There are two sides to Wi-Fi support under an operating system.

1. Driver level support

2. Configuration and management support.

Driver support is usually provided by the manufacturer of the hardware or, in the case of Unix clones such as Linux and FreeBSD, sometimes through open source projects.

Configuration and management support consists of software to enumerate, join, and check the status of available Wi-Fi networks. This also includes support for various encryption methods. These systems are often provided by the operating system backed by a standard driver model. In most cases, drivers emulate an ethernet device and use the configuration and management utilities built into the operating system. In cases where built in configuration and management support is non-existent or inadequate, hardware manufacturers may include their own software to handle the respective tasks.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows has comprehensive driver-level support for Wi-Fi, the quality of which depends on the hardware manufacturer. Hardware manufactures almost always ship Windows drivers with their products. Windows ships with very few Wi-Fi drivers and depends on the OEMs and device manufactures to make sure users get drivers. Configuration and management depend on the version of Windows.

• Earlier versions of Windows, such as 98 and ME do not have built-in configuration and management support and must depend on software provided by the manufacturer

• Microsoft Windows XP has built-in configuration and management support. The original shipping version of Windows XP included rudimentary support which was dramatically improved in Service Pack 2. Support for WPA2 and some other security protocols require updates from Microsoft. To make up for Windows inconsistent and sometimes inadequate configuration and management support, many hardware manufacturers include their own software and require the user to disable Windows’ built-in Wi-Fi support

• Microsoft Windows Vista is expected to have improved Wi-Fi support over Windows XP. Current betas automatically connect to unsecured networks without the user’s approval. This is a large security issue for the owner of the respective unsecured access point and for the owner of the Windows Vista based computer because shared folders may be open to public access.

Apple Mac OS

Apple was an early adopter of Wi-Fi, introducing its AirPort product line, based on the 802.11b standard, in July 1999. Apple makes the Mac OS opeating system, the computer hardware, and the accompanying drivers and configuration and management software, simplifying Wi-Fi integration. All Intel based Mac’s either come with or have the option to included AirPort Extreme cards. These cards are compatible with 802.11g. Many of Apple’s earlier PowerPC models came with Airport Extreme as well, and all Macs starting with the original iBook at least included AirPort slots.

• Mac OS X has excellent Wi-Fi support, including WPA2, and ships with drivers for Apple’s AirPort cards. The built-in configuration and management is integrated throughout the operating system. Many third-party manufacturers make compatible hardware along with the appropriate drivers which integrate with Mac OS X’s built-in configuration and management software and the end user experience is generally seamless. Others include their own software. Cards that work include the D-Link DWL-122 and Macsense Aeropad.

• Apple's older Mac OS 9 does not have built in support for Wi-Fi configuration and management nor does it ship with Wi-Fi drivers, but Apple provides free drivers and configuration and management software for their AirPort cards for OS 9, as do a few other manufacturers. Versions of Mac OS before OS 9 predate Wi-Fi and do not have any Wi-Fi support.

Unix-like systems

Linux, FreeBSD and similar Unix-like clones have much coarser support for Wi-Fi. Due to the open source nature of these operating systems, many different standards have been developed for configuring and managing Wi-Fi devices. The open source nature also fosters open source drivers which have enabled many third party and proprietary devices to work under these operating systems.

• Linux has patchy Wi-Fi suppor. Native drivers for many Wi-Fi chipsets are available either commercially or at no cost, although some manufacturers don't produce a Linux driver, only a Windows one. Consequently, many popular chipsets either don't have a native Linux driver at all, or only have a half-finished one. For these, the freely available NdisWrapper and its commercial competitor DriverLoader allow Windows x86 NDIS drivers to be used on x86-based Linux systems but not on other architectures. As well as the lack of native drivers, most Linux distributions do not offer a convenient user interface and configuring Wi-Fi on them can be a clumsy and complicated operation compared to configuring wired Ethernet drivers, or Wi-Fi on post-Service Pack 2 Windows XP.

• FreeBSD has similar Wi-Fi support relative to Linux. Wi-Fi support under FreeBSD is best in the 6.x versions. All or most cards that use the Atheros chipset are supported, along with many others.

Src Wikipedia

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