Group offers new version of Linux standard

The Linux Standard Base has released its penultimate version of a standard that will make it easier to guarantee software will work with different versions of the Linux operating system. The new version 0.9 was released for a 30-day public review period, after which the draft will be submitted to the Free Standards Group, said Scott McNeil, a VA Linux Systems employee and member of the standards group.

The Linux standardization effort is intended to prevent the fragmenting that split Unix into several incompatible versions. Contributors include many of the major companies selling Linux, such as Caldera International, Mandrake, Red Hat, SuSE and Turbolinux, as well as other companies that have a stake in the operating system, such as IBM, VA, Metro Link, Linuxcare and Intel, McNeil said.