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authorBruce Dubbs <bdubbs@linuxfromscratch.org>2009-11-24 21:50:43 +0000
committerBruce Dubbs <bdubbs@linuxfromscratch.org>2009-11-24 21:50:43 +0000
commita26951eac51f6289d21236b0b5603059ba17585d (patch)
tree7b0934532b5da334616fc65ca335c19536055e38 /prologue/why.xml
parent3684f6cc35bb7b7025957d930b38493e346f2b5e (diff)
Separate standards page and rationale page
and reformat. Provided more information about packages needed to satisfy LSB. Also fixed a couple of typos. git-svn-id: http://svn.linuxfromscratch.org/LFS/trunk/BOOK@9120 4aa44e1e-78dd-0310-a6d2-fbcd4c07a689
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+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
+<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
+ "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
+ <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
+ %general-entities;
+]>
+
+<sect1 id="pre-why">
+ <?dbhtml filename="package-choices.html"?>
+
+ <title>Rationale for Packages in the Book</title>
+
+ <para>As stated earlier, the goal of LFS is to build a complete and usable
+ foundation-level system. This includes all packages needed to replicate
+ itself while providing a relativly minimal base from which to customize
+ a more complete system based on the choices of the user. This does not
+ mean that LFS is the smallest system possible. Several important packages
+ are included that are not strictly required. The lists below document the
+ rationale for each package in the book.</para>
+
+ <itemizedlist>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Autoconf</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for producing shell scripts that
+ can automatically configure source code from a developer's
+ template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after updates
+ to the build procedures.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Automake</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for generating Make files from
+ a template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after updates
+ to the build procedures.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Bash</para>
+
+ <para>This package satisfies an LSB core requirement to provide
+ a Bourne Shell interface to the system. It was chosen over
+ other shell packages because of its common usage and extensive
+ capabilities beyond basic shell functions. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Binutils</para>
+
+ <para>This package package contains a linker, an assembler, and other
+ tools for handling object files. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Bison</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the GNU version of yacc (Yet Another
+ Compiler Compiler) needed to build several other LFS programs.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Bzip2</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for compressing and decompressing
+ files. It is required to decompress many LFS packages.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Coreutils</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a number of essential programs for viewing
+ and manipulating files and directories. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>DejaGNU</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a framework for testing other programs.
+ It is only installed in the temporary toolchain.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Diffutils</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs that show the differences
+ between files or directories. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Expect</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a program for carrying out scripted
+ dialogues with other interactive programs. It is commonly used
+ for testing other packages. It is only installed in the temporary
+ toolchain.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>E2fsprogs</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the utilities for handling the ext2, ext3
+ and ext4 file systems. These are the most common and thouroughly
+ tested file systems that Linux supports.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>File</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a utility for determining the type of a
+ given file or files.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Findutils</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs to find files in a file system.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Flex</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a utility for generating programs that
+ recognize patterns in text. It is the GNU version of the lex
+ (lexical analyzer) program. It is required to build several
+ LFS packages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Gawk</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for manipulating text files.
+ It is the GNU version of awk (Aho-Weinberg-Kernighan). </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Gcc</para>
+
+ <para>This package is the Gnu Compiler Collection. It contains the
+ C and C++ compilers as well as several others not built by LFS.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>GDBM</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the GNU Database Manager library. It
+ is used by one other LFS package, Man-DB.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Gettext</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains utilities and libraries for
+ internationalization and localization of numerous packages.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Glibc</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the main C library. Linux programs would
+ not run without it. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>GMP</para>
+
+ <para>This package package contains math libraries and have
+ useful functions for arbitrary precision arithmetic. It
+ is required to build Gcc. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Grep</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for searching through files.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Groff</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for processing and formatting text.
+ One important function of these programs is to format man pages.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>GRUB</para>
+
+ <para>This package is the Grand Unified Boot Loader. It is one
+ of several boot loaders available, but is the most flexible.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Gzip</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for compressing and
+ decompressing files. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Iana-etc</para>
+
+ <para>This package provides data for network services and protocols.
+ It is needed to enable proper networking capabilities.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Inetutils</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for basic network
+ administration.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>IProute2</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for basic and advanced IPv4 and
+ IPv6 networking. It was chosen over the other common network
+ tools package (net-tools) for its IPv6 capabilities. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Kbd</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains key-table files and keyboard utilities
+ for non-US keyboards. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Less</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a very nice text file viewer that
+ allows scolling up or down when viewing a file.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Libtool</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the GNU generic library support
+ script. It wraps the complexity of using shared libraries in a
+ consistent, portable interface. It is needed by the test
+ suites in other LFS packages.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Linux Kernel</para>
+
+ <para>This package is the Operating System. It is the Linux in
+ the GNU/Linux environment.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>M4</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a general text macro processor useful
+ as a build tool for other programs.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Make</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a program for directing the building
+ of packages. It is required by almost every package in LFS.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Man-DB</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for finding and viewing man pages.
+ It was chosen instead of the <application>man</application> package
+ due to superior internationalization capabilities. It supplies
+ the man program. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Man-pages</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the actual contents of the basic
+ Linux man pages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Module-Init-Tools</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs needed to administer Linux
+ kernel modules.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>MPFR</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains functions for multiple precision
+ arithmetic. It is required by Gcc.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Ncurses</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains libraries for terminal-independent
+ handling of character screens. It is often used to provide
+ cursor control for a menuing system. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Patch</para>
+
+ <para>This package a program for modifying or creating files by
+ applying a <emphasis>patch</emphasis> file typically created
+ by the <application>diff</application> program. It is needed by
+ the build procedure for several LFS packages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Perl</para>
+
+ <para>This package is an interpreter for the runtime language
+ PERL. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Pkg-config</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains a tool for passing the include path
+ and/or library paths to build tools during the configure and make
+ processes. It is needed by many LFS packages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Procps</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for monitoring processes.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Psmisc</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for displaying information
+ about running processes. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Readline</para>
+
+ <para>This package is a set of libraries that offers command-line
+ editing and history capabilities. It is used by Bash. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Sed</para>
+
+ <para>This package allows editing of text without opening it in a
+ text editor. It is also needed by most LFS packages' configure
+ scripts. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Shadow</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for handling passwords
+ in a secure way.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Sysklogd</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for logging system messages,
+ such as those given by the kernel or daemon processes when unusual
+ events occur.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Sysvinit</para>
+
+ <para>This package provides the <application>init</application>
+ program which it the parent of all other processes on the Linux
+ system. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Tar</para>
+
+ <para>This package provides archiving and extraction capabilities
+ of virtually all packages used in LFS. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Tcl</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains the Tool Command Language used
+ in many testsuites in LFS packages. It is only installed in
+ the temporary toolchain. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Texinfo</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for reading, writing, and
+ converting info pages. It is used in the installation
+ procedures of many LFS packages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Udev</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains programs for dynamic creation of
+ device nodes. It is an alternative to creating thousands of
+ static devices in the /dev directory.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Util-linux-ng</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains miscellaneous utility programs.
+ Among them are utilities for handling file systems, consoles,
+ partitions, and messages. </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Vim</para>
+
+ <para>This package an editor. It was chosen because its compatibility
+ with the classic vi editor and its huge number of powerful
+ capabilities. An editor is a very personal choice for
+ many users and any other editor could be substituted if desired.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Zlib</para>
+
+ <para>This package contains compression and decompression routines
+ used by some programs.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+
+</sect1>
+