1 | <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
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2 | <!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
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3 | "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
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4 | <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
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5 | %general-entities;
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6 | ]>
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7 |
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8 | <sect1 id="pre-why">
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9 | <?dbhtml filename="package-choices.html"?>
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10 |
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11 | <title>Rationale for Packages in the Book</title>
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12 |
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13 | <para>As stated earlier, the goal of LFS is to build a complete and usable
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14 | foundation-level system. This includes all packages needed to replicate
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15 | itself while providing a relatively minimal base from which to customize
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16 | a more complete system based on the choices of the user. This does not
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17 | mean that LFS is the smallest system possible. Several important packages
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18 | are included that are not strictly required. The lists below document the
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19 | rationale for each package in the book.</para>
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20 |
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21 | <itemizedlist>
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22 |
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23 | <listitem>
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24 | <para>Autoconf</para>
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25 |
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26 | <para>This package contains programs for producing shell scripts that
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27 | can automatically configure source code from a developer's
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28 | template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after updates
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29 | to the build procedures.</para>
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30 | </listitem>
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31 |
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32 | <listitem>
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33 | <para>Automake</para>
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34 |
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35 | <para>This package contains programs for generating Make files from
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36 | a template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after updates
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37 | to the build procedures.</para>
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38 | </listitem>
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39 |
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40 | <listitem>
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41 | <para>Bash</para>
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42 |
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43 | <para>This package satisfies an LSB core requirement to provide
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44 | a Bourne Shell interface to the system. It was chosen over
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45 | other shell packages because of its common usage and extensive
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46 | capabilities beyond basic shell functions.</para>
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47 | </listitem>
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48 |
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49 | <listitem>
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50 | <para>Binutils</para>
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51 |
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52 | <para>This package contains a linker, an assembler, and other
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53 | tools for handling object files. The programs in this package are
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54 | needed to compile most of the packages in an LFS system and beyond.</para>
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55 | </listitem>
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56 |
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57 | <listitem>
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58 | <para>Bison</para>
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59 |
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60 | <para>This package contains the GNU version of yacc (Yet Another
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61 | Compiler Compiler) needed to build several other LFS programs.</para>
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62 | </listitem>
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63 |
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64 | <listitem>
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65 | <para>Bzip2</para>
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66 |
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67 | <para>This package contains programs for compressing and decompressing
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68 | files. It is required to decompress many LFS packages.</para>
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69 | </listitem>
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70 |
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71 | <listitem>
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72 | <para>Coreutils</para>
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73 |
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74 | <para>This package contains a number of essential programs for viewing
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75 | and manipulating files and directories. These programs are needed for
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76 | command line file management, and are necessary for the installation
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77 | procedures of every package in LFS.</para>
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78 | </listitem>
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79 |
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80 | <listitem>
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81 | <para>DejaGNU</para>
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82 |
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83 | <para>This package contains a framework for testing other programs.
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84 | It is only installed in the temporary toolchain.</para>
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85 | </listitem>
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86 |
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87 | <listitem>
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88 | <para>Diffutils</para>
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89 |
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90 | <para>This package contains programs that show the differences
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91 | between files or directories. These programs can be used to create
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92 | patches, and are also used in many packages' build procedures.</para>
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93 | </listitem>
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94 |
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95 | <listitem>
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96 | <para>Expect</para>
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97 |
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98 | <para>This package contains a program for carrying out scripted
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99 | dialogues with other interactive programs. It is commonly used
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100 | for testing other packages. It is only installed in the temporary
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101 | toolchain.</para>
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102 | </listitem>
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103 |
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104 | <listitem>
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105 | <para>E2fsprogs</para>
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106 |
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107 | <para>This package contains the utilities for handling the ext2, ext3
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108 | and ext4 file systems. These are the most common and thoroughly
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109 | tested file systems that Linux supports.</para>
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110 | </listitem>
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111 |
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112 | <listitem>
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113 | <para>File</para>
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114 |
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115 | <para>This package contains a utility for determining the type of a
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116 | given file or files. A few packages need it to build.</para>
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117 | </listitem>
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118 |
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119 | <listitem>
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120 | <para>Findutils</para>
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121 |
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122 | <para>This package contains programs to find files in a file system.
