I've tried kernel 2.6.24-rc1 (driver is included here for first time, version 2.0.10) and there is no clearly visible progress in speed for me (I'm using WPA). But you can try to use Windows driver through ndiswrapper. It is fast, NetworkManager compatible (with WPA too) and even signal strength reporting works on rt2400 cards.
I've tried kernel 2.6.24-rc1 (driver is included here for first time, version 2.0.10) and there is no clearly visible progress in speed for me (I'm using WPA). But you can try to use Windows driver through ndiswrapper. It is fast, NetworkManager compatible (with WPA too) and even signal strength reporting works on rt2400 cards.