Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 achieves LSB Internationalization Runtime Environment Certification

Mumbai: Red Hat INC, the world''s premier open source solution provider to the enterprise, yesterday announced that Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 is the first operating system to be certified by the Free Standards Group to conform with the Linux Standard Base (LSB) Internationalised Runtime Environment. The certification is consistent with Red Hat''s open source architecture strategy to provide a common, standards-based computing environment across the enterprise.

Red Hat is also the first vendor to commit publicly to the OpenI18N endorsed input method framework called IIIMF, which allows input of complex text languages, such as Chinese, Japanese and Hindi, and switching between them. The goal of OpenI18N is to be an open neutral body that takes care of internationalisation issues in open source software to avoid different countries establishing unique standards for Linux.

"LSB Internationalisation Runtime Environment Certification provides a paradigm of ''write once, run anywhere in the world'', allowing developers to write software that can more easily adapt to any language and culture," said Scott McNeil, executive director of the Free Standards Group. "Through certification, Red Hat ensures its compatibility across not only enterprise infrastructures, but language and cultural variations as well."

"The new IIIMF input method framework, will become the core component of Indic computing as we have to deal with switching between multiple languages and multiple keyboard layouts," said Satish Mohan, head engineering, Red Hat India. "This certification will help communities working on local language enablement to select the correct platform for development. "

The LSB is a workgroup under the Free Standards Group and a community effort to standardise the elements of Linux-based operating systems so that independent software vendors (ISVs) can support all Linux-based operating systems. The LSB standardises the core functionality of Linux and the suite of GNU tools, giving Linux distributions and Linux-based applications the opportunity to reach a wider market, while allowing application developers to concentrate on increased functionality. As a long-time supporter of this effort, Red Hat believes that standardisation is an important goal for the Linux community and plans to continue aiding this venture.