Changeset 77355e7b


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Timestamp:
05/24/2009 06:22:48 AM (15 years ago)
Author:
Gerard Beekmans <gerard@…>
Branches:
10.0, 10.0-rc1, 10.1, 10.1-rc1, 11.0, 11.0-rc1, 11.0-rc2, 11.0-rc3, 11.1, 11.1-rc1, 11.2, 11.2-rc1, 11.3, 11.3-rc1, 12.0, 12.0-rc1, 12.1, 12.1-rc1, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.5-systemd, 7.6, 7.6-systemd, 7.7, 7.7-systemd, 7.8, 7.8-systemd, 7.9, 7.9-systemd, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 9.0, 9.1, arm, bdubbs/gcc13, ml-11.0, multilib, renodr/libudev-from-systemd, s6-init, trunk, xry111/arm64, xry111/arm64-12.0, xry111/clfs-ng, xry111/lfs-next, xry111/loongarch, xry111/loongarch-12.0, xry111/loongarch-12.1, xry111/mips64el, xry111/pip3, xry111/rust-wip-20221008, xry111/update-glibc
Children:
aa0a1be
Parents:
64eb25d
Message:

First draft of new Audience section.

git-svn-id: ​http://svn.linuxfromscratch.org/LFS/trunk/BOOK@8908 4aa44e1e-78dd-0310-a6d2-fbcd4c07a689

