Wicd is an open source wired and wireless network manager for Linux which aims to provide a simple interface to connect to networks with a wide variety of settings.
Wicd’s features include
1. No Gnome dependencies (although it does require GTK), so it is easy to use in XFCE, Fluxbox, Openbox, Enlightenment, etc.
2. Ability to connect to wired (Ethernet only, no PPPoE/DSL support yet) and wireless networks
3. Profiles for each wireless network and wired network
4. Many encryption schemes, some of which include WEP/WPA/WPA2 (and you can add your own)
5. Remains compatible with wireless-tools
6. Tray icon showing network activity and signal strength
7. A full-featured console interface
Install wicd in Debian Lenny
First you need to edit /etc/apt/sources.list file.Open the terminal and run the following commands
#vi /etc/apt/sources.list
Add the following line
deb http://www.backports.org/debian lenny-backports main contrib non-free
Save and exit the file
Update the source list
#apt-get update
Install wicd using the following command
#apt-get -t lenny-backports install wicd
Troubleshooting Tip
If Wicd fails to connect after you install it, make sure that the only entry in your /etc/network/interfaces file is
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
You can change the contents of this file by pressing alt + f2, then typing
gksudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces
if you are using Gnome, or replace gedit with kate if you are using KDE. This will allow you to view and edit the /etc/network/interfaces.You can ignore lines that start with.
Starting Wicd
If you are using a desktop environment without a notification area, you can run the Wicd GUI by running
wicd-client -n
If you are using a desktop environment with a notification area, you can start the tray icon by running
wicd-client
If you are using a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE, you can start the Wicd GUI by opening the Application menu.
This is really good compare to default network manager
wicd deamon will also run in a curses environment and connect to a preferred router automatically without wicd-curses and without using the tray app or a gtk app. This requires that the connection be saved as preferred in a graphic environment or with wicd-curses. But, it is convenient in that case.
If you’re running kde, you should use
kdesu kate