I have a Dell Mini9 that came with Ubuntu 8.10. Out of the box, Wifi configuration was done under System settings -> Network and worked straightforward. Then, after some update patches, NetworkManager was installed to replace this functionality.

Initially, it did not carry over my settings and I had to figure out how to redo it. After lots of bumbling with it, it finally works. However, after bootup the NetworkManager icon waits about 2 minutes before even attempting to connect to the wireless network. Then, about a minute later, it connects and I'm on my way.

The Mini9 boots up within 30 seconds from SSD, so opening Firefox and then waiting 3+ min for wireless networking is a bit of a pain. Can anything be done?