Comment Re:what's wrong with ifconfig? (Score 1) 164
On Linux? To connect to WPA2 networks (including WPA2+802.1X). That's an everyday scenario for a pretty much every laptop user.
Sure, you can also do it via cli (with more tools than just those you mentioned), but, do you remember all the steps? Can you teach them to your mum? Can you automate it?
Mandriva/Mageia have net_applet, which is capable of browsing WiFi networks, configuring wpa_supplicant correctly (including access-point roaming), to the point where the normal 'network service' could (depending on your configuration choices) connect to WiFi during boot (before a user is logged in), and be useable for average users.
This was first a useable solution in about 2005, and only stopped working perfectly with the migration to systemd (it still works better than NetworkManager in some respects, but automatic AP roaming after resume seems to not be reliable, didn't have time to track it down