[DennyA]

Okay, we need a new notebook, and I've been considering getting an iBook with the 802.11g card. Most of the stuff I do on a notebook is pretty basic -- word processing, email, web browsing, DVDs on planes, and basic photo touchup -- so the OS wouldn't really matter.

Now, I'm not a "switcher," though, but rather an "adder."(I left the platform religion behind with the Amiga, thanks.) So this thing would need to coexist with the XP PCs in my house. So, a few basic questions:

1) Can a Mac read/write to my PC network? (Wi-Fi, running the standard XP networking stuff.)

2) Can an OS X Mac (with the proper printer driver for my Canon S9000) print to a printer that's being shared using XP's File and Printer sharing?

3) Looks like the one feature I was really worried about losing -- Remote Desktop Connection -- actually has a Mac client! Cool. Anyone ever tried that particular setup? (Mac to XP via RDC?)

Thanks for any advice...

[DennyA]

Oh, one other question... Does the iBook's (Airport Extreme) Wi-Fi software automatically detect and list available access points?

[Scarpa]

I was going to answer your questions line by line, but instead I'll just describe my setup as it covers all your concerns.

I have a home network consisting of 2 PCs, one Win2k, one Debian, connected via a 4-port Linksys router to my DSL. I have an 802.11b access point plugged into the router which lets me wander the house with my Powerbook. The Win2k machine has a LaserJet 4L attached to it locally and is shared via Windows LPD service (not windows file and print sharing).

With this setup I can sit on the couch and open my fiance's resume in Word.X from a share on the Win2k machine, edit it, and then print it out on the printer attached to the PC. At the same time I am logged into my Debian linux box and messing around with apache/ftp on that server so my friend can upload his car project pictures to the server and share them on his favorite forum.

If I want to access my XP machine at work for some reason I just fire up my VPN connection and use the MS RDP client to connect to it or any of my servers at work. When I'm AT work, it auto-detects the work wireless or wired network as available and functions just the same. In addition to that the open source network tools available for OS X have saved my butt a couple of times before.

So, as you can see it's a very flexible arrangement and can pretty much accomodate anything you throw at it network-wise. The only snag I can see in your intended setup is there might be problems finding a suitable driver for your printer. My LJ 4L printer is officially unsupported by HP though and I figured out a workaround using Unix print drivers.

Good luck!

ps. Yes you can see all available networks with your wireless card.

[DennyA]

Thanks, Scarpa. My printer is a Canon S9000, which has Mac drivers available.

Sounds like I'll be all set!