Grammer and wording changes in the Preface

git-svn-id: http://svn.linuxfromscratch.org/LFS/trunk/BOOK@8929 4aa44e1e-78dd-0310-a6d2-fbcd4c07a689

prologue/audience.xml

@@ -15,16 +15,16 @@ questions many people raise is, <quote>why go through all the hassle of manually
 building a Linux system from scratch when you can just download and install
 an existing one?</quote></para>
 
-<para>One important reason for this project's existence is to help you learn how
-a Linux system works from the inside out. Building an LFS system helps
-demonstrate what makes Linux tick, and how things work together and depend
-on each other. One of the best things that this learning experience can
-provide you with is the ability to customize a Linux system to suit your
-own unique needs.</para>
+<para>One important reason for this project's existence is to help you learn
+how a Linux system works from the inside out. Building an LFS system helps
+demonstrate what makes Linux tick, and how things work together and depend on
+each other. One of the best things that this learning experience can provide is
+the ability to customize a Linux system to suit your own unique needs.</para>
 
-<para>A key benefit of LFS is that it allows you to have more control over the
-system without relying on someone else's Linux implementation. With LFS,
-you are in the driver's seat and dictate every aspect of the system.</para>
+<para>Another key benefit of LFS is that it allows you to have more control
+over the system without relying on someone else's Linux implementation. With
+LFS, you are in the driver's seat and dictate every aspect of the
+system.</para>
 
 <para>LFS allows you to create very compact Linux systems. When installing
 regular distributions, you are often forced to install a great many
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ programs which are probably never used or understood. These programs waste
 resources. You may argue that with today's hard drive and CPUs, such
 resources are no longer a consideration. Sometimes, however, you are still
 constrained by size considerations if nothing else. Think about bootable
-CDs, USB sticks and embedded systems. Those are areas where LFS can be
+CDs, USB sticks, and embedded systems. Those are areas where LFS can be
 beneficial.</para>
 
 <para>Another advantage of a custom built Linux system is security. By compiling
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ foundation-level system. If you do not wish to build your own Linux system
 from scratch, you may not entirely benefit from the information in this
 book.</para>
 
-<para>There are too many good reasons to build your own LFS system to list them
-all here. In the end, education is by far the most powerful of reasons. As
-you continue in your LFS experience, you will discover the power that
-information and knowledge truly bring.</para>
+<para>There are too many other good reasons to build your own LFS system to
+list them all here. In the end, education is by far the most powerful of
+reasons. As you continue in your LFS experience, you will discover the power
+that information and knowledge truly bring.</para>
 
 </sect1>
 

prologue/foreword.xml

@@ -16,18 +16,15 @@ 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.</para>
-
-<para>They all do things differently to suit the needs of their target audience.
-Because there existed so many different ways to accomplish the same end
-goal, I began to realize I no longer had to be limited by any one
+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>
+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
@@ -44,7 +41,7 @@ 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, a custom-built Linux system was finally built. It was fully
+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 yourself. The only thing better would have
@@ -52,8 +49,8 @@ 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 those
-ideas. It quickly became apparent that such custom-built Linux systems
+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
@@ -63,12 +60,12 @@ enhance their (existing) Linux skills. Out of this broadened interest, the
 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 the whole point of this project after all. You
+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
+Scratch system and enjoy the numerous benefits of having a system that is
 truly your own.</para>
 
 <literallayout>--

prologue/hostreqs.xml

@@ -59,8 +59,6 @@
     </listitem>
 
     <listitem>
-      <!-- Gcc-2.95.3 breaks feature tests when using CC="gcc -B/usr/bin/"
-           in the *-pass1 sections -->
       <para><emphasis role="strong">Gcc-3.0.1</emphasis> (Versions
       greater than &gcc-version; are not recommended as they have not
       been tested)</para>
@@ -81,24 +79,27 @@
     </listitem>
 
     <listitem>
-      <para><emphasis role="strong">Linux Kernel-2.6.x</emphasis>
+      <para><emphasis role="strong">Linux Kernel-2.6.18</emphasis>
       (having been compiled with GCC-3.0 or greater)</para>
 
