Caldera today announced that they have contracted with Richard
Sharpeof the Samba team to create a client library that will make
Linux and Microsoft integration easier for developers. The
Caldera-funded project includes the development of library source
code, associated reorganization and reuse of Samba code and
documentation of the library application program interface (API).
As part of the Samba project, the library and documentation will be
available under the GPL. Caldera’s engineering group will work with
the Samba team to complete the project by February 2001.
“Richard Sharpe is perfectly suited for this project,” said John
Terpstra, vice president of technology and Open Source strategist
for Caldera Systems, Inc. “We believe this library built with Samba
code will become the standard for developers writing software that
integrates with Microsoft networks.”
“The benefit of this announcement to businesses and developers
can be summarized in one word – choice,” said Bill Claybrook,
research director for Linux and Open Source software at the
Aberdeen Group. “A library that makes Linux and Windows integration
possible will encourage more developers to choose Linux application
and tool development. The end result for businesses is the choice
to consider the best applications and tools from either
platform.”
Developers interested in more technical detail on the project
can visit the Samba Web page at http://www.samba.org