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 you with 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>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. If you only want to know what happens while the computer boots, we
recommend the <quote>From Power Up To Bash Prompt</quote> HOWTO located at
<ulink url="http://axiom.anu.edu.au/~okeefe/p2b/"/> or on The Linux
Documentation Project's (TLDP) website at <ulink
url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html"/>.
The HOWTO builds a system which is similar to that of this book, but it
focuses strictly on creating a system capable of booting to a BASH prompt.
Consider your objective. If you wish to build a Linux system while learning
along the way, then this book is your best choice.</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>

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