-      <para>The reason for the kernel version requirement is that thread-local
+      <para>The reason for the kernel version requirement is that we specify
+      that version when building <application>glibc</application> in Chapter 6
+      at the recommendation of the developers.  This can be overridden if
+      desired but at least a 2.6.0 kerenl is required because thread-local
       storage support in Binutils will not be built and the Native POSIX
       Threading Library (NPTL) test suite will segfault if the host's kernel
       isn't at least a 2.6.x version compiled with a 3.0 or later release of
       GCC.</para>
 
-      <para>If the host kernel is either earlier than 2.6.x, or it was not
-      compiled using a GCC-3.0 (or later) compiler, you will have to replace
-      the kernel with one adhering to the specifications. There are two
-ways you can go about this.First, see if your Linux vendor provides a
-      2.6 kernel package. If so, you may wish to install it. If your vendor
-      doesn't offer a 2.6 kernel package, or you would prefer not to install it,
-      you can compile a 2.6 kernel yourself. Instructions for compiling the
-      kernel and configuring the boot loader (assuming the host uses GRUB) are
-      located in <xref linkend="chapter-bootable"/>.</para>
+      <para>If the host kernel is either earlier than 2.6.18, or it was not
+      compiled using a GCC-3.0 (or later) compiler, you will need to replace
+      the kernel with one adhering to the specifications. There are two ways
+      you can go about this. First, see if your Linux vendor provides a 2.6.18
+      or later kernel package. If so, you may wish to install it. If your
+      vendor doesn't offer an acceptable kernel package, or you would prefer not to
+      install it, you can compile a kernel yourself. Instructions for
+      compiling the kernel and configuring the boot loader (assuming the host
+      uses GRUB) are located in <xref linkend="chapter-bootable"/>.</para>
 
       <note>
         <para>This version of the book builds a 32-bit Linux system and

prologue/prerequisites.xml

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
   <para>Building an LFS system is not a simple task. It requires a certain
   level of existing knowledge of Unix system administration in order to resolve
-  problems, and correctly execute the commands listed. In particular, as an
+  problems and correctly execute the commands listed. In particular, as an
   absolute minimum, you should already have the ability to use the
   command line (shell) to copy or move files and directories, list directory
   and file contents, and change the current directory. It is also expected that
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@
 
   <para>Because the LFS book assumes <emphasis>at least</emphasis> this basic
   level of skill, the various LFS support forums are unlikely to be able to
-  provide you with much assistance; you will find that your questions regarding
-  such basic knowledge will likely go unanswered, or you will simply be referred
-  to the LFS essential pre-reading list.</para>
+  provide you with much assistance in these areas. You will find that your
+  questions regarding such basic knowledge will likely go unanswered or you
+  will simply be referred to the LFS essential pre-reading list.</para>
 
   <para>Before building an LFS system, we recommend reading the following
   HOWTOs:</para>
@@ -34,14 +34,17 @@
       <ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Software-Building-HOWTO.html"/></para>
 
       <para>This is a comprehensive guide to building and installing
-      <quote>generic</quote> Unix software packages under Linux.</para>
+      <quote>generic</quote> Unix software packages under Linux. Although it
+      was written some time ago, it still provides a good summary of the
+      basic techniques needed to build and install software.</para>
     </listitem>
 
     <listitem>
       <para>The Linux Users' Guide
       <ulink url="http://www.linuxhq.com/guides/LUG/guide.html"/></para>
 
-      <para>This guide covers the usage of assorted Linux software.</para>
+      <para>This guide covers the usage of assorted Linux software. This
+      reference is also fairly old, but still valid.</para>
     </listitem>
 
     <listitem>

prologue/typography.xml

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 <screen><computeroutput>install-info: unknown option '--dir-file=/mnt/lfs/usr/info/dir'</computeroutput></screen>
 
-  <para>This form of text (fixed-width text) shows screen output, probably as
+  <para>This form of text (fixed-width text) shows screen output, usually as
   the result of commands issued.  This format is also used to show filenames,
   such as <filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename>.</para>