Linux Software Map

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.

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 a colon (:). Mandatory fields are Title, Version, Entered-date, Description, Author and Primary-site.

Example

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

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.

External links

* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/LSM-TEMPLATE.html LSM template version 4] on ibiblio.org
* [http://lsm.qqx.org/lsm/LSM.gz Entire LSM Database]
* [http://www.boutell.com/lsm/ Web interface] maintained by Thomas Boutell
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/linsearch/index.html Simple LSM Search] on ibiblio.org
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/linsearch/index.html Advanced LSM Search] on ibiblio.org
* [http://lsm.execpc.com/lsm/ Instructions for New Entries]