I've read that it does and does not support ad-hoc networks, depending on the device.
I won't say it's at all logical, but there it is.
FWIW - it doesn't look like anyone was trying to flame you over your network config choice (we're down on flaming, unlike other forums). Maybe, more like constructive criticism for ways to skin this cat from another direction.
Sometimes a requirement is soft and is open to re-thinking - sometimes, it's just not and that's ok.
Ad-hoc networks still have their place, see -
Linux Online - Introduction
I think what you're looking for from the open source aspect of Android is the same as you'd find in Linux - if something's not there, by the time you google it, a cadre of worldwide enthusiasts has added it almost since breakfast.
With that situation tho, the builds are easier because in general we're dealing with one aspect of an easy-to-get-to Linux layer and all desktop Linux always have immediate access to root or root functions via su or sudo.
Android devices, with few exceptions, come locked down so there's no superuser access at all - vendors love those lockdowns. Rooting is the process to open such access.
The reason devices don't do ad-hoc natively is more a case of demand and response than anything else. As you can see, it's a hot topic - it does come up from time to time hereabouts, but surprisingly, not often.
I'm not saying demand is too low to be paid attention to - I am saying that Android is newer to tablets and has been scrambling to get to demands from the phone community, who rarely need ad-hoc networking as a hard requirement.
Not the answers that make your life easier, but I hope this helps and clarifies, if only a little.
PS - A number of things are cut back under the hood because makers are concerned about memory space in a real-time device without an external disk drive to spool the OS from.
PPS - See also:
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/android-ad-hoc-wireless-network-support/
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=82
