Linux Software Map

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Linux Software Map (LSM) is a standard text file format for describing Linux software. It also refers to the database constructed from these files. LSM is one of the standard methods for announcing a new software release for Linux.

[edit] File format

If a Linux program is to be distributed widely, an LSM file may be created to describe the program, normally in a file called software_package_name.lsm. This file begins with Begin4 and ends with End. It has one field on each line. The field name is separated from the value by ': '. Mandatory fields are Title, Version, Entered-date, Description, Author and Primary-site. Here is a what a blank LSM template looks like, at time of writing:

Begin4
Title:
Version:
Entered-date:
Description:
Keywords:
Author:
Maintained-by:
Primary-site:
Alternate-site:
Original-site:
Platforms:
Copying-policy:
End

[edit] Database

The collective database of LSM entries can be searched in order to locate software of a particular type. This database has passed through various owners. It was created by Jeff Kopmanis, Lars Wirzenius maintained it for a while, and now the current maintainer is Aaron Schrab (with help from volunteers).

The database can be downloaded in its entirety, or one can perform limited queries using a web interface.