A busy manager, sitting in the airport, checking email on his wireless Linux laptop while waiting for his next flight to Cleveland. The teenage girl instant messaging her friends on her wireless Linux laptop while curled up in front of the TV. How about the friendly Linux writer doing a little research on the web, for a new Linux story, from the comfort of a nice lawn chair out in his back yard?

All are glowing images of fantastic productivity and a future of unbridled freedom to work wherever and whenever you want while staying connected. Finally, a way out of Dilbert's world.

As a necessarily thrifty professional Linux writer my opportunity to try out wireless came last Christmas season when my local computer retailer had a year-end sale. I set out to learn how 802.11 technology worked with a Linux laptop, a wireless card, some ideas about antennas, and a curiosity to see what all the hubbub was about.

My overriding question was "Does wireless really help you become more productive?" Good question. To begin to find the answer, I had to get the wireless card working on my Linux laptop, which is the focus of this article. Subsequent articles take the reader through my whole wireless adventure and allow you to judge how "productive" wireless can be. Here are some hints. Wireless is still a bit of a novelty. And, people are gaining experience but the infrastructure has a ways to go. Oddly, people in public seem suspicious and at the same time, curious of wireless. Also, the logistics of using wireless is a complicated topic that nobody seems to be addressing. . This series of articles will discuss these subjects and give you insight into where the wireless Linux laptop industry is, right now.

I promise I won't do any more marketing spin, either.

Next: Wireless Linux Laptop Requirements »