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123 | It is used in many packages' build scripts.</para>
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124 | </listitem>
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125 |
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126 | <listitem>
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127 | <para>Flex</para>
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128 |
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129 | <para>This package contains a utility for generating programs that
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130 | recognize patterns in text. It is the GNU version of the lex
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131 | (lexical analyzer) program. It is required to build several
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132 | LFS packages.</para>
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133 | </listitem>
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134 |
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135 | <listitem>
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136 | <para>Gawk</para>
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137 |
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138 | <para>This package contains programs for manipulating text files.
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139 | It is the GNU version of awk (Aho-Weinberg-Kernighan). It is used in
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140 | many other packages' build scripts.</para>
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141 | </listitem>
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142 |
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143 | <listitem>
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144 | <para>Gcc</para>
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145 |
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146 | <para>This package is the Gnu Compiler Collection. It contains the
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147 | C and C++ compilers as well as several others not built by LFS.
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148 | </para>
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149 | </listitem>
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150 |
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151 | <listitem>
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152 | <para>GDBM</para>
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153 |
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154 | <para>This package contains the GNU Database Manager library. It
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155 | is used by one other LFS package, Man-DB.</para>
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156 | </listitem>
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157 |
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158 | <listitem>
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159 | <para>Gettext</para>
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160 |
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161 | <para>This package contains utilities and libraries for
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162 | internationalization and localization of numerous packages.</para>
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163 | </listitem>
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164 |
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165 | <listitem>
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166 | <para>Glibc</para>
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167 |
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168 | <para>This package contains the main C library. Linux programs would
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169 | not run without it.</para>
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170 | </listitem>
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171 |
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172 | <listitem>
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173 | <para>GMP</para>
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174 |
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175 | <para>This package contains math libraries that provide useful functions
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176 | for arbitrary precision arithmetic. It is required to build Gcc.</para>
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177 | </listitem>
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178 |
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179 | <listitem>
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180 | <para>Grep</para>
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181 |
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182 | <para>This package contains programs for searching through files. These
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183 | programs are used by most packages' build scripts.</para>
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184 | </listitem>
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185 |
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186 | <listitem>
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187 | <para>Groff</para>
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188 |
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189 | <para>This package contains programs for processing and formatting text.
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190 | One important function of these programs is to format man pages.</para>
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191 | </listitem>
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192 |
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193 | <listitem>
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194 | <para>GRUB</para>
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195 |
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196 | <para>This package is the Grand Unified Boot Loader. It is one
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197 | of several boot loaders available, but is the most flexible.
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198 | </para>
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199 | </listitem>
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200 |
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201 | <listitem>
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202 | <para>Gzip</para>
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203 |
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204 | <para>This package contains programs for compressing and
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205 | decompressing files. It is needed to decompress many packages in LFS
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206 | and beyond.</para>
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207 | </listitem>
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208 |
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209 | <listitem>
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210 | <para>Iana-etc</para>
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211 |
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212 | <para>This package provides data for network services and protocols.
