AMD last week unveiled a Linux driver for the Ontario chip, the manufacturer's low-powered Fusion processor for netbooks and other products.

Although it is available today, the driver is slated to appear in new Linux distributions beginning with version 2.6.38. That means users most likely won't see the driver accompany distributions such as Ubuntu until 2011, according to reports.

Since it is open source, users can view and edit the driver's code. The move marks AMD's latest pro-open source step: Earlier this year, the company joined the Linux Foundation's MeeGo Project, which supports a Linux-based open source mobile operating system. AMD and competitor Intel also are supporters of the Linux Foundation's License Compliance Program.

Full story: InformationWeek