Ubuntu 20.10 needs WiFi login but causes endless loop issue
Ubuntu 20.10 needs WiFi login but causes endless loop issue
Hi there, welcome! You're starting from scratch with Linux and using an old MacBook Pro. You've set up OS X High Sierra and Ubuntu 20.10, but you're having trouble connecting to the internet. After entering your Wi-Fi password, you keep seeing a "authentication required" message. You've tried rebooting, reinstalling the OS, and changing drivers, but nothing seems to work. Since the Wi-Fi works when using OS X, it might not be the hardware issue. I know this sounds confusing, especially with all the technical terms you're seeing online. I'm just a beginner and would really appreciate any clear advice or suggestions from the community. Please keep it simple—I hope someone can help me figure this out quickly!
I was advised that standard Ubuntu makes a solid start for learning Linux, but there are other options worth considering. Since your system is quite old with 16 GB DDR3 RAM and a new SSD, you might enjoy distributions optimized for performance on older hardware.
Xubuntu feels quite alike to Ubuntu overall. However, you may need to set up Compton. It seems xfce is used in the stock compositor, but it doesn’t work well—it caused a diagnostic error.
There's literally no difference in the network stack between Ubuntu and Xubuntu since they both use NetworkManager. So unless it's a bug with gnome 3.38 I doubt XFCE will do any better. OP could try a different network management tool other than NetworkManager like ConnMan, or IWD but I have no idea how difficult that would be to setup on Ubuntu since that distro doesn't enjoy being hacked on like most debian bases. That said it could very well be a driver issue. But as I've never used a Mac before I have no experience in installing linux on them. OP if you want to learn linux, I would personally use a yard sale PC or a virtual machine than try to use a macbook. I get the appeal behind them, but Apple just makes it a PItA to boot anything not called MacOS 10 on them.
Here’s a revised version of your text:
I’ve been trying different solutions without much success. I’ve searched thoroughly and discovered that MacBooks often face driver problems, particularly with the Wi-Fi card. Specifically, my Broadcom BCM4331 chip has some driver reinstallation attempts that didn’t fix the issue. I've experimented with various Linux distributions—Ubuntu 20.04, 21.04, Elementary OS, Linux Mint Xfce, Pop-OS, and Manjaro—but nothing worked. The problem seems to persist even after scanning my network. Also, a week ago I swapped out my hard drive for an SSD; previously I could connect to Wi-Fi without issues, but now it’s affected. It might be related to the new SSD.
Compton refers to a phenomenon in physics where X-rays or gamma rays interact with electrons, causing a shift in their wavelength. This discovery helped me understand how electromagnetic radiation behaves when it collides with matter, which was crucial for my study of quantum mechanics.