73 lines
3.3 KiB
HTML
73 lines
3.3 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
|
|
<HTML>
|
|
<HEAD>
|
|
<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="SGML-Tools 1.0.9">
|
|
<TITLE>From Power Up To Bash Prompt: Introduction</TITLE>
|
|
<LINK HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO-2.html" REL=next>
|
|
|
|
<LINK HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html#toc1" REL=contents>
|
|
</HEAD>
|
|
<BODY>
|
|
<A HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO-2.html">Next</A>
|
|
Previous
|
|
<A HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html#toc1">Contents</A>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
<H2><A NAME="s1">1. Introduction</A></H2>
|
|
|
|
<P>I find it frustrating that many things happen inside my Linux machine that I do
|
|
not understand. If, like me, you want to really understand your system rather
|
|
than just knowing how to use it, this document should be a good place to start.
|
|
This kind of background knowledge is also needed if you want to be a top notch
|
|
Linux problem solver.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>I assume that you have a working Linux box, and understand some basic things
|
|
about Unix and PC hardware. If not, an excellent place to start learning is
|
|
Eric S. Raymond's
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Unix-and-Internet-Fundamentals-HOWTO.html">The Unix and Internet Fundamentals HOWTO</A>
|
|
It is short, very readable and covers all the basics.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>The main thread in this document is how Linux starts itself up.
|
|
But it also tries to be a more comprehensive learning resource.
|
|
I have included exercises in each section. If you actually do some of these,
|
|
you will learn much more than you could by just reading.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>I hope some readers will undertake the best Linux learning exercise that I
|
|
know of, which is building a system from source code.
|
|
Giambattista Vico, an Italian philosopher (1668-1744) said
|
|
``verum ipsum factum'', which means ``understanding arises through making''.
|
|
Thanks to Alex (see
|
|
<A HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO-14.html#acknowledge">Acknowledgements</A>)
|
|
for this quote.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>If you want to ``roll your own'', you should also see Gerard Beekmans'
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org">Linux From Scratch HOWTO</A> (LFS).
|
|
LFS has detailed instructions on building a complete useable system from
|
|
source code. On the LFS website, you will also find a mailing list for people
|
|
building systems this way.
|
|
The instructions that used to be part of this document
|
|
are now in a separate document ``Building a Minimal Linux System from Source Code'',
|
|
and can be found at
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.netspace.net.au/~gok/power2bash/">From PowerUp to Bash Prompt home page</A>.
|
|
They explain how to
|
|
``toy'' system, purely as a learning exercise.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>Packages are presented in the order in which they appear in the system
|
|
startup process. This means that if you install the packages in this order
|
|
you can reboot after each installation, and see the system get a little closer
|
|
to giving you a bash prompt each time. There is a reassuring sense of
|
|
progress in this.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>I recommend that you first read the main text of each section, skipping the
|
|
exercises and references. Then decide how deep an understanding you want to
|
|
develop, and how much effort you are prepared to put in. Then start at the
|
|
beginning again, doing the exercises and additional reading as you go.
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
<A HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO-2.html">Next</A>
|
|
Previous
|
|
<A HREF="From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html#toc1">Contents</A>
|
|
</BODY>
|
|
</HTML>
|