Articles - LSB

In another step towards general release, the first beta of Linux Standard Base (LSB) 4.0 was released today. LSB 4.0 will introduce a new application checker, a new shell script checker, and a new multi-version software development kit (SDK) that will enable developers to build applications to earlier LSB specifications without changing SDKs.

Upon examination the Linux Standard Base, in the currently released form, is missing one large camp of developers and applications—namely Java. That’s not to say you can’t run Java applications on essentially every Linux distribution. What it does say is there is no “LSB certified” offering for developers to target, giving them 100% confidence that their application will run as they intend it to.

The coming of the next version of the Linux Standard Base will bring a lot of interesting new features, one of which will be the addition of a cryptographic library that independent software vendors will be able to utilize for their applications.

The Linux Standard Base (LSB) aims to unify the Linux platform for software developers, and to make it easier for them to deploy and support those applications under more than one Linux distribution. There are several levels at which the tools the LSB provides can do this, from simply identifying distribution dependencies to evaluating compatibility between several popular distributions.

Once the decision is made to port to the LSB what needs to be done next? There is some setup involved to port to the LSB. The steps involved in setting up are:

A common complaint from ISVs is that they do not want to change their current build environment, which may be setup for multiple operating systems, just to be able to package things for Linux/LSB in an RPM package. This article will show you how you can integrate rpm into your existing setup, as a final packaging step, with minimal changes to your existing build setup. While a .spec file will be required, it's a very basic template that can be used for several projects with mimimal changes.... [more]

Amidst the halls of a former seminary built in the 19th Century, the future of 21st technology was explored in the 2008 Linux Foundation End User Summit.The Desmond Tutu Center in Manhattan might seem like an unlikely venue for Linux developers and end users to congregate, but the updated facility's nooks and crannies proved a good place for lots of impromptu discussions between Summit attendees.

It's easy to understand why compatibility between different operating systems is a complicated procedure.

I am pleased to announce the availability of LSB 4.0 Beta 2. We are continuing to use the previously-announced beta page for accessing information on the LSB 4.0 beta program.  That page can be found at: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/LSB_4.0_Beta You can view and download the specification from there, or download our test suites, Software Development Kit, and Sample Implementation. The improvements in LSB 4.0 can be found in our preliminary release notes:... [more]

The Linux Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the first Linux Foundation End User Collaboration Summit. The summit is a unique opportunity for end users to learn and interact with leaders from within the Linux community, including the highest level maintainers and developers.