Linux is Ready for USB 3.0, Are You?

Linuxplanet.com posted a jaded reminder recently about USB 3.0 support in Linux. The Linux kernel has had SuperSpeed USB driver since September 2009; the 2.6.31 version of the kernel has native support for the devices that are already starting to make their way onto the market. There's already a handful out there but without native support from Windows or Apple yet. Microsoft is planning to add support for USB 3.0 to Windows 7, but not until service pack 1. Since the OS is only 3 months old, there's no definite ship date set for SP1 yet.

Individual drivers are already available by the manufacturers on a one by one basis. This will slow some of the mass release of devices, but that's not likely to happen for a few more months as plants gear up with USB 3.0 device unveilings. Unfortunately, device makers tend to release drivers in the opposite fashion. PC and Mac first, then much later maybe Linux. Although Linux systems have made huge bounds in the market with adoption by distributors like Dell, the community remains a neglected segment for the most part. This note should remind people of one of the many strengths of Linux is its rapid inclusion of new technologies.

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