Linux first operating system to support USB 3.0

Linux will be the first operating system with official support for USB 3.0, said an Intel open source developer.

Sarah Sharp, who works in Intel's Open Source Technology Centre, said on her blog that support of USB 3.0 would soon be integrated into the Linux kernel.

She offered a way for those interested to get Linux support working now saying: "I hope that some USB vendors who have prototypes will test with my driver.

"This is a giant project that I've been working on for the past year and a half. It's gratifying to see the code finally released, and exciting to know that hardware is on its way."

It was at the end of last year that the USB 3.0 Promoter Group (counting HP, Intel and Microsoft among its members) announced the completion of the USB 3.0 specification - a technical map for device manufacturers to bring the technology into the market. This is some eight years since the specification for USB 2.0 was announced.

USB 3.0, or SuperSpeed USB', is said to bring significant power and performance enhancements to the USB standard. Data transfer rates are up to ten times faster than Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0), as well as being backwardly compatible.