LSB Updates: SDK 4.1.6, LSB 4.1 tests, App Checker
The LSB workgroup has released updates to the SDK, 4.1 distribution tests, and the Linux App Checker. These updates are now available from the LSB Download page:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/lsb/download
LSB Updates: SDK, 4.1 tests, App Checker
The LSB Workgroup is pleased to announce the release of the LSB Software Development Kit (SDK) 4.1.5, and updates to the Application Checker and the 4.1 distribution tests. These updates are now available from the LSB Download page:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/lsb/download
LSB Updates: 4.0, 4.1, Checkers
The Linux Standard Base (LSB) project is pleased to announce several
updates to its suites of tools and tests. These updates are now
available from the LSB Download page:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/lsb/download
This update includes bug fixes to the LSB 4.0 test suite and application battery, the LSB 4.1 test suite, and the Application Checker and Distribution Checker front-ends.
Some highlights from the updates:
LSB SDK 4.1.4
The LSB Workgroup has released version 4.1.4 of the LSB Software Development Kit (SDK).
Certifying an Application to the LSB
The Linux Standard Base (LSB) aims to unify the Linux platform for software developers, and to make it easier for them to deploy and support those applications under more than one Linux distribution. There are several levels at which the tools the LSB provides can do this, from simply identifying distribution dependencies to evaluating compatibility between several popular distributions.
Moving Forward with the LSB
This section will provide documentation on what to do after you have reached your goal. How do you obtain certification if you've achieved it? What do you do if your app is multi-distro compliant? This section will provide those answers.
Porting to Multiple Distributions
Porting your application to multiple distributions is a task that conjures up images of large engineering and support costs, which detract from the real value of the Linux platform. It is the primary goal of the LDN to provide the skills and the tools to vastly reduce those costs by emphasizing portability techniques for cross-distro application development, or full LSB certification.
Porting to the LSB Demo
Note: This article is out of date in some places, but is kept for posterity.
Modifying an Existing Application
More and more ISVs and developers of existing applications are facing the choice of how to go about porting their application to Linux. Should they choose to port to just one Linux distribution or many? Is LSB certification right for their app?
Understanding the LSB Sample Implementation
Note: The following information is out of date, and is preserved here for posterity. Developers interested in testing LSB compliance should use at least two LSB-compliant operating systems in their testing instead.
Why another Linux build? Aren't there enough Linux distributions already?
The LSB Sample Implementation is not a general-purpose distribution; it's a limited test environment, and a proof-of-concept of building to the LSB specifications.
Build an LSB Compliant Application
Once the decision is made to build a new application that is LSB compliant, what needs to be done next? There is some setup involved to develop an application to the LSB. The steps involved in setting up are:
Building a New Application
In this section, builders of new applications can learn how easy it is to get their application ready for LSB certification, using the right tools to build and to test their application.
The LSB Software Development Kit (SDK) enables developers to validate the binaries and RPM packages to ensure LSB compliance and monitor the API usage by the application while the build is taking place so that conformance is assured.
Make Your App Portable
The path to application portability is dependent upon whether your application is already built, or still in production.
Linux Application Checker Getting Started
Having learned what the Linux Application Checker ("AppChecker") can do, it's now time to install and implement AppChecker. This document describes general steps on getting started with AppChecker, from installation to execution to interpreting the results.
All About the Linux Application Checker
The Linux Application Checker (also referred to as "AppChecker") is a powerful new tool designed to help software developers target Linux. It draws on the extensive testing framework developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Linux Foundation and leverages the work of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) workgroup.
That's the official version, but what does the tool's functionality really mean to application developers who want to write apps for Linux? In a few words: ease of portability.
Check Your App
However you want to improve your application, through maximizing portability or full LSB certification, the first step on the journey is determining the status of your application. Specifically, how portable is it now?
To help accomplish this, the Linux Developer Network is providing a great tool to help you see just how portable your current application is; even how close it is to the LSB standard already.
Strategies for Application Portability
As you seek to create a new Linux application, or improve upon an existing app, trying to achieve the benefits of cross-distribution portability may seem daunting. Fortunately, there are a number of tools and strategies to help you meet this goal.
LSB Introduction
An operating system’s success is inextricably linked with the number and quality of applications that run on top of it. Linux and its variances between distributions, however, present ISVs and individual developers with a unique set of challenges: different distributions of Linux make use of different versions of libraries, important files stored in different locations, and so on. If an ISV wants to reach a global Linux audience, they must support more than one distribution of Linux.
Learn About Portability
As more and more developers develop applications for Linux, a lot of questions about portability and application certification are raised: how can I build the most portable application for Linux? Is certification to the Linux Standard Base right for my application? How do I get started on the right path for me?
In this section, you will learn the answers to these questions and more, as you step through the process of creating a better Linux application.
LSB Application Checker Getting Started
This document describes general steps on getting started with the LSB Application Checker.
Recent updates
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