mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
114 lines
5.4 KiB
XML
114 lines
5.4 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<chapter id="initiation">
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<title>Project Initiation</title>
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<sect1>
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<title>A Brief History of GNU/Linux</title>
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<para>In the early 90's GNU/Linux systems consisted of little more than a
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beta-quality Linux kernel and a small collection of software ported from
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the GNU project. It was a true hacker's operating system. There were no
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CD-ROM's or GUI installation tools; everything had to be compiled and
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configured by the end user. Being a Linux Expert meant knowing your system
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inside and out.</para>
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<para>Toward the middle of the decade several GNU/Linux distributions
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began appearing. One of the first was <ulink
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url="http://www.slackware.org">Slackware</ulink> in 1993 and since then
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there have been many others. Even though there are many "flavors" of Linux
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today, the main purpose of the distribution remains the same. The
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distribution automates many of the tasks involved in GNU/Linux
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installation and configuration taking the burden off of the system
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administrator. Being a Linux Expert now means knowing which button to
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click in the GUI administration tool.</para>
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<para>Recently there has been a yearn for a return to the "good old days"
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of Linux when men were men, sysadmins were hardcore geeks and everything
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was compiled from source code. A notable indication of this movement was
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the publication of the Linux-From-Scratch-HOWTO version 1.0 by Gerard
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Beekmans in 1999. Being a Linux Expert once again means knowing how to do
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it yourself.</para>
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<para>For more historical information, see Ragib Hasan's "History of
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Linux" at <ulink
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url="http://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rhasan/linux">http://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rhasan/linux</ulink></para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>The Goal of Pocket Linux</title>
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<para>The purpose of Pocket Linux is to support and encourage people who
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wish to explore Linux by building a GNU/Linux system from nothing but
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source code. Pocket Linux is not intended to be a full featured system,
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but rather to give the reader a taste of what is involved in building an
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operating system from source code. After completing the Pocket Linux
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system the reader should have enough knowledge to confidently build almost
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any project using only source code. Given this direction we can put a few
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constraints on the project.</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>The main focus should be learning. The project should not just
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describe how to do something, it should also describe why it should be
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done.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>The required time commitment should be minimal and
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manageable.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>The project should not require any investment in additional
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hardware or reconfiguration of existing hardware to set up a lab
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environment.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Readers should not need to know any programming languages in
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order to complete the project.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>To remain true to the spirit of GNU/Linux, all software used in
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the project should be covered under the GNU/GPL or another, similarly
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liberal, open-source license.</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Working Within The Constraints</title>
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<para>The Pocket Linux project gets its name from the fact that the bulk
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of the project fits onto two diskettes making it possible to carry the
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entire, working system around in one's pocket. This has the advantage of
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not requiring any additional hardware since any PC can be booted from the
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diskettes without disrupting any OS that exists on the hard drive. Using
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diskettes also partially addresses the aspect of time commitment, because
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the project size and complexity is necessarily limited by the 1.44
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Megabyte size of the installation media.</para>
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<para>To further reduce the time commitment, the Pocket Linux project is
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divided into several phases, each one chapter in length. Each phase builds
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only a small piece of the overall project, but at the same time the
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conclusion of each chapter results in a self-contained, working system.
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This step-by-step approach should allow readers to pace themselves and not
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feel the need to rush to see results.</para>
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<para>Chapters are further subdivided into four sections. The first two
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sections, analysis and design, focus on the theory of what is to be
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accomplished in each phase and why. The last two sections, construction
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and implementation, detail the steps needed to do the actual building.
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Advanced readers, who may be familiar with the theories laid out in a
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particular chapter are encouraged to gloss over the analysis and design
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sections in the interest of time. The separation of theory from hands-on
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exercises should allow readers of all skill levels to complete the project
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without feeling either completely lost or mired in too much detail.</para>
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<para>Finally, the Pocket Linux project will strive to use GNU/GPL
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software when possible and other open-source licensed software when there
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is no GNU/GPL alternative. Also, Pocket Linux will never require any
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programming more complex than a BASH shell script.</para>
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</sect1>
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</chapter> |