Ad-hoc networks vs link-local (Score 3, Insightful)

It seems like there are two different issues in play here. The RFC referenced in the article talks about link-local addressing, which is simply a way to assign an address in the 169.254/16 subnet if no DHCP server is found. It is not wireless-specific at all.

What we have here is that, in addition to doing this, Windows is also offering to set up an ad-hoc (i.e. computer-to-computer) network on the link-local subnet with the same SSID as that of the last network the laptop connected to. I wonder what the rationale for doing this could have been. It seems to me that a machine should not offer to set up an ad-hoc network unless specifically directed to do so by the user. When such a network is set up then it is appropriate to use link-local addressing to auto-configure the interface.