This tutorial is based on the following assumptions.
You know the details of the wireless network you will be connecting to.
You possess root privelidges [5] on the machine you are adding the wireless card to.
[1] A managed network consists of wireless clients connecting to a central device called an access point.
[2] A peer network is a network that consists only of wireless clients connecting together, in this type of network there is no central way of managing the network.
[3] SSID(Service Set Identifier) is a name given to the wireless network that may or may not be automatically provided for you when you connect to it.
[4] An encryption key keeps data secure as it is transmitted and recieved. This may or may not be automatically provided for you when you connect to the network.
[5] Root priveleges allow you to make changes to the system you are working on. To set up wireless networking, you will only need the password for the root user.