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213 | It is needed to enable proper networking capabilities.</para>
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214 | </listitem>
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215 |
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216 | <listitem>
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217 | <para>Inetutils</para>
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218 |
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219 | <para>This package contains programs for basic network
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220 | administration.</para>
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221 | </listitem>
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222 |
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223 | <listitem>
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224 | <para>IProute2</para>
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225 |
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226 | <para>This package contains programs for basic and advanced IPv4 and
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227 | IPv6 networking. It was chosen over the other common network
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228 | tools package (net-tools) for its IPv6 capabilities. </para>
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229 | </listitem>
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230 |
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231 | <listitem>
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232 | <para>Kbd</para>
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233 |
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234 | <para>This package contains key-table files, keyboard utilities
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235 | for non-US keyboards, and a number of console fonts.</para>
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236 | </listitem>
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237 |
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238 | <listitem>
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239 | <para>Less</para>
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240 |
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241 | <para>This package contains a very nice text file viewer that
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242 | allows scrolling up or down when viewing a file. It is also used by
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243 | Man-DB for viewing manpages.</para>
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244 | </listitem>
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245 |
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246 | <listitem>
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247 | <para>Libtool</para>
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248 |
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249 | <para>This package contains the GNU generic library support
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250 | script. It wraps the complexity of using shared libraries in a
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251 | consistent, portable interface. It is needed by the test
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252 | suites in other LFS packages.</para>
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253 | </listitem>
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254 |
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255 | <listitem>
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256 | <para>Linux Kernel</para>
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257 |
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258 | <para>This package is the Operating System. It is the Linux in
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259 | the GNU/Linux environment.</para>
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260 | </listitem>
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261 |
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262 | <listitem>
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263 | <para>M4</para>
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264 |
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265 | <para>This package contains a general text macro processor useful
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266 | as a build tool for other programs.</para>
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267 | </listitem>
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268 |
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269 | <listitem>
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270 | <para>Make</para>
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271 |
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272 | <para>This package contains a program for directing the building
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273 | of packages. It is required by almost every package in LFS.</para>
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274 | </listitem>
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275 |
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276 | <listitem>
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277 | <para>Man-DB</para>
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278 |
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279 | <para>This package contains programs for finding and viewing man pages.
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280 | It was chosen instead of the <application>man</application> package
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281 | due to superior internationalization capabilities. It supplies
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282 | the man program.</para>
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283 | </listitem>
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284 |
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285 | <listitem>
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286 | <para>Man-pages</para>
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287 |
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288 | <para>This package contains the actual contents of the basic
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289 | Linux man pages.</para>
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290 | </listitem>
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291 |
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292 | <listitem>
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293 | <para>Module-Init-Tools</para>
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294 |
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295 | <para>This package contains programs needed to administer Linux
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296 | kernel modules.</para>
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297 | </listitem>
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298 |
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299 | <listitem>
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300 | <para>MPC</para>
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301 |
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302 | <para>This package contains functions for the arithmetic of complex
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303 | numbers. It is required by Gcc.</para>
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304 | </listitem>
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305 |
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306 | <listitem>
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307 | <para>MPFR</para>
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308 |
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309 | <para>This package contains functions for multiple precision
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310 | arithmetic. It is required by Gcc.</para>
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311 | </listitem>
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312 |
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313 | <listitem>
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314 | <para>Ncurses</para>
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315 |
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316 | <para>This package contains libraries for terminal-independent
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317 | handling of character screens. It is often used to provide
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318 | cursor control for a menuing system. It is needed by a number of
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319 | packages in LFS.</para>
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320 | </listitem>
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321 |
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322 | <listitem>
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323 | <para>Patch</para>
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324 |
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325 | <para>This package contains a program for modifying or creating files by
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326 | applying a <emphasis>patch</emphasis> file typically created
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327 | by the <application>diff</application> program. It is needed by
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328 | the build procedure for several LFS packages.</para>
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329 | </listitem>
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330 |
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331 | <listitem>
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332 | <para>PCRE</para>
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333 |
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334 | <para>This package provides a library that can be used to implement
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335 | regular expression pattern matching using the same syntax and semantics
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336 | as Perl 5. It is a mandatory dependency of Glib, and can also be used
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337 | by Grep.</para>
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338 | </listitem>
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339 |
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340 | <listitem>
