[Ref]

Still no resolution to either of the bugs I have open regarding Amanda's laptop. This, coupled with the facts that (a) I found a CardBus slot on the side of the machine and (b) We're changing our ISP and getting a NetGear 108Mbps WiFi router in the process led me to purchase a pair of NetGear WG511T CardBus dongles. These are supported by the MadWiFi openSUSE packages and in conjunction with the new router will give us the full 108Mbps. They arrived today.

I plugged the first one into my notebook (I'd already installed the appropriate packages) and it was detected and showed up in nm-applet's menu - I can choose to connect using either it or the in-built adaptor.

Next, I plugged it into Amanda's machine. Or at least I tried. This is the point at which I ran into problems because (and obviously this is an issue with the machine, not with openSUSE or Linux before anyone flames me thinking I don't know this) it turns out the slot is not an extremely useful CardBus slot but a next-to-useless ExpressCard/54 slot.

So, I'm back to thinking about working USB adaptors. Some Googling around suggests that the 3Com 3CRUSB10075 ought to work out-of-the-box but I'm now feeling reluctant and aware that I'm building a collection of functioning (so I can't return them) wireless adaptors that make slightly geeky paperweights. Has anyone reading this on one of the Planets had experience of this particular dongle with Linux (preferably openSUSE)? Get in touch...

Man, I should work for a tabloid with headlines like that

"America's Mayor", Rudy Giuliani had pinned his hopes of gaining the Republican nomination on the Florida primary. He'd forgone the prior - smaller - caucuses and primaries to focus on the big states, of which Florida went to the polls first yesterday.

Had it worked, he would have gone down as a genius of election strategy - irrespective of how he had fared against whomever becomes the Democrat nominee.

It didn't work. Yesterday, Giuliani came a distant third in Florida behind Senator McCain and former Governor Romney. After this, it's hard to see him continuing in the race and the obvious candidate for him to endorse is McCain.

Mike Huckabee finished fourth in Florida and remains defiantly in the race although, like Giuliani, it's hard to see him coming out on top now, although everything could change on Super Tuesday of course. It's hard to discern who Huckabee would endorse were he to withdraw. As a southern Baptist, he'll be distrustful of the Mormon Romney and the generally moderate McCain.

Senator Clinton won the merely symbolic Democrat primary - no delegates from Florida will be permitted to vote at the Democratic convention.

More analysis of McCain's win in Florida and the Super Tuesday implications.

Stephen: Here's a 1-click icon for ya!