I’m trying to install WiFi dongle on macbuntu
I’ve double clicked install in the Linux folder on the driver cd
It went through a kind of command line automation
Is that how software is installed on Ubuntu? I’m new to this, usually use Windows and Mac.
I can’t see the WiFi driver software anywhere
You’ll probably have to google for the chipset, and if you’re lucky, the chipset vendor might have a Linux driver as source code, then you have to download that source code, and install a full “build” environment (usually something like “sudo apt install build-essential” takes care of most of the heavy lifting getting make and a C compiler installed).
i.e. if Ubuntu doesn’t “plug and play” it - then it’s not supported “out of the box”.
I wish you luck young adventurer, in your quest!
So you have to go through all of that to install something on Linux?
No. You are talking about a piece of relatively low-level hardware. It’s always trickier with such devices, no matter if it’s on Linux, Windows or whatever.
It just happens to be the case, that more such software is available for Windows, so it seems like it’s easier, but trouble can even happen on Windows with such low-level type stuff. I can author an entire book about such experiences…
No - hardly ever - me? I ONLY use Linux (well - tell a lie - I also use MacOS)
As I mostly ONLY use Linux, I ONLY buy hardware that works, with Linux, out of the box. e.g. I wanted to try Kali recently - so - I bought USB WiFi dongles what were LINUX supported (out of the box on recent distros) - not only - but ALSO supporting “monitor mode”…
I can tell you - it’s been my experience, when I buy hardware that’s Linux “compatible”, it’s 10x more plug and play than on Windows. Man, I can remember spending literally HOURS trying to find drivers for various things to make a Windows XP, Windows 7 (I skipped Vista), 8 or 8.1 or 10, hoping they’d work, and even when it was ALL done, there were still “orpaned” devices unrecognised, in “Device Manager”.
I haven’t installed Windows on hardware for years now…
@Ingenx_Computers - if all this sounds like too much hardwork, I’m no salesman, but I suggest you go back to MS Windows and give up this exercise, because you will eventually have to break out a terminal window (I use a terminal window ALL the time on my Macbook!) to get stuff done, maybe even learn a bit about building stuff from source (extra hint: do NOT try Gentoo! 
)
I agree having to install hardware support by compiling a driver, is too much hardwork, I don’t do it - I go and buy a WiFi or whatever dongle that’s 100% supported in modern Linux distributions!
My desktop machine, is an AMD Ryzen 7, MSI motherboard, NVidia GTX1650 “super” : everything works out of the box - i.e. Ubuntu 20.04 just installs everything I need and it just “works”. I built this machine in “installments” last year… I also have a few Bluetooth peripherals, but the Targus BT 4.x USB dongle I was using was VERY flaky - so I bought a combo PCIe WifFi and Bluetooth card for my motherboard, but, before I bought, I did a bunch of research, and yes, supported on Linux by the hardware / chipset vendor… Plugged into my motherboard, powered up the machine, and PRESTO! Bluetooth and WiFi !!! That’s it… Plug and play!
The disc had a Linux driver but it hasn’t worked
I’m interested in learning programming - so I guess Linux will be good for me
Firstly, would you min proivide the brand/model of the device?
And are you sure, that the device was not recognized by GNU/Linux by clicking on tne network icon to see, if it provides wlans in the area?
When there’s an install script for GNU/Linux, it’s mostly a good practice to start it in a terminal, so if there are any error messages or such, you would see it (and could provide it here).
Also, was there a readme or something in that folder that you could post here that maybe could help us more narrow down the issue…