Free Standards Group Teams with O’Reilly Media to Offer Linux Developer Services

The Free Standards Group (FSG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and promoting open source software standards, today announced it has partnered with O’Reilly Media to offer services to Linux application developers as part of its Linux Standard Base (LSB) Developer Network. The LSB Developer Network (LDN), the central, community-based source of information for software developers writing portable Linux applications, is available today in beta form at developer.freestandards.org. Kicking off the partnership, a custom Linux library will be available to LSB Developer Network users through Safari Books Online, a joint venture of O’Reilly and the Pearson Technology Group. For the first time, developers writing portable, LSB-compliant Linux applications will not have to cobble together information from various sources; rather they can make use of and contribute to software tools, standards, forums and content provided by the Free Standards Group.

By using the tools and information on the site, software developers can build their application according to the Linux Standard Base specification and certify it using the FSG’s certification and testing services, receiving the ability for their application to run on multiple distributions of Linux. In the future, O’Reilly and FSG will collaborate on the LDN portal and other developer services. The LDN is supported by leaders in the Linux ecosystem including HP, IBM, MySQL, Novell, Real Networks, Red Hat and many more.

“O’Reilly and the Free Standards Group both have a big goal: to change the world of software by encouraging openness and invention,” said Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media. “We’re pleased to offer our Linux library through the LDN to enable developers to continue their good works.”

“In order for Linux to be a truly competitive platform, there must be a central information source for developers building portable Linux applications,” said Ian Murdock, CTO of the Free Standards Group. “Microsoft has done a great job with the Microsoft Developer Network; we aim to do the same for the Linux Standard Base using the “bottom up” community-based development model exemplified by open source and Linux. Partnering with the undisputed leader in developer content O’Reilly is the first step in this project. We urge the community to join and help build the network.”

The new LSB Developer Network takes a “community-based, “bottom-up” approach to developer support. The FSG is harnessing the power of the Linux community and its members (which include HP, IBM, Intel, Novell, Red Hat, Red Flag, and many others) to provide the tools and information necessary for broad based, vendor-neutral developer support that complements existing Linux development services from the leading Linux vendors. The new site can be found at developer.freestandards.org and will feature the following functionality:

? A link bookmarker where users can import their existing del.ic.io.us bookmarks according to tag and share them with other members of the community. This approach leverages, instead of replaces, existing bookmarking tools already used by the majority of the development community.

? A directory of resources for building portable Linux applications; this includes tutorials on building applications with the LSB and other information needed by developers

? Initial custom LSB content and editorial direction provided by Linux Magazine editor Martin Streicher

? Software development kits where ISVs can build and test their applications against the LSB, including tools that query accepted interfaces already in the standard

? LSB roadmap tools that give software developers the insight needed to plan which versions of standards-compliant compilers, distributions and libraries to use in future versions of their software

? Certification services and an application directory for LSB-certified applications so end users can easily find portable Linux applications and certified distributions

? Support from the LSB workgroup and the LSB community for software development questions for those developing to the LSB

The Linux Standard Base Developer Network fulfills an obvious and glaring need in the open source development community. In a recent, highly publicized editorial in Linux Watch eweek editor Steven Vaughan-Nichols called on the Linux community to learn from Microsoft and enhance its platform and services. Developer support was cited as the number one need: “There are no easy-to-use guides on how to program successfully in open-source. To learn how to do it right, usually takes a couple of years of getting to know the lay of the free software landscape. With Microsoft, however, there’s the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). MSDN provides developers with help in writing applications using Microsoft products and programming tools. . . . No, open source and Linux don’t have anything to match MSDN.”

The LDN is an answer to Vaughan-Nichols’ call to action and will provide the central place and infrastructure needed for application developers targeting the LSB. In a recent announcement, RealPlayer and MySQL are announcing their certification to the Linux Standard Base and their participation in its steering committee. The result will be decreased build, porting and support efforts for the software developers and increased choice for end users.

