San Jose, CA — The Free Standards Group today announced the release of the first major update to the Linux Development Platform Specification, LDPS. The LDPS allows portability in application development to all generally available Linux distributions. 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, TurboLinux 6.0, and more.

“With this release, we have demonstrated our continuing commitment to help both Open Source developers and companies to develop portable applications for Linux,” said Daniel Quinlan, editor of the LDPS and a founder of the Free Standards Group. “Open Source development moves very quickly, so it's important that the LDPS be kept up-to-date until the more stabilizing Linux Standard Base is released.”

“This new release of the LDPS will help developers create Linux-based applications that will run on most modern distributions,” said Theodore Ts'o, a Linux kernel developer. “Along with the upcoming release of the Linux Standard Base, the LDPS will encourage the further development of the Linux-based application market. It makes sense, use it.”

The LDPS is designed so that programs developed on a conforming platform are expected to be portable to all generally available Linux distributions as of March, 2001. Major components of the LDPS include the Linux kernel, GNU software, and XFree86. The Free Standards Group is recommending that all independent software developers create binary versions of their applications using distributions conforming to the LDPS.

LDPS 1.1 has incorporated a large number of changes and improvements since the 1.0 release, including:

• printing documents in portable applications
  
• new POSIX threads information
  
• an expanded “Frequently Asked Questions” section
  
• replacement ncurses specification
  
• additional information on RPM
  
• notes on securing applications

The Free Standards Group a non-profit corporation organized to accelerate the use and acceptance of Open Source technologies through the application, development and promotion of standards. Free Standards group projects include the LSB (Linux Standards Base), the Linux Internationalization Initiative (Li18nux), and the Linux Development Platform Specification (LDPS).

 
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