Created attachment 56383 [details]
WiFi available icon

Yep, should definitly do that. The icon sould turn green or something (similar to the new mail notifier which turns green if there is a new email) to have a streamlined look. Also if your PC is WiFi capable but no wifi is connected all you get is a little dot in your system tray which is not obvious to the user. I know, displaying the “full” wifi icon may be confused with full signal strength but I think this would be okay if it is colored or something. See attachmend for proposed mockup. (Screenshot taken directly from Inkscape this is why therre is that grey background)

I do not like this idea. There is no way to know if the user has the correct credentials to connect to the network, bordering the user to try to connect when it is not possible is a bad idea. Just take a look on how many people complaint about NM asking for wifi's password when there is a disconnection for some reason (AP failued, weak signal, etc).

Anyway, if the user has the correct credentials he/she can create the connection once as auto-connect and then everytime the wifi access point appears NM will connect automatically, no need for us to do anything.

No need to ask for possword or trying to auto-connect if user doesn't want to do that or if user already connected to Ethernet. NM plasma widget just should to get user know "WiFi is available here" some way. Other color of icon, notification message or something. For example please look at the way how this done in Ubuntu. It's indeed is not bothering user so then there is no reason to complain.

I do not use Ubuntu. Do you have a screencast showing how it works?

I am still not fond of this idea and of using colors to indicate state in general (I am daltonian). Besides, Plasma Desktop is moving to monochromatic icons on system tray. Plasma NM would be visually odd in a default Plasma Desktop session.

We already notify new access points using KNnotification, which is turned off by default because people seems not to like notifications. The notification is not send if wifi is already connected, so it should do what you want. You just need to turn that notification on.

Actually I do not get why we should inform that there are networks around. It's very rare to use a computer without Internet access nowdays. Who would not open the Plasma NM popup to check if there are networks around and instead sit there looking for the icon to turn from one color to another?

Reassign Network Management bugs to new maintainer.  Have a lot of fun, Lamarque!

> I do not use Ubuntu. Do you have a screencast showing how it works?
No need to use Ubuntu to look at how it works. Enough just boot LiveCD.
No, I doesn't have screencase - I doesn't use Ubuntu too.

> I am still not fond of this idea and of using colors to indicate state in
general (I am daltonian). Besides, Plasma Desktop is moving to monochromatic
icons on system tray. Plasma NM would be visually odd in a default Plasma
Desktop session.
Ok, agree with that.

> The notification is not send if wifi is already connected, so it should do what you want. You just need to turn that notification on.
Yes, that is probably what I mean. What exact name and description of this notification in English?
I see notification "Найдена беспроводная сеть" ("Found wireless network") in network widget settings, but description of this widget in Russian is really misleading - "Установлено подключение с беспроводной сетью" ("Connected with wireless network"). Maybe there is problem with description of this notification only in Russian, but maybe in English too - I didn't sure.

> Actually I do not get why we should inform that there are networks around. It's very rare to use a computer without Internet access nowdays.
Because there is some free WiFi networks in cafes, business centres, etc. It's good to let user know there is WiFi available, even if user use 2G/3G/4G mobile Internet (because mobile Internet cost too much).

The notification in English is named "Found Wireless Network" and its description is "A wireless network appeared", so the Russion translation is not misleading. At least the Brazilian Portuguese translation is Ok here.

Keeping wifi enabled just to be notified when a network appears drains battery power. Even if you have a power outlet available you do not need to be constantly notified that there are networks available. You check it out once and if there is none then it is very unlikely a suitable one will appear at the same place.

> and its description is "A wireless network appeared", so the Russian translation is not misleading.
Please compare "appear" and "connected". Isn't "connected" is incorrect word in this case? 

> You check it out once
That correct, but to do that user need two additional clicks (one to network manager widget icon in notification area and another on WiFi device to check the wireless networks list). But it's can be optimized:
If there is only one WiFi network than network manager widget may connect to this network automatically (or ask for password if it's required for connection) if user click to notification about this WiFi network.
If there is few WiFi networks and user click to notification then widget probably should display networks list to user (in network manager widget or in new window).
I didn't count clicks for enabled/disable WiFi device because it's usually done by hardware button or Fn-shorcut.

(In reply to comment #8)
> > and its description is "A wireless network appeared", so the Russian translation is not misleading.
> Please compare "appear" and "connected". Isn't "connected" is incorrect word in
> this case? 

Sorry, I meant the translation is indeed misleading.
 
> > You check it out once
> That correct, but to do that user need two additional clicks (one to network
> manager widget icon in notification area and another on WiFi device to check
> the wireless networks list). But it's can be optimized:
> If there is only one WiFi network than network manager widget may connect to
> this network automatically (or ask for password if it's required for
> connection) if user click to notification about this WiFi network.
> If there is few WiFi networks and user click to notification then widget
> probably should display networks list to user (in network manager widget or in
> new window).
> I didn't count clicks for enabled/disable WiFi device because it's usually done
> by hardware button or Fn-shorcut.

I still do not think all that is worth the effort just to save two mouse clicks, or actually one mouse click. Plasma NM automatically lists all wifi connections when there is none connected, so it is only the click on the system tray icon. I still think most people will instinctively click on the system tray anyway instead of waiting for the popup.

If you want to implement it go ahead, I will review your patch. However, I have plenty of other more important things to implement and fix in Plasma NM. That is way I marked this bug as WONTFIX.

I agree with Lamarque :/

Gonna mark it as WONTFIX for now until a patch is sent :p