So I recently took an old Pentium II 660 MHZ PC and rebuilt it into a Ubuntu (Linux) machine for the boys to use. The process was not without it’s pitfalls but it worked in the end. The only thing they need a PC for is to connect to the Internet so they can visit Disney.com,Nick Jr.com, and Thomas the Tank Engine.com.  So the first thing I had to do after standing up the new PC is go shopping for a wireless card to add to the machine.

So I proceed to OfficeMax around the corner from my house and they have two, a LinkSys and a D-Link WDA-1320 Wireless G Desktop Adapter.  Neither mentioned support for Linux on the packaging.  so I grabbed my cell phone from the store and called the tech support line written on the outside of the D-Link product.  The call was answered very quickly by a young man.  I advised him that I wasn’t a customer yet but wanted to know if I could use the WDA-1320 on my Ubuntu/Linux machine . . I heard him clicking some keys and he responded “No it’s not supported by that card”.  I told him thank you and hung up.

I cannot tell you why, perhaps it is my new found confidence in the open source market, but I decided I would go ahead and purchase it anyway.

As it turns out the D-Link WDA-1320 is one of the very best wireless cards you can get for Ubuntu/Linux.  One quick search when I got home turned up hundreds of testimonials about how easy the card was to install on Unbuntu/Linux.  Mine was installed and running in less than 5 minutes.  It makes me wonder how many customers may be asking the same thing and getting bad information.  In fact, D-Link’s website to this day says the card requires Windows XP or Windows 2000.

As leaders, we must be on the lookout for employees who do not know the capabilities of our systems, products and teams.  We must frequently engage in a process of idea sharing with our teams to ensure everyone knows what they/we can do.  Otherwise, like D-Link, we may be selling ourselves short.

Leadership Linux Technology