source: book/preface.xml@ e99d2b6

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<preface id="preface" xreflabel="Preface">
  <?dbhtml filename="preface.html" dir="preface"?>

  <title>Preface</title>

  <para>
    Having helped out with Linux From Scratch for a short time, I
    noticed that we were getting many queries as to how to do things beyond
    the base LFS system.  At the time, the only assistance specifically offered
    relating to LFS were the LFS hints (<ulink url="&hints-root;"/>).
    Most of the LFS hints are extremely good and well written
    but I (and others) could still see a need for more comprehensive help to
    go Beyond LFS &mdash; hence BLFS.
  </para>

  <para>
    BLFS aims to be more than the LFS-hints converted to XML although
    much of our work is based around the hints and indeed some authors write
    both hints and the relevant BLFS sections.  We hope that we can provide
    you with enough information to not only manage to build your system up to
    what you want, whether it be a web server or a multimedia desktop system,
    but also that you will learn a lot about system configuration as you go.
  </para>

  <para>
    Thanks as ever go to everyone in the LFS/BLFS
    community; especially those who have contributed instructions, written text,
    answered questions and generally shouted when things were wrong!
  </para>

  <para>
    Finally, we encourage you to become involved in the community; ask
    questions on the mailing list or news gateway and join in the fun on #lfs
    and #lfs-support at Libera. You can find more details about all of these
    in the <xref linkend="introduction"/> section of the book.
  </para>

  <para>
    Enjoy using BLFS.
  </para>

  <blockquote>
<literallayout>Mark Hymers
markh &lt;at&gt; &lfs-domainname;
BLFS Editor (July 2001&ndash;March 2003)</literallayout>
  </blockquote>

  <para>
    I still remember how I found the BLFS project
    and started using the instructions that were completed at the time.  I could
    not believe how wonderful it was to get an application up and running very
    quickly, with explanations as to why things were done a certain way.
    Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't long before I was opening applications that
    had nothing more  than "To be done" on the page.  I did what most would do,
    I waited for someone else to do it.  It wasn't too long before I am looking
    through  <application>Bugzilla</application> for something easy to do.
    As with any learning experience, the definition of what was easy kept
    changing.
  </para>

  <para>
    We still encourage you to become involved as BLFS is
    never really finished.  Contributing or just using, we hope you enjoy
    your BLFS experience.
  </para>

  <blockquote>
<literallayout>Larry Lawrence
larry &lt;at&gt; &lfs-domainname;
BLFS Editor (March 2003&ndash;June 2004)</literallayout>
  </blockquote>

  <para>
    The BLFS project is a natural progression of
    LFS.  Together, these projects provide a unique resource for
    the Open Source Community.  They take the mystery out of the process of
    building a complete, functional software system from the source code
    contributed by many talented individuals throughout the world.  They truly
    allow users to implement the slogan
    <quote><emphasis>Your distro, your rules</emphasis></quote>.
  </para>

  <para>
    Our goal is to continue to provide the best resource available that shows
    you how to integrate many significant Open Source applications.  Since these
    applications are constantly updated and new applications are developed, this
    book will never be complete.  Additionally, there is always room for
    improvement in explaining the nuances of how to install the different
    packages.  To make these improvements, we need your feedback.  I encourage
    you to participate on the different mailing lists, news groups, and
    IRC channels to help meet these goals.
  </para>

  <blockquote>
<literallayout>Bruce Dubbs
bdubbs &lt;at&gt; &lfs-domainname;
BLFS Editor (June 2004&ndash;December 2006 and February 2011&ndash;now)</literallayout>
  </blockquote>

  <para>
    My introduction to the [B]LFS project was actually by accident. I
    was trying to build a <application>GNOME</application> environment using
    some how-tos and other information I found on the web. A couple of times
    I ran into some build issues and Googling pulled up some old BLFS mailing
    list messages. Out for curiosity, I visited the Linux From Scratch web site
    and shortly thereafter was hooked. I've not used any other Linux
    distribution for personal use since.
  </para>

  <para>
    I can't promise anyone will feel the sense of satisfaction I felt
    after building my first few systems using [B]LFS instructions, but I
    sincerely hope that your BLFS experience is as rewarding for you as it has
    been for me.
  </para>

  <para>
    The BLFS project has grown significantly the last couple of years.
    There are more package instructions and related dependencies than ever
    before. The project requires your input for continued success. If you
    discover that you enjoy building BLFS, please consider helping out in any
    way you can. BLFS requires hundreds of hours of maintenance to keep it
    even semi-current. If you feel confident enough in your editing skills,
    please consider joining the BLFS team. Simply contributing to the mailing
    list discussions with sound advice and/or providing patches to the book's
    XML will probably result in you receiving an invitation to join the
    team.
  </para>

  <blockquote>
<literallayout>Randy McMurchy
randy &lt;at&gt; &lfs-domainname;
BLFS Editor (December 2006&ndash;January 2011)</literallayout>
  </blockquote>

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