The LSB Developer Network launches

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

*/ /*

/FSG to Create a Central, Community-Based Destination for Software 
Developers Writing Portable Linux Applications/

San Francisco, Calif. - October 17, 2006 - 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 of O'Reilly content 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. Unlike proprietary vendors who control 
and centralize these developer programs, the FSG is harnessing the power 
of the Linux community and its members (which include 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 
<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.