lfs-book/appendixa/kernel-desc.xml

<sect2><title>Contents</title>

<para>
The Linux kernel package contains the Linux kernel.
</para>

</sect2>

<sect2><title>Description</title>

<para>
The Linux kernel is at the core of every Linux system. It's what makes
Linux tick. When you turn on your computer and boot a Linux system, the
very first piece of Linux software that gets loaded is the kernel. The
kernel initializes the system's hardware components such as serial
ports, parallel ports, sound cards, network cards, IDE controllers, SCSI
controllers and a lot more. In a nutshell the kernel makes the hardware
available so that the software can run.
</para>

</sect2>