Get your free device drivers here!

[mdlbear]

Free Linux Driver Development! - linux kernel monkey log

Yes, that's right, the Linux kernel community is offering all companies free Linux driver development. No longer do you have to suffer through all of the different examples in the Linux Device Driver Kit, or pick through the thousands of example drivers in the Linux kernel source tree trying to determine which one is the closest to what you need to do.

All that is needed is some kind of specification that describes how your device works, or the email address of an engineer that is willing to answer questions every once in a while. A few sample devices might be good to have so that debugging doesn't have to be done by email, but if necessary, that can be done.

In return, you will receive a complete and working Linux driver that is added to the main Linux kernel source tree. The driver will be written by some of the members of the Linux kernel developer community (over 1500 strong and growing). This driver will then be automatically included in all Linux distributions, including the "enterprise" ones. It will be automatically kept up to date and working through all Linux kernel API changes. This driver will work with all of the different CPU types supported by Linux, the largest number of CPU types supported by any operating system ever before in the history of computing.

[...]

This offer is in effect for all different types of devices, from USB toys to PCI video devices to high-speed networking cards. If you manufacture it, we can get Linux drivers working for it.

This could, ultimately, be very big. It's certainly a good way to save your development group a lot of trouble. (From Groklaw.)

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I met Greg K-H briefly last FreedomHEC, which was held in a building that looked *down* on Bill Gates' demesnes from across Lake Washington... my question to him (and I may well just ask him straight out; it wouldn't be the first time I'd asked a high Linux muckitymuck something and gotten an answer) is who's funding this?

I'm also wondering if we'll ever see GPL drivers for ATI and NVIDIA cards... those people are freaking paranoid about all the sneaky IP tied up in their drivers...

[mdlbear]

There may not be anyone actually funding it, though OSDL/TLF could kick in some if necessary. There are probably enough volunteer device driver authors with similar hardware to make it practical.

The IP that NVIDIA and ATI are protecting has nothing to do with the actual hardware and everything to do with the software that lets them sell the same chipset at different prices with different features enabled.