Subject: Announce: NetBSD gets permission to incorporate POSIX(R) material
To: None <netbsd-announce@NetBSD.org>
From: Hubert Feyrer <hubertf@NetBSD.org>
List: netbsd-announce
Date: 02/15/2006 21:14:13
  * The NetBSD Foundation gets permission from IEEE and The Open Group
    to incorporate material from the POSIX(R) standard

PISCATAWAY, N.J., SAN FRANCISCO, C.A., AND NEW YORK, N.Y. - 15 FEBRUARY, 
2006 - The IEEE and The Open Group have granted permission to the NetBSD 
Foundation to incorporate documentation for more than 1,400 interfaces 
from the joint IEEE 1003.1" POSIX(R) standard and The Open Group Base 
Specifications Issue 6 into its NetBSD operating system.

This step benefits developers in the NetBSD Project and software engineers 
using NetBSD as their target platform. NetBSD developers can now use 
standard documentation to express that a NetBSD operating system conforms 
to the POSIX standard. The step also gives engineers who write software to 
run on NetBSD a better understanding of how to create portable programs 
using IEEE 1003.1, "Standard for Information Technology: Portable 
Operating System Interface (POSIX)".

The POSIX standard, which also forms the core volumes of Version 3 of The 
Open Group's Single UNIX(R) Specification, defines a set of fundamental 
services needed for the construction of portable application programs. The 
more than 1,400 interfaces from the standard the NetBSD Foundation can now 
use includes header files, interfaces for system and library calls, and 
utilities.

"One of the NetBSD Project's goals is to conform to standards when this 
makes sense, said Alistair Crooks, president of the NetBSD foundation. 
We appreciate the opportunity The Open Group has presented to us to have 
our documentation reflect the POSIX standard, which has been widely 
adopted in the IT community.

This permission will benefit our users, to whom standards compliance means 
a great deal. It is also a huge step forward for some of our developers, 
especially those whose native language is not English, in that 
documentation can be adopted which accurately, succinctly and clearly 
describes all software features and uses."

Andrew Josey, Director of Certification at The Open Group and Chair of the 
Austin Group said, "We're very pleased to extend this grant to the NetBSD 
project. It continues the momentum POSIX has built as the defacto base 
platform for truly open software."

For information on POSIX(R) visit http://posixcertified.ieee.org.


  * About the NetBSD Project

NetBSD is a free, secure and highly portable Unix-like Open Source 
operating system available for many platforms, from 64-bit Opteron 
machines and desktop systems to handheld and embedded devices. Its clean 
design and advanced features make it excellent in both production and 
research environments. It is user-supported with complete source. Many 
applications are easily available through pkgsrc, the NetBSD Packages 
Collection. More information: http://www.NetBSD.org/


  * About The Open Group

The Open Group is a vendor - neutral and technology- neutral consortium, 
which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow(TM) that will 
enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises 
based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works 
with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role 
is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, 
establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate 
interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate 
specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set 
of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to 
operate the industry s premier certification service. Further information 
on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.


  * About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards - setting 
body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings 
diverse parts of an industry together. These standards set specifications 
and procedures based on current scientific consensus. The IEEE-SA has a 
portfolio of more than 870 completed standards and more than 400 standards 
in development. For information on IEEE-SA see: 
http://standards.ieee.org/.


  * About the IEEE

The IEEE has more than 375,000 members in approximately 150 countries. 
Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on areas 
ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, 
electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 
percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics 
engineering, computing and control technology fields. This nonprofit 
organization also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical 
conferences each year. Additional information about the IEEE can be found 
at http://www.ieee.org.