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76 lines
3.7 KiB
XML
76 lines
3.7 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
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"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
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<!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
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%general-entities;
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]>
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<sect1 id="pre-foreword">
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<?dbhtml filename="foreword.html"?>
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<title>Foreword</title>
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<para>My journey to learn and better understand Linux began
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back in 1998. I had just installed my first Linux distribution and had
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quickly become intrigued with the whole concept and philosophy behind
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Linux.</para>
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<para>There are always many ways to accomplish a single task. The same can be
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said about Linux distributions. A great many have existed over the years. Some
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still exist, some have morphed into something else, yet others have been
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relegated to our memories. They all do things differently to suit the needs of
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their target audience. Because so many different ways to accomplish the same
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end goal exist, I began to realize I no longer had to be limited by any one
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implementation. Prior to discovering Linux, we simply put up with issues in
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other Operating Systems as you had no choice. It was what it was, whether you
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liked it or not. With Linux, the concept of choice began to emerge. If you
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didn't like something, you were free, even encouraged, to change it.</para>
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<para>I tried a number of distributions and could not decide on any one. They
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were great systems in their own right. It wasn't a matter of right and
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wrong anymore. It had become a matter of personal taste. With all that
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choice available, it became apparent that there would not be a single
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system that would be perfect for me. So I set out to create my own Linux
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system that would fully conform to my personal preferences.</para>
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<para>To truly make it my own system, I resolved to compile everything from
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source code instead of using pre-compiled binary packages. This
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<quote>perfect</quote> Linux system would have the strengths of various
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systems without their perceived weaknesses. At first, the idea was rather
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daunting. I remained committed to the idea that such a system could be
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built.</para>
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<para>After sorting through issues such as circular dependencies and compile-time
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errors, I finally built a custom-built Linux system. It was fully
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operational and perfectly usable like any of the other Linux systems out
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there at the time. But it was my own creation. It was very satisfying to
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have put together such a system myself. The only thing better would have
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been to create each piece of software myself. This was the next best
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thing.</para>
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<para>As I shared my goals and experiences with other members of the Linux
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community, it became apparent that there was a sustained interest in these
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ideas. It quickly became plain that such custom-built Linux systems
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serve not only to meet user specific requirements, but also serve as an
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ideal learning opportunity for programmers and system administrators to
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enhance their (existing) Linux skills. Out of this broadened interest, the
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<emphasis>Linux From Scratch Project</emphasis> was born.</para>
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<para>This Linux From Scratch book is the central core around that project. It
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provides the background and instructions necessary for you to design and
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build your own system. While this book provides a template that will result
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in a correctly working system, you are free to alter the instructions to
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suit yourself, which is, in part, an important part of this project. You
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remain in control; we just lend a helping hand to get you started on your
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own journey.</para>
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<para>I sincerely hope you will have a great time working on your own Linux From
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Scratch system and enjoy the numerous benefits of having a system that is
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truly your own.</para>
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<literallayout>--
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Gerard Beekmans
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gerard@linuxfromscratch.org</literallayout>
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</sect1>
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