Application: The Wicd network Manager
Version: 1.7.0+ds1-4
Platform: Debian Squeeze (testing)
Wicd stands for Wireless Interface Connection Daemon. It is an alternative to the popular Network Manager. It is designed to allow the user to control network interfaces from an easy to use panel applet. It is written my favorite language, Python. This allows it to have no Gnome dependencies thus it can be used in any compliant desktop such as Gnome, KDE, or Xfce.
It has a daemon as a back-end, and that allows different front-ends to be written, such as ones for GTK+ and QT. The daemon would then use dbus to communicate with the front end to give the user a graphical display for network management. Wicd has had use on the EEE Pc.
I personally use Wicd in place of Network-Manager-Gnome on my Desktop and Laptop and XFCE legacy desktop. It is fast to start and runs in the background, never bothering you. Clicking the panel applet gives you an interface like this:
It will list all wired and wireless networks, though by default you may have to inform Wicd (under the preferences section) what device your wireless uses. In my case (probably in nearly every case) wlan0
. To connect to a network simply click Connect
. It will automatically manage the connection for you. It even supports wireless encryption.
Unlike network manager, it will not automatically connect you to a network once you choose it. It will wait for you to check the appropriate box. I prefer this behavior better. Other differences from Network Manager include the fact it provides a list of connections and not a drop down menu, it will not connect to a network without user intervention, a full featured console interface. It also has a few missing features. This includes connecting to multiple interfaces, and PPP, VPN, and Mobile Broadband. These are planned for Wicd v2.
Overall I like it. It is indifferent to what desktop you are on, fast, stable, and a light download for thin client or portable device needs. It is less of a presence than Network Manager, and you may never even need to interact with it. Connection quality is the same, and it has the advantage of using built in tools to manage your network. Wicd is available in Debian unstable/testing, but also available in Lenny backports for the current stable.
Thanks for reading! To find out more go to the Wicd homepage.
Also check out the Debian packages For Wicd.
