The announcement of open sourcing its drivers for selected Wi-Fi chipsets last September has gained Broadcom the respect of the entire Linux Community. Today, Broadcom was finally named a member of the Linux Foundation.

Broadcom’s open sourced drivers which were integrated into the latest Linux kernel release 2.6.37 has been improved by the Linux community. Broadcom is an important member of the foundation provided its record of semiconductors for wired and wireless communications.

“Broadcom understands what almost every major technology company today knows — that collaborative, open development results in benefits that include everything from supported hardware to reduced development costs,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation. “We applaud Broadcom for its recent move to work more closely with the Linux community; their membership in the Linux Foundation speaks volumes of their commitment.”

With its now being a member of Linux foundation, Broadcom will further extend its open development and collaboration with the community, as well as continue its work with the Linux Driver Project. The company was also reported to participate in The Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit to work hand-in-hand with community developers, suppliers and other industry players.

“There is no question: Linux has become a major platform for communications devices and technologies,” said Michael Hurlston, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom’s WLAN line of business. “Our decision to open source the drivers for Broadcom’s 802.11 chipsets is in response to our growing base of customers using Linux and is the first of what we expect to be many open development success stories.”