Broadcom Joins the Linux Foundation

07.01.2011
It was exciting news back in September when Broadcom , the fully open and Linux-compatible driver for several of its 802.11n wireless chipsets. Now, however, it looks like the company will soon make what promises to be an even bigger announcement.

Specifically, in a move that will be officially announced on Monday, the company has taken its support to the next level by joining the Linux Foundation, with plans to extend its open development and collaboration with the Linux community.

Broadcom will continue to work on the Linux Driver Project, and it will also participate in The Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit, enabling it to work directly with community developers as well as other industry players and suppliers.

"There is no question: Linux has become a major platform for communications devices and technologies," said Michael Hurlston, senior vice president and general manager for Broadcom's WLAN line of business. "Our decision to open source the drivers for Broadcom's 802.11 chipsets is in response to our growing base of customers using Linux and is the first of what we expect to be many open development success stories."

Problem Solved

Historically, wireless networking has been a sticking point for some Linux users, including those with netbooks and laptops incorporating Broadcom chipsets, which typically have used proprietary drivers that don't work with the free and open source operating system.