Trust Linux to have what you need... within time
That's the only conclusion I can come to after experiencing this same "phenomenon" once again.
What am I talking about? Last spring,
about half a year ago from now, I bought one of those USB WiFi
adapters, brand new, only half expecting it to work on Linux back
then. A test later proved my doubts right, it just wouldn't work. I
decided, however, to keep it, as it's a fairly well known brand
(it's a Netgear WG111)
Now, half a year and a couple of Linux
upgrades and updates later, it works perfectly! Which is quite
lucky, since current laptops to not have PC Card slots any more,
making my old (once trusty, but let's be honest, age does take its
toll) Avaya card quite useless. R.I.P.