Editing Linux Standard Base (section)

{{Short description|Former standard for Linux distributions}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox technology standard
| title             = Linux Standard Base
| long_name         = 
| image             = Lsb-logo.jpg
| image_size        = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = The LSB logo
| abbreviation      = LSB
| status            = Published
| year_started      = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| first_published   = {{Start date|2001|06|29}}
| version           = 5.0
| version_date      = June 2, 2015
| organization      = 
| committee         = [[ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22]]
| series            = ISO/IEC 23360
| editors           = 
| authors           = 
| base_standards    = [[POSIX]], [[Single UNIX Specification|SUS]]
| related_standards = 
| predecessor       = 
| successor         = 
| domain            = [[Software compatibility]]
| license           = 
| copyright         = 
| website           = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}

The '''Linux Standard Base''' ('''LSB''') was a joint project by several [[Linux distribution]]s{{Which|date=March 2025}} under the organizational structure of the [[Linux Foundation]] to standardize the software system structure, including the [[Filesystem Hierarchy Standard]]. LSB was based on the [[POSIX]] specification, the [[Single UNIX Specification]] (SUS), and several other open standards, but extended them in certain areas.

According to LSB:
<blockquote>
The goal of the LSB is to develop and promote a set of open standards that will increase compatibility among Linux distributions and enable software applications to run on any compliant system [[application binary interface|even in binary form]]. In addition, the LSB will help coordinate efforts to recruit software vendors to port and write products for Linux Operating Systems.
</blockquote>

LSB compliance might be certified for a product by a certification procedure.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/Certification
 | title       = Certifying an Application to the LSB
 | publisher   = [[Linux Foundation]]
 | year        = 2008
 | access-date  = 2010-04-26
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090715171638/http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/Certification
 | archive-date = July 15, 2009
 | df          = mdy-all}}</ref>

LSB specified standard [[library (software)|libraries]] (centered around the {{code|ld-lsb.so}}), a number of commands and utilities that extend the [[POSIX]] standard, the layout of the [[Filesystem Hierarchy Standard|file system hierarchy]], [[run level]]s, the printing system, including [[spooling|spoolers]] such as [[CUPS]] and tools like [[Foomatic]], and several extensions to the [[X Window System]]. It also specified boot facilities, such as ''$local_fs'', ''$network'', which were used to indicate service dependencies in [[UNIX System V|System V]]-style initialization scripts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Facility Names |url=http://refspecs.linuxbase.org/LSB_3.1.1/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/facilname.html |work=Linux Standard Base Core Specification 3.1 |year=2005}}</ref> A machine readable comment block at the top of a script provided the information necessary to determine at which point of the initialization process the script should be invoked; it was called the LSB header.<ref>{{cite web |title=Comment conventions for init scripts |url=https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/LSB_3.1.1/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/initscrcomconv.html |work=Linux Standard Base Core Specification 3.1 |year=2005}}</ref>

The command <code>lsb_release -a</code> was available in many systems to get the LSB version details, or could be made available by installing an appropriate package, for example the <code>redhat-lsb</code> package in [[Red Hat|Red-Hat]]-flavored distributions such as [[Fedora (operating system)|Fedora]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.fedoraproject.org/packages/redhat-lsb|title=Package redhat-lsb|work=fedoraproject.org|access-date=August 15, 2015|archive-date=September 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901033736/https://apps.fedoraproject.org/packages/redhat-lsb|url-status=dead}}</ref> or the <code>lsb-release</code> package in Debian-based distributions.

The standard stopped being updated in 2015 and current Linux distributions do not adhere to or offer it; however, the <code>lsb_release</code> command is sometimes still available.{{cn|date = October 2021}} On February 7, 2023, a former maintainer of the LSB wrote, "The LSB project is essentially abandoned."<ref>{{cite web|title=Re: Archive of this Mailing List|url=https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/lsb-discuss/2023-February/008278.html|work=lsb-discuss mailing list|date=February 7, 2023|archive-date=February 7, 2023|archive-url=https://www.mail-archive.com/lsb-discuss@lists.linux-foundation.org/msg00201.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Lsb release -a 01.png|thumb|right|An example of LSB output in a terminal (Debian version 11)]]