Linux to be first OS to support USB 3.0

Posted on 11 June 2009, at 6:12 am, by Joel McLaughlin

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I was reading through my feeds and came across a article on Linux Pro magazine where Intel Hacker, Sarah “The Geekess” Sharp, has announced on her blog that Linux will be the first OS to support USB 3.0. When can you have this? TODAY, if you can handle compiling a custom kernel. Others will have to wait until the fall for new versions of Ubuntu and Fedora to come out.

From Linux Pro Magazine:

The basic specifications for USB 3.0 show it to have a transfer rate of 5.0 Gbps.

Think about that. With 5.0 Gbps transfer rate, you can fill a USB 3.0 based MP3 player in seconds! With that much transfer rate, it makes it possible to have HD webcams that support 1080p. Backups to USB devices will take much less time then they do now.

I am excited about the potential USB 3.0 holds. I am already amazed at the speeds of USB 2 devices. This is going to change everything, and Linux is going to have it before Microsoft and Apple!