HP

”The LSB Developer Network is a significant achievement in Linux’s maturation as a key application development platform,” said HP’s Steve Geary, Director, OSLO R&D. “As always, HP is pleased to support the Free Standards Group in its efforts to facilitate industry collaboration and the advancement of open source technology.”

IBM

“Software developers writing portable applications that conform to the Linux Standard Base can now look forward to enjoying access to a vendor-neutral central location with this new service,” said, Kathy
Bennett, director, IBM Linux Technology Center. “This is yet another step by supporters of the open community to make Linux a better and more competitive computing platform.”

MySQL

“MySQL is pleased to see the Free Standards Group and Linux community offer additional support to developers,” said Kaj Arnö, vice president of community relations at MySQL. “The LSB Developer Network will help ISVs like us target Linux cost effectively. Taken with the Free Standards Group existing standardization and certification efforts, the LDN solves a critical need for information on writing portable applications.”

Novell

“Application developer support is critical to the continued growth of the Linux market,” said Chris Cooper, director of developer services at Novell. “While there are now more than 1000 applications certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise, we are committed to bringing even more applications to our platform. Working with the Linux Standard Base Developer Network will provide yet another avenue for application developers to write applications that work on multiple distributions, increasing broad market adoption of Linux.”

RealNetworks

“As a software vendor supporting Linux with our RealPlayer, we are pleased to see the FSG and O’Reilly step up to provide this service,” said Jeff Ayars, VP Product Engineering at RealNetworks, Inc. “We think the LSB Developer Network will be a resource we can get good value from as well as something we can contribute to.”

Red Hat

“Red Hat is dedicated to spurring further innovation in an open environment with our support for projects like Linux Standard Base,” said Paul Cormier, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Red Hat. “We are pleased to see the Free Standards Group add additional services to its offerings and provide these to the development community.”

SlickEdit

“Without a defined standard, product teams must develop and test their applications on each Linux distribution,” said Scott Westfall, director of software development for SlickEdit. “The LSB greatly improves our ability to deliver a reliable, compatible product. The LSB Developer Network will provide tools and information needed to maximize the benefits of the LSB.”

Ubuntu

“Canonical and the Ubuntu Foundation are pleased to see additional services for Linux developers,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu project. “Linux is strong because the entire community works together. The FSG and the LSB are two examples of how an ecosystem working together is always more effective than a single vendor. The LSB Developer Network provides a much needed place for the community to increase and improve the number of portable Linux applications.”

The Free Standards Group has now united all needed services for developers writing portable Linux applications:

· The LSB: a specification delivering application portability among all major Linux distributions

· The LSB Developer Network: a community-driven site providing the central place for information, tools and support for Linux developers building portable applications, including custom content from O’Reilly

·The Free Standards Group certification tests and services: for applications and runtime environments looking to achieve binary portability

·The Free Standards Group application directory: a marketplace for certified Linux applications for end users looking for portable, standards-compliant solutions.

The Free Standards Group has issued a call to action to the Linux development community to join the site and begin submitting content, bookmarks and taking place in forum communities. The LDN is being launched in beta form and will evolve with community participation and guidance. It can be found at http://developer.freestandards.org.

About the Free Standards Group

The Free Standards Group is a non-profit member-supported organization dedicated to strengthening and promoting Linux as a platform for application development. Its Linux Standard Base (LSB) standardization and certification programs deliver interoperability between applications
and the Linux operating system, offering a cost-effective way for application vendors to target multiple Linux distributions. For end-users, the LSB and its mark of interoperability preserves choice by allowing them to select the applications and distributions they want while avoiding vendor lock-in. Key Free Standards Group projects include the Linux Standard Base (LSB), Linuxprinting.org, OpenI18N, and the FSG Accessibility Workgroup. Supported by leaders in the IT industry as well as the open source development community, the work of the Free Standards Group ensures Linux does not fragment.