TI introduces OpenLink [LWN.net]

Texas Instruments has announced the delivery of a mobile-grade, battery-optimized Wi-Fi solution to the open source Linux community as part of the OpenLink project. "OpenLink wireless connectivity drivers attach to open source development platforms such as BeagleBoard, PandaBoard and other boards. Whether working with Android, MeeGo or other Linux-based distributions, developers can now access code natively as part of their kernel builds to introduce the latest low-power wireless connectivity solution into their products. Additionally, community support and resources are available 24/7 via the active OpenLink community."

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TI introduces OpenLink

Posted Apr 15, 2011 8:56 UTC (Fri) by spaetz (subscriber, #32870) [Link]

Could someone please translate the press-speak into normal English for me? So they have posted Linux kernel drivers for their Wifi products to their website?

I might be a bit thick, but I don't actually see what they have actually done.

what they have actually done

Posted Apr 15, 2011 13:14 UTC (Fri) by ohadbc (guest, #34294) [Link]

- started to actively work with the kernel community
- got their wlan/bt/fm drivers merged upstream (and improved relevant kernel subsystems on the way)
- integrated their solution to Linux-based mobile environments like Android and Meego
- released the required firmwares, radio calibration tool, etc..

If you have a PandaBoard, a vanilla 2.6.39 (and a linux-firmware.git clone) is all you need to start playing with this stuff (e.g. turn your panda into a WLAN AP by just invoking hostapd).

No need to apply any out-of-tree patch, or sign scary NDAs :)

what they have actually done

Posted Apr 15, 2011 15:50 UTC (Fri) by tzafrir (subscriber, #11501) [Link]

So what is that site for?

what they have actually done

Posted Apr 15, 2011 16:10 UTC (Fri) by ohadbc (guest, #34294) [Link]

Sorry, I'm not a TI'er, nor am I involved in creating that website.

But I can ping the right guy and with luck get him to comment here.

More than just a website

Posted Apr 15, 2011 17:30 UTC (Fri) by lrothc (subscriber, #41210) [Link]

This is not about a "site", it's about an initiative. This means that now TI has officially started gathering a community around it's upstream connectivity driver to support and help whoever is using them.

The idea is to centralize all information about the drivers and actively help and get involved with the community. The site will contain links and other information to help people get started with the driver. Information on how to backport the latest driver to an older kernel, on how to configure your platform to correctly use the driver etc. will all be there.

This is about the community! Let's work together to get the best solutions running on Linux. ;)