The open source standards group, which is behind the Linux Standards Base and OpenI18N internationalization initiative, has launched the LSB Desktop Project, following through on intentions announced in January to target Linux standard modules at the server and desktop markets.
The LSB has been adopted by all the major Linux distributors, and the formation of LSB Desktop Project has also prompted the participation of a cross-section of vendors promoting Linux as a desktop operating system.
As well as distributors Red Hat, Novell, Mandriva, Linspire, and Xandros, LSB Desktop Project members also include IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel on the hardware side, as well as Adobe Systems, RealNetworks, and Trolltech on the software side.
LSB Desktop members will be contributing time and resources to help the project achieve its goal of standardizing common libraries and application behavior on Linux desktop distributions, making it easier for developers to target desktop Linux.
As well as multiple distributions, desktop Linux also faces the challenge of two competing desktop environments, KDE and Gnome. According to the Free Standards Group, common application runtime and install requirements are crucial if Linux is to achieve widespread adoption on the desktop.
Desktop users and applications require a high degree of interoperability, said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Free Standards Group. Without the standardization of key components, Linux on the desktop’s success will be hindered.
RealNetworks’ general manager of Helix, Kevin Foreman, welcomed the project and stated that it will make it easier for the company to port its Helix Player media framework to Linux without the need for rewrites to numerous distributions.
The LSB Desktop specification will be built on top of existing common practices and specifications and will act as a workgroup of the larger LSB effort, ensuring that standards will be maintained across desktop and server distributions. The project will also build on existing best practices generated by the Freedesktop.org project.
The first LSB Desktop specification is due to be published in early 2006 with certifications expected shortly after. Distributions that have passed certification testing will be given a Linux Standards Base Desktop certification mark.
The formation of the LSB Desktop Project is the latest in a number of initiatives launched this month to improve the potential for desktop Linux. Novell last week announced something called the Better Desktop Initiative, which is a new part of the openSUSE project and designed to demonstrate practical Linux usability lessons. A few days later a group of Linux desktop developers and artists launched the Tango Project to improve the look and feel of open source desktops.
