1. Foreword

Having used a number of different Linux distributions, I was never fully satisfied with any of them. I didn't like the arrangement of the bootscripts. I didn't like the way certain programs were configured by default. Much more of that sort of thing bothered me. Finally I realized that if I wanted full satisfaction from my Linux system I would have to build my own system from scratch, using only the source code. I resolved not to use pre-compiled packages of any kind, nor CD-ROM or boot disk that would install some basic utilities. I would use my current Linux system to develop my own.

This wild idea seemed very difficult at the time and often seemed an impossible task. After sorting out all kinds of problems, such as dependencies and compile-time errors, a custom-built Linux system was created that was fully operational. I called this system a Linux From Scratch system, or LFS for short.

I hope you will have a great time working on your own LFS!

-- 
Gerard Beekmans
gerard@linuxfromscratch.org