The Linux Foundation Announces Linux Standard Base Update and New Testing Tools

The Linux Foundation Announces Linux Standard Base Update and New Testing Tools

New LSB Distribution Testkit Is First Automated Open Source Testing Tool for the Linux Platform

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced an update of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) and the release of a new testing toolkit. The update to LSB 3.1 introduces new automated testing toolkits for distributions and application vendors, linking development more closely to certification. The result will be reduced development costs and tighter integration between upstream developers, distributions, applications and the LSB standard. This continued enhancement of standards, testing and tools for the Linux platform will make it easier and less costly for application developers to support the Linux operating system.

“All the moving parts are coming together to give the Linux ecosystem its first testing framework that will coordinate development of upstream code to standards and downstream implementations,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. “In order for a standard to be effective, it needs to have a powerful — and usable — testing infrastructure. Our testing framework will deliver that functionality and allow the Linux ecosystem to collaborate and test code while it’s being developed, improving quality and allowing ISVs to reduce their costs and get their feedback into the Linux ecosystem more effectively.”

Comprehensive Distribution Support for LSB 3.1

The LSB delivers interoperability between applications and the Linux operating system, allowing application developers to target multiple versions of Linux with only one software package. This allows Linux to compete effectively against proprietary, monolithic platforms. The LSB has marshaled the various Linux distribution vendors to certify to its standards, including Red Hat, Novell, Debian, Ubuntu, Xandros, Mandriva and more. Details can be found at http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Products.

The Linux Standard Base 3.1 is available today on the Linux Foundation’s web site at http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/LSB. The new testing kits can be found at http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Downloads.

“Novell is a long-term supporter of the LSB and other open standards. In fact, all of our SUSE Linux Enterprise products are LSB compliant,” said Markus Rex, vice president of services strategy at Novell. “The LSB is a critical component for new growth in the Linux marketplace. Because The Linux Foundation is in a unique position to marshal all the resources of the growing Linux ecosystem, we are more confident than ever that it will continue to be the standard for portable Linux development.”

“We are supporting The Linux Foundation’s efforts and ISVs by registering Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to the LSB 3.1,” said Paul Gampe ,vice president of Engineering Services and Operations, Red Hat. “Red Hat is a firm supporter of open standards. The LSB helps make it easier for distribution vendors to build their business.”

“The LSB provides a common ground across distributions for ISV compatibility,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “We are proud to certify to the LSB and to use their enhanced testing tool kit in our testing efforts. The harmonisation efforts of the LSB leave enough room for innovation and differentiation while ensuring that ISVs can target Ubuntu at low cost if they already work on other LSB-certified platforms.”

The Importance of Testing and Tools

Even though Linux is developed in a highly decentralized manner, in order to be attractive to the ISV community, Linux must provide the same long-term compatibility guarantees and comprehensive compatibility testing as proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows. The LSB Test Framework enables cross-distribution interoperability for applications targeted at LSB 3.0 and higher and will provide backward compatibility so that these applications will continue to run correctly on distributions compatible with future versions of the LSB.

In previous releases of the LSB, the testing framework required significant hands-on coordination and interpretation. The results of the tests for both distribution vendors and application developers were often difficult to interpret. The Linux Foundation realized last year that in order for Linux to continue to grow and overtake proprietary software, investment had to be made both in the testing harness (to check software against existing standards) and in the tools needed for software providers to make use of that testing framework. The Linux Foundation initiated a multi-million dollar project to build the first open source testing framework that will link upstream projects and their code to the LSB and downstream providers. The first result of that testing partnership is available now: the LSB Distribution Teskit (LSB DTK).

The LSB DTK introduces a web-based front end testing process that represents the first results of The Linux Foundation’s partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences. ISV testing tools are also available from http://developer.linux-foundation.org including the LSB Application Testkit, a lightweight download that contains just the LSB validation tools needed for ISVs to check whether or not their application is LSB compliant. Future enhancements to the tool will include automated feedback mechanisms and interpretation assistance.

The Linux Foundation urges distro and package developers, as well as interested users, to use the LSB DTK. As an open source project, the testing framework needs users to get involved, provide feedback and patches for continued enhancement.

“A platform is only as strong as the applications that support it,” said Ian Murdock, LSB chair. “That’s why making the LSB stronger through testing and tools is so vitally important. ISVs need an easy way to build portable Linux applications and address the global market. The LSB and this first result of the LSB Testing Framework is a strong enabling step.”

About the Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007 by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, it sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by providing unified resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed platforms. For more information, please visit www.linux-foundation.org.

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, OSDL, Free Standards Group, and Linux Standard Base are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.

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