think?


     Didier