linux standards base

The Linux Foundation's community manager, Brian Proffitt, today announced a "beta" release of version 4 of the Linux Standards Base (LSB 4).

Designed to foster application portability across compliant Linux distributions, LSB 4.0 adds tools for developers, including new shell script and application checkers.

The Linux Foundation has announced the release of version 4.0 beta of the Linux Standards Base (LSB).

"This new version of LSB promises to accomplish these goals in a more powerful way. "We have a new set of LSB tools to make it much easier for ISVs to development applications that are LSB compliant, and to test to see how portable their applications are via the Linux Application Checker," Ted T'so, Chief Platform Strategist and Fellow with the Linux Foundation, explained."

One of the big problems of current Linux distro's is the lack of standards. The Linux Standards Base (LSB) organisation tries to standardize the Linux distro's.

LSB 4 could be the catalyst that enables independent software vendors to develop applications that will run on any LSB-compliant Linux distribution.

Is any attempt to standardize Linux akin to herding cats, especially given the proliferation of distributions and packages?

Jim Zemlin doesn't think so, and has been trying to do something about it via the Linux Standards Base.

InternetNews talks to the Linux Foundation's Jim Zemlin about LSB 4.0.

"Not all Linux distributions are made with the same components, which can make it difficult for software developers to write applications for multiple Linux distributions.

That's where the Linux Standards Base (LSB) comes into play. For years the LSB has not quite lived up to its full potential.

That could all change with the upcoming LSB 4.0 release.