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  • prologue/audience.xml

    r64eb25d r77355e7b  
    1111  <title>Audience</title>
    1212
    13   <para>There are many reasons why somebody would want to read this book.
    14   The principal reason is to install a Linux system from the source code.
    15   A question many people raise is, <quote>why go through all the hassle of
    16   manually building a Linux system from scratch when you can just download
    17   and install an existing one?</quote> That is a good question and is the
    18   impetus for this section of the book.</para>
     13<para>There are many reasons why you would want to read this book. One of the
     14questions many people raise is, <quote>why go through all the hassle of manually
     15building a Linux system from scratch when you can just download and install
     16an existing one?</quote></para>
    1917
    20   <para>One important reason for LFS's existence is to help people learn
    21   how a Linux system works from the inside out. Building an LFS system
    22   helps demonstrate what makes Linux tick, and how things work together
    23   and depend on each other. One of the best things that this learning
    24   experience provides is the ability to customize Linux to your own tastes
    25   and needs.</para>
     18<para>One important reason for this project's existence is to help you learn how
     19a Linux system works from the inside out. Building an LFS system helps
     20demonstrate what makes Linux tick, and how things work together and depend
     21on each other. One of the best things that this learning experience can
     22provide you with is the ability to customize a Linux system to suit your
     23own unique needs.</para>
    2624
    27   <para>A key benefit of LFS is that it allows users to have more control
    28   over the system without relying on someone else's Linux implementation.
    29   With LFS, <emphasis>you</emphasis> are in the driver's seat and dictate
    30   every aspect of the system, such as the directory layout and bootscript
    31   setup. You also dictate where, why, and how programs are installed.</para>
     25<para>A key benefit of LFS is that it allows you to have more control over the
     26system without relying on someone else's Linux implementation. With LFS,
     27you are in the driver's seat and dictate every aspect of the system.</para>
    3228
    33   <para>Another benefit of LFS is the ability to create a very compact Linux
    34   system. When installing a regular distribution, one is often forced to
    35   include several programs which are probably never used. These programs
    36   waste disk space, or worse, CPU cycles. It is not difficult to build an
    37   LFS system of less than 100 megabytes (MB), which is substantially smaller
    38   than the majority of existing installations. Does this still sound like a
    39   lot of space? A few of us have been working on creating a very small
    40   embedded LFS system. We successfully built a system that was specialized
    41   to run the Apache web server with approximately 8MB of disk space used.
    42   Further stripping could bring this down to 5 MB or less. Try that with a
    43   regular distribution! This is only one of the many benefits of designing
    44   your own Linux implementation.</para>
     29<para>LFS allows you to create very compact Linux systems. When installing
     30regular distributions, you are often forced to install a great many
     31programs which are probably never used or understood. These programs waste
     32resources. You may argue that with today's hard drive and CPUs, such
     33resources are no longer a consideration. Sometimes, however, you are still
     34constrained by size considerations if nothing else. Think about bootable
     35CDs, USB sticks and embedded systems. Those are areas where LFS can be
     36beneficial.</para>
    4537
    46   <para>We could compare Linux distributions to a hamburger purchased at a
    47   fast-food restaurant&mdash;you have no idea what might be in what you are
    48   eating. LFS, on the other hand, does not give you a hamburger. Rather,
    49   LFS provides the recipe to make the exact hamburger desired. This allows
    50   users to review the recipe, omit unwanted ingredients, and add your own
    51   ingredients to enhance the flavor of the burger. When you are satisfied
    52   with the recipe, move on to preparing it. It can be made to exact
    53   specifications&mdash;broil it, bake it, deep-fry it, or barbecue it.</para>
     38<para>Another advantage of a custom built Linux system is security. By compiling
     39the entire system from source code, you are empowered to audit everything
     40and apply all the security patches desired. It is no longer necessary to
     41wait for somebody else to compile binary packages that fix a security hole.
     42Unless you examine the patch and implement it yourself, you have no
     43guarantee that the new binary package was built correctly and adequately
     44fixes the problem.</para>
    5445
    55   <para>Another analogy that we can use is that of comparing LFS with a
    56   finished house. LFS provides the skeletal plan of a house, but it is up
    57   to you to build it. LFS maintains the freedom to adjust plans throughout
    58   the process, customizing it to the user's needs and preferences.</para>
     46<para>The goal of Linux From Scratch is to build a complete and usable
     47foundation-level system. If you do not wish to build your own Linux system
     48from scratch, you may not entirely benefit from the information in this
     49book. If you only want to know what happens while the computer boots, we
     50recommend the <quote>From Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO located at
     51<ulink url="http://axiom.anu.edu.au/~okeefe/p2b/"/> or on The Linux
     52Documentation Project's (TLDP) website at <ulink
     53url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html"/>.
     54The HOWTO builds a system which is similar to that of this book, but it
     55focuses strictly on creating a system capable of booting to a BASH prompt.
     56Consider your objective. If you wish to build a Linux system while learning
     57along the way, then this book is your best choice.</para>
    5958
    60   <para>An additional advantage of a custom built Linux system is security.
    61   By compiling the entire system from source code, you are empowered to audit
    62   everything and apply all the security patches desired. It is no longer
    63   necessary to wait for somebody else to compile binary packages that fix a
    64   security hole. Unless you examine the patch and implement it yourself, you
    65   have no guarantee that the new binary package was built correctly and
    66   adequately fixes the problem.</para>
    67 
    68   <para>The goal of Linux From Scratch is to build a complete and usable
    69   foundation-level system. Readers who do not wish to build their own Linux
    70   system from scratch may not benefit from the information in this book. If
    71   you only want to know what happens while the computer boots, we recommend
    72   the <quote>From Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO located at
    73   <ulink url="http://axiom.anu.edu.au/~okeefe/p2b/"/> or on The Linux
    74   Documentation Project's (TLDP) website at <ulink
    75   url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html"/>.
    76   The HOWTO builds a system which is similar to that of this book, but it
    77   focuses strictly on creating a system capable of booting to a BASH prompt.
    78   Consider your objective. If you wish to build a Linux system while learning
    79   along the way, then this book is your best choice.</para>
    80 
    81   <para>There are too many good reasons to build your own LFS system to
    82   list them all here. This section is only the tip of the iceberg. As
    83   you continue in your LFS experience, you will find the power that
    84   information and knowledge truly bring.</para>
     59<para>There are too many good reasons to build your own LFS system to list them
     60all here. In the end, education is by far the most powerful of reasons. As
     61you continue in your LFS experience, you will discover the power that
     62information and knowledge truly bring.</para>
    8563
    8664</sect1>
     65
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