lfs-book/prologue/audience.xml

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<sect1 id="pre-audience">
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  <title>Audience</title>

<para>There are many reasons why you would want to read this book. One of the
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 is
the ability to customize a Linux system to suit your own unique needs.</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
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
beneficial.</para>

<para>Another advantage of a custom built Linux system is security. By compiling
the entire system from source code, you are empowered to audit everything
and apply all the security patches desired. It is no longer necessary to
wait for somebody else to compile binary packages that fix a security hole.
Unless you examine the patch and implement it yourself, you have no
guarantee that the new binary package was built correctly and adequately
fixes the problem.</para>

<para>The goal of Linux From Scratch is to build a complete and usable
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 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>

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