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<title>Introduction</title>
<?dbhtml filename="introduction.html"?>
-<para>See testing</para>
+<para>In this chapter, we enter the building site and start
+constructing the LFS system in earnest. That is, we chroot into the
+temporary mini Linux system, make a few final preparations, and then
+begin installing the packages.</para>
+
+<para>The installation of this software is straightforward. Although
+in many cases the installation instructions could be made shorter and
+more generic, we have opted to provide the full instructions for every
+package to minimize the possibilities for mistakes. The key to
+learning what makes a Linux system work is to know what each package
+is used for and why the user (or the system) needs it. For every
+installed package, a summary of its contents is given, followed by
+concise descriptions of each program and library the package
+installed.</para>
+
+<para>If using the compiler optimizations provided in this chapter,
+please review the optimization hint at <ulink
+url="&hints-root;optimization.txt"/>. Compiler optimizations can make
+a program run slightly faster, but they may also cause compilation
+difficulties and problems when running the program. If a package
+refuses to compile when using optimization, try to compile it without
+optimization and see if that fixes the problem. Even if the package
+does compile when using optimization, there is the risk it may have
+been compiled incorrectly because of the complex interactions between
+the code and build tools. The small potential gains achieved in using
+compiler optimizations are often outweighed by the risks. First-time
+builders of LFS are encouraged to build without custom optimizations.
+The subsequent system will still run very fast and be stable at the
+same time.</para>
+
+<para>The order that packages are installed in this chapter needs to
+be strictly followed to ensure that no program accidentally acquires a
+path referring to <filename class="directory">/tools</filename>
+hard-wired into it. For the same reason, do not compile packages in
+parallel. Compiling in parallel may save time (especially on dual-CPU
+machines), but it could result in a program containing a hard-wired
+path to <filename class="directory">/tools</filename>, which will
+cause the program to stop working when that directory is
+removed.</para>
+
+<para>Before the installation instructions, each installation page
+provides information about the package, including a concise
+description of what it contains, approximately how long it will take
+to build, how much disk space is required during this building
+process, and any other packages needed to successfully build the
+package. Following the installation instructions, there is a list of
+programs and libraries (along with brief descriptions of these) that
+the package installs.</para>
+
+<para>To keep track of which package installs particular files, a package
+manager can be used. For a general overview of different styles of package
+managers, please refer to <ulink
+url="&blfs-root;view/svn/introduction/important.html"/>.
+For a package management method specifically geared towards LFS, we recommend <ulink
+url="&hints-root;more_control_and_pkg_man.txt"/>.</para>
+
+<note><para>The remainder of this book is to be performed while logged
+in as user <emphasis>root</emphasis> and no longer as user
+<emphasis>lfs</emphasis>.</para></note>
</sect1>
+