Software developers who build products for the Linux platform will no longer have to worry about embedding drivers to offer wireless support. Devicescape, which makes Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) embedded devices software, last month released Advanced Datapath Driver for the Linux 2.6 kernel. Previously available only under proprietary terms, the driver will now be covered under the General Public License (GPL).
With the new driver, open-source developers now have the option to offer native Wi-Fi support within the Linux kernel. This means that notebook and desktop PC owners running Linux operating systems will be able to choose from a wider range of Wi-Fi adapter cards that work on their machines.