About POSIX® and Certification

POSIX stands for Portable Operating System Interface. Although coined to refer to the original IEEE standard 1003.1-1988, today POSIX refers to a family or set of IEEE and ISO standards that define an interface between programs and operating systems.

Heavily influenced by the UNIX(R) system, the latest revision of IEEE 1003.1, Standard for Information Technology-Portable Operating System Interface, merges with The Open Group's Base specifications, which comprise the core of the Single UNIX Specification Version 3.

By defining their programs to conform to POSIX, developers have assurance that their software can be easily ported to POSIX-conformant operating systems. This includes most UNIX systems, (http://www.unix.org/) the multi-user, multi-tasking operating system that is a leading operating system for workstations.

Under the "POSIX Certified by IEEE and The Open Group" program, suppliers will be able to substantiate claims of conformance to POSIX based on defined test suites so buyers can gain assurance that products they specify and procure meet the standard and are warranted by the vendors to do so.

Additional information about POSIX can be found in a backgrounder (http://www.opengroup.org/austin/papers/backgrounder.html) and technical FAQ (http://www.opengroup.org/austin/papers/posix_faq.html) developed by The Open Group.

A comprehensive list of IEEE POSIX standards for ordering is found at the IEEE Online Store.