mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
92 lines
4.7 KiB
XML
92 lines
4.7 KiB
XML
<sect1 id="pre-audience">
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<title>Audience</title>
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<?dbhtml filename="audience.html" dir="preface"?>
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<sect2>
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<title>Who would want to read this book</title>
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<para>There are many reasons why somebody would want to read this book. The
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principal reason being to install a Linux system straight from the source
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code. A question many people raise is "Why go through all the hassle of
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manually building a Linux system from scratch when you can just download and
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install an existing one?". That is a good question and is the impetus for this
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section of the book.</para>
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<para>One important reason for LFS's existence is to help people learn how a
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Linux system works from the inside out. Building an LFS system helps demonstrate
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to you what makes Linux tick, how things work together and depend on each
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other. One of the best things that this learning experience provides is the
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ability to customize Linux to your own tastes and needs.</para>
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<para>A key benefit of LFS is that you have more control of your system
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without relying on someone else's Linux implementation. With LFS, you are
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in the driver's seat and dictate every aspect of your system, such as the
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directory layout and bootscript setup. You also dictate where, why and how
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programs are installed.</para>
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<para>Another benefit of LFS is the ability to create a very compact Linux
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system. When installing a regular distribution, you are usually forced to
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install several programs which you are likely never to use. They're just
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sitting there wasting precious disk space (or worse, CPU cycles). It isn't
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difficult to build an LFS system less than 100 MB. Does that still sound like a
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lot? A few of us have been working on creating a very small embedded LFS
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system. We successfully built a system that was just enough to run the Apache
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web server with approximately 8MB of disk space used. Further stripping could
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bring that down to 5 MB or less. Try that with a regular distribution.</para>
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<para>We could compare distributed Linux to a hamburger you buy at a
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fast-food restaurant -- you have no idea what you are eating. LFS, on the
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other hand, doesn't give you a hamburger, but the recipe to make a hamburger.
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This allows you to review it, to omit unwanted ingredients, and to
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add your own ingredients which enhance the flavor of your burger. When you
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are satisfied with the recipe, you go on to preparing it. You make it just
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the way you like it: broil it, bake it, deep-fry it, barbecue it, or eat it
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tar-tar (raw).</para>
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<para>Another analogy that we can use is that of comparing LFS with a
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finished house. LFS will give you the skeletal plan of a house, but it's up
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to you to build it. You have the freedom to adjust your plans as you
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go.</para>
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<para>One last advantage of a custom built Linux system is security.
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By compiling the entire system from source code, you are empowered to audit
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everything and apply all the security patches you feel are needed. You don't
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have to wait for somebody else to compile binary packages that fix a security
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hole. Unless you examine the patch and implement it yourself you have no
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guarantee that the new binary package was built correctly and actually fixes the
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problem (adequately).</para>
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<para>There are too many good reasons to build your own LFS system for them all
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to be listed here. This section is only the tip of the iceberg. As you
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continue in your LFS experience, you will find on your own the power that
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information and knowledge truly bring.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>Who would not want to read this book</title>
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<para>There are probably some who, for whatever reason, would feel that they do not
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want to read this book. If you do not wish to build your own Linux system from
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scratch, then you probably don't want to read this book. Our goal is to help
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you build a complete and usable foundation-level system. If you only want to
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know what happens while your computer boots, then we recommend the <quote>From
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Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO. The HOWTO builds a bare system which is
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similar to that of this book, but it focuses strictly on creating a system
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capable of booting to a BASH prompt.</para>
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<para>While you decide which to read, consider your objective. If you wish
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to build a Linux system while learning a bit along the way, then this book
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is probably your best choice. If your objective is strictly educational and
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you do not have any plans for your finished system, then the
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<quote>From Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO is probably a better choice.</para>
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<para>The <quote>From Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO is located at
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<ulink url="http://axiom.anu.edu.au/~okeefe/p2b/"/> or on The Linux
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Documentation Project's website at
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<ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html"/>.</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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