Big Names Back Possible Linux Standards

Sean Feryl writes "Adobe Systems, IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Novell, RealNetworks and Red Hat are all backing the new Linux standards effort led by the Free Standards Group to form standards for key components of Linux desktop software, including libraries, application runtime and install time. The goal is to encourage the development of more applications for the Linux platform. 'With this complex and costly development and support environment, independent software vendors may choose not to target the Linux desktop, leading to reduced choice for end users and an inability to compete with proprietary operating systems', the group said." Also covered on FoxNews.

Comments

Any chance

[Anonymous Coward]

they can all decide to put similar files in similar places?

Not /etc/X11/

I LVOE IT!

This sounds good

[Stevyn]

It looks like companies, specifically Adobe, are realizing that people want to switch from windows to linux, but a big problem is still the native applications that are available. This is the long time chicken and egg problem facing linux growth. Adobe reader 7 for linux is great and works just as good as the windows counterpart so hopefully we'll see photoshop and the other parts of CS2 ported to linux. And if microsoft doesn't want to port their applications to linux (for obvious reasons) then I think people can still find good alternatives to their programs and use programs like photoshop that they are familiar with.

good intentions, but really a trojan horse

[CDPatten]

The more big companies get involved in forcing standards, the less the single developer at home has to say about what happens with the OS.

One of the strengths that Linux has is that anyone can write good code and alter the direction. If Money driven corporations start calling shots, then politics come into play, and they start promoting/forcing standards that are advantageous to how they believe the market should be, or standards that work best with their business model.

This is really a wolf in sheep's clothing.

A Window By Any Other Name

[yancey]

I find it interesting and somewhat disturbing that the only way to achieve broad acceptance of an operating system is to offer the product with as few options as possible. An gross exaggeration? Yes, but consider this. The article states, "Developing applications for Linux desktops is a complicated endeavor now because of significant differences between two prevailing versions, called GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) and KDE (K Desktop Environment)." So what we're saying is that an OS cannot be accepted by the masses if it has a choice of desktop environments, because it's hard to develop for two desktop environments? You know, a window is a window is a window. Is the code needed to create a window not abstracted from the window manager? Is what you display within the window dependent on the window manager? I don't see why this is so hard. Someone explain it to me. I know you will. :-)

Apt...rpm...KDE...Gnome...choices choices

[manarth]

independent software vendors may choose not to target the Linux desktop

From TFA:

Some big names in the computer industry are pledging to make the development of desktop applications for the Linux operating system much easier than it has been.

I'm all for a good set of standards; installation already varies across apts, rpms, and make installs. The article raises the issue of a standard desktop installation method, question is, will we see yet another install method?

How will this impact server systems and installation methods (apt/rpm) for non-desktop systems? What about software that operates desktop framework components and what you'd typically consider 'server' stuff...will there be two installation methods, one for the desktop and another for the service?

Cross-desktop compatibility...

I'm sure everyone here knows of KDE and Gnome as the two most popular desktops - so will these standards just be targeted at these? Or just one of these? What about the (near infinite) variety of other windowing systems - the only common thread is X-Windows (and not always that...what's about Sun's JDS Java Desktop System?)

Packaging Photoshop for linux will always be difficult because of this variety - Adobe can only support so many variations. The only way this will work is if they standardise on a single desktop system, killing off the others.

TFA talks about 'the first specification for Linux desktop software' and 'It plans to give compliant applications a "Linux Standard Base Desktop" certification mark.'. This does indeed suggest the death knell is sounding for variety on the linux desktop.