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341 | <para>Perl</para>
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342 |
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343 | <para>This package is an interpreter for the runtime language
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344 | PERL. It is needed for the installation and test suites of several LFS
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345 | packages.</para>
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346 | </listitem>
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347 |
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348 | <listitem>
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349 | <para>Procps</para>
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350 |
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351 | <para>This package contains programs for monitoring processes. These
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352 | programs are useful for system administration, and are also used by
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353 | the LFS Bootscripts.</para>
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354 | </listitem>
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355 |
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356 | <listitem>
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357 | <para>Psmisc</para>
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358 |
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359 | <para>This package contains programs for displaying information
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360 | about running processes. These programs are useful for system
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361 | administration.</para>
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362 | </listitem>
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363 |
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364 | <listitem>
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365 | <para>Readline</para>
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366 |
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367 | <para>This package is a set of libraries that offers command-line
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368 | editing and history capabilities. It is used by Bash.</para>
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369 | </listitem>
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370 |
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371 | <listitem>
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372 | <para>Sed</para>
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373 |
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374 | <para>This package allows editing of text without opening it in a
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375 | text editor. It is also needed by most LFS packages' configure
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376 | scripts.</para>
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377 | </listitem>
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378 |
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379 | <listitem>
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380 | <para>Shadow</para>
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381 |
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382 | <para>This package contains programs for handling passwords
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383 | in a secure way.</para>
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384 | </listitem>
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385 |
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386 | <listitem>
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387 | <para>Sysklogd</para>
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388 |
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389 | <para>This package contains programs for logging system messages,
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390 | such as those given by the kernel or daemon processes when unusual
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391 | events occur.</para>
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392 | </listitem>
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393 |
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394 | <listitem>
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395 | <para>Sysvinit</para>
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396 |
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397 | <para>This package provides the <application>init</application>
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398 | program, which is the parent of all other processes on the Linux
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399 | system. </para>
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400 | </listitem>
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401 |
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402 | <listitem>
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403 | <para>Tar</para>
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404 |
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405 | <para>This package provides archiving and extraction capabilities
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406 | of virtually all packages used in LFS.</para>
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407 | </listitem>
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408 |
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409 | <listitem>
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410 | <para>Tcl</para>
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411 |
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412 | <para>This package contains the Tool Command Language used
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413 | in many test suites in LFS packages. It is only installed in
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414 | the temporary toolchain.</para>
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415 | </listitem>
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416 |
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417 | <listitem>
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418 | <para>Texinfo</para>
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419 |
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420 | <para>This package contains programs for reading, writing, and
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421 | converting info pages. It is used in the installation
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422 | procedures of many LFS packages.</para>
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423 | </listitem>
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424 |
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425 | <listitem>
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426 | <para>Udev</para>
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427 |
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428 | <para>This package contains programs for dynamic creation of
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429 | device nodes. It is an alternative to creating thousands of
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430 | static devices in the /dev directory.</para>
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431 | </listitem>
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432 |
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433 | <listitem>
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434 | <para>Util-linux</para>
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435 |
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436 | <para>This package contains miscellaneous utility programs.
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437 | Among them are utilities for handling file systems, consoles,
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438 | partitions, and messages.</para>
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439 | </listitem>
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440 |
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441 | <listitem>
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442 | <para>Vim</para>
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443 |
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444 | <para>This package contains an editor. It was chosen because of its
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445 | compatibility with the classic vi editor and its huge number of powerful
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446 | capabilities. An editor is a very personal choice for
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447 | many users and any other editor could be substituted if desired.</para>
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448 | </listitem>
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449 |
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450 | <listitem>
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451 | <para>XZ Utils</para>
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452 |
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453 | <para>This package contains programs for compressing and decompressing
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454 | files. It provides the highest compression generally available
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455 | and is useful for decompressing packages XZ or LZMA format.</para>
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456 | </listitem>
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457 |
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458 | <listitem>
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459 | <para>Zlib</para>
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460 |
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461 | <para>This package contains compression and decompression routines
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462 | used by some programs.</para>
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463 | </listitem>
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464 |
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465 | </itemizedlist>
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466 |
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467 | </sect1>
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468 |
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