Broadcom joins the Linux Foundation
Summary: Linux Foundation Announces Broadcom as New Member
Global communications leader Broadcom Corporation follows its move to open source 802.11 chipset drivers with increased open development
SAN FRANCISCO, January 10, 2011 — The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Broadcom Corporation is its newest member.
In September, Broadcom® announced it had open sourced its drivers for selected Wi-Fi chipsets, a pivotal move that garnered applause throughout the Linux community. Since then, the driver has been integrated into the latest Linux kernel release 2.6.37 and, as a result, is actively being improved upon by the entire Linux community. Given its portfolio of semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, Broadcom is an important addition to The Linux Foundation.
Broadcom is looking to extend its open development and collaboration with the Linux community by joining The Linux Foundation and continuing its work with the Linux Driver Project. It plans to participate in The Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit, where it can 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 & General Manager, 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.”
Better late than never. The driver will get reworked from Linux developers and all will be well. A very big category of devices now works out of the box (e.g. a lot of Dell laptops), which is good news for sure. Used to be if it was wireless and it was labelled ‘broadcom’ the best thing to do with it for Linux was to toss it into the bin. The unfortunate part was that these were among the most popular wireless devices on the planet for consumers which helped contribute massively to Linux being incompatible with many people’s laptops.
“Broadcom understands what almost every major technology company today knows — that collaborative, open development results in benefits that include everything from supported hardware to reduced development costs,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation. “We applaud Broadcom for its recent move to work more closely with the Linux community; their membership in the Linux Foundation speaks volumes of their commitment.”
This is terrific progress and shows how things can be worked out.
About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting technical events, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors.
