First Linux development platform standards released

Computerworld - The first version of a new Linux Development Platform Specification was released today, clearing the way for the adoption of standards that will make participating Linux platforms work together seamlessly.
The announcement was made by the nonprofit Free Standards Group at the Third Annual Linux Showcase & Conference in Atlanta.
The new LDPS standards will be adhered to by some of the largest Linux distribution companies, including Caldera Systems Inc., Corel Corp., Red Hat Inc., SuSE Linux AG, TurboLinux Inc. and VA Linux Systems Inc., the group said.
"This is a big thing," said Scott McNeil, an open-source strategist at VA Linux Systems in Fremont, Calif. "Predating Linux, Unix was always trying to be unified, with no success." Now, with the adoption of Linux specifications, the future of Linux standardization looks brighter, he said. "To come out with the first version of a new standard is big stuff."
The new specifications will mean that Linux developers will be able to work with standardized tools, kernels and libraries that will allow their work to function properly across other Linux distributions, McNeil said.
By using the LDPS, developers will be able to create and distribute software more quickly across the spectrum of Linux distributions, including Caldera OpenLinux 2.4, Conectiva Linux 5.1, Corel Linux OS Second Edition, Debian GNU/Linux 2.2, Linux-Mandrake 7.0, Red Hat Linux 6.2, SuSE Linux 6.4 and TurboLinux 6.0, according to the Free Standards Group.
Dan Quinlan, president of the Free Standards Group, said in a statement that "LDPS is but the first of many planned specifications that are aimed to help both open-source developers and companies port applications to Linux. Having a single development reference to work from will greatly simplify the process of building Linux-based applications."
Also supporting the Free Standards Group are Atipa Linux Solutions, The Debian Project, IBM, Linuxcare Inc., Linux for Power PC, LinuxMall.com, Linux Professional Institute, The Open Group, SAP AG and Sun Microsystems Inc.
The new standards can be viewed on the Free Standards Web site.
The Free Standards Group is a nonprofit corporation organized to accelerate the use and acceptance of open-source technologies through the development, use and promotion of standards.

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