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  <title>Foreword</title>

<para>My journey to learn and better understand Linux began 
back in 1998. I had just installed my first Linux distribution and had
quickly become intrigued with the whole concept and philosophy behind
Linux.</para>

<para>There are always many ways to accomplish a single task. The same can be
said about Linux distributions. A great many have existed over the years.  Some
still exist, some have morphed into something else, yet others have been
relegated to our memories.  They all do things differently to suit the needs of
their target audience.  Because so many different ways to accomplish the same
end goal exist, I began to realize I no longer had to be limited by any one
implementation. Prior to discovering Linux, we simply put up with issues in
other Operating Systems as you had no choice. It was what it was, whether you
liked it or not. With Linux, the concept of choice began to emerge.  If you
didn't like something, you were free, even encouraged, to change it.</para>

<para>I tried a number of distributions and could not decide on any one. They
were great systems in their own right. It wasn't a matter of right and
wrong anymore. It had become a matter of personal taste. With all that
choice available, it became apparent that there would not be a single
system that would be perfect for me. So I set out to create my own Linux
system that would fully conform to my personal preferences.</para>

<para>To truly make it my own system, I resolved to compile everything from
source code instead of using pre-compiled binary packages. This
<quote>perfect</quote> Linux system would have the strengths of various
systems without their perceived weaknesses. At first, the idea was rather
daunting. I remained committed to the idea that such a system could be
built.</para>

<para>After sorting through issues such as circular dependencies and compile-time
errors, I finally built a custom-built Linux system. It was fully
operational and perfectly usable like any of the other Linux systems out
there at the time. But it was my own creation. It was very satisfying to
have put together such a system myself. The only thing better would have
been to create each piece of software myself. This was the next best
thing.</para>

<para>As I shared my goals and experiences with other members of the Linux
community, it became apparent that there was a sustained interest in these
ideas. It quickly became plain that such custom-built Linux systems
serve not only to meet user specific requirements, but also serve as an
ideal learning opportunity for programmers and system administrators to
enhance their (existing) Linux skills. Out of this broadened interest, the
<emphasis>Linux From Scratch Project</emphasis> was born.</para>

<para>This Linux From Scratch book is the central core around that project. It
provides the background and instructions necessary for you to design and
build your own system. While this book provides a template that will result
in a correctly working system, you are free to alter the instructions to
suit yourself, which is, in part, an important part of this project. You
remain in control; we just lend a helping hand to get you started on your
own journey.</para>

<para>I sincerely hope you will have a great time working on your own Linux From
Scratch system and enjoy the numerous benefits of having a system that is
truly your own.</para>

<literallayout>--
Gerard Beekmans
gerard@linuxfromscratch.org</literallayout>

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