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Diffstat (limited to 'prologue/why.xml')
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1 files changed, 80 insertions, 80 deletions
diff --git a/prologue/why.xml b/prologue/why.xml index 2ce8141df..4a002484e 100644 --- a/prologue/why.xml +++ b/prologue/why.xml @@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ <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 relatively minimal base from which to customize - a more complete system based on the choices of the user. This does not + <para>The goal of LFS is to build a complete and usable + foundation-level system—including all the packages needed to replicate + itself—and providing a relatively minimal base from which to customize + a more complete system based on the user's choices. 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> + are included that are not, strictly speaking, required. The list below documents the + reasons each package in the book has been included.</para> <itemizedlist> @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ <para>Acl</para> <para>This package contains utilities to administer Access - Control Lists, which are used to define more fine-grained + Control Lists, which are used to define fine-grained discretionary access rights for files and directories. </para> </listitem> @@ -32,26 +32,26 @@ <listitem> <para>Attr</para> - <para>This package contains programs for administering - extended attributes on filesystem objects. + <para>This package contains programs for managing + extended attributes on file system objects. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Autoconf</para> - <para>This package contains programs for producing shell scripts that + <para>This package supplies 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> + template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after + the build procedure has been updated.</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> + a template. It is often needed to rebuild a package after + the build procedure has been updated.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -60,29 +60,29 @@ <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> + capabilities.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Bc</para> <para>This package provides an arbitrary precision numeric processing language. - It satisfies a requirement needed when building the Linux kernel.</para> + It satisfies a requirement for building the Linux kernel.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Binutils</para> - <para>This package contains a linker, an assembler, and other + <para>This package supplies a linker, an assembler, and other tools for handling object files. The programs in this package are - needed to compile most of the packages in an LFS system and beyond.</para> + needed to compile most of the packages in an LFS system.</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> + Compiler Compiler) needed to build several of the LFS programs.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Check</para> - <para>This package contains a test harness for other programs.</para> + <para>This package provides a test harness for other programs.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -111,14 +111,14 @@ <para>D-Bus</para> <para>This package contains programs to implement a message bus system, - which a simple way for applications to talk to one another. + a simple way for applications to talk to one another. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>DejaGNU</para> - <para>This package contains a framework for testing other programs.</para> + <para>This package supplies a framework for testing other programs.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ <listitem> <para>E2fsprogs</para> - <para>This package contains the utilities for handling the ext2, ext3 + <para>This package supplies utilities for handling the ext2, ext3 and ext4 file systems. These are the most common and thoroughly tested file systems that Linux supports.</para> </listitem> @@ -141,15 +141,15 @@ <para>Eudev</para> <para>This package is a device manager. It dynamically controls the ownership, - permissions, names, and symbolic links of devices in the /dev directory as - devices are added or removed from the system. + permissions, names, and symbolic links of devices in the /dev directory when + devices are added to or removed from the system. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Expat</para> - <para>This package contains a relatively small XML parsing library. It + <para>This package yields a relatively small XML parsing library. It is required by the XML::Parser Perl module.</para> </listitem> @@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Findutils</para> - <para>This package contains programs to find files in a file system. + <para>This package provides programs to find files in a file system. It is used in many packages' build scripts.</para> </listitem> @@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Gawk</para> - <para>This package contains programs for manipulating text files. + <para>This package supplies programs for manipulating text files. It is the GNU version of awk (Aho-Weinberg-Kernighan). It is used in many other packages' build scripts.</para> </listitem> @@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ <listitem> <para>GCC</para> - <para>This package is the Gnu Compiler Collection. It contains the + <para>This is the Gnu Compiler Collection. It contains the C and C++ compilers as well as several others not built by LFS. </para> </listitem> @@ -210,8 +210,8 @@ <listitem> <para>Gettext</para> - <para>This package contains utilities and libraries for - internationalization and localization of numerous packages.</para> + <para>This package provides utilities and libraries for + the internationalization and localization of many packages.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -224,15 +224,15 @@ <listitem> <para>GMP</para> - <para>This package contains math libraries that provide useful functions - for arbitrary precision arithmetic. It is required to build GCC.</para> + <para>This package supplies math libraries that provide useful functions + for arbitrary precision arithmetic. It is needed to build GCC.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Gperf</para> - <para>This package contains a program that generates a perfect hash - function from a key set. It is required for Eudev.</para> + <para>This package produces a program that generates a perfect hash + function from a set of keys. It is required by Eudev.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -245,15 +245,15 @@ <listitem> <para>Groff</para> - <para>This package contains programs for processing and formatting text. + <para>This package contributes 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>This is the Grand Unified Boot Loader. It is + the most flexible of several boot loaders available. </para> </listitem> @@ -261,8 +261,8 @@ <para>Gzip</para> <para>This package contains programs for compressing and - decompressing files. It is needed to decompress many packages in LFS - and beyond.</para> + decompressing files. It is needed to decompress many packages + in LFS.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -275,14 +275,14 @@ <listitem> <para>Inetutils</para> - <para>This package contains programs for basic network + <para>This package supplies programs for basic network administration.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Intltool</para> - <para>This package contains tools for extracting translatable + <para>This package contributes tools for extracting translatable strings from source files.</para> </listitem> @@ -304,14 +304,14 @@ <listitem> <para>Kbd</para> - <para>This package contains key-table files, keyboard utilities + <para>This package produces key-table files, keyboard utilities for non-US keyboards, and a number of console fonts.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Kmod</para> - <para>This package contains programs needed to administer Linux + <para>This package supplies programs needed to administer Linux kernel modules.</para> </listitem> @@ -319,8 +319,8 @@ <para>Less</para> <para>This package contains a very nice text file viewer that - allows scrolling up or down when viewing a file. It is also used by - Man-DB for viewing manpages.</para> + allows scrolling up or down when viewing a file. It is also used + when viewing manpages.</para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Libpipeline</para> - <para>The Libpipeline package contains a library for manipulating + <para>The Libpipeline package supplies a library for manipulating pipelines of subprocesses in a flexible and convenient way. It is required by the Man-DB package.</para> </listitem> @@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ <para>Libtool</para> <para>This package contains the GNU generic library support - script. It wraps the complexity of using shared libraries in a + script. It wraps the complexity of using shared libraries into a consistent, portable interface. It is needed by the test suites in other LFS packages.</para> </listitem> @@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ <listitem> <para>M4</para> - <para>This package contains a general text macro processor useful + <para>This package provides a general text macro processor useful as a build tool for other programs.</para> </listitem> @@ -404,14 +404,14 @@ <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 + because of its 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 + <para>This package provides the actual contents of the basic Linux man pages.</para> </listitem> @@ -419,8 +419,8 @@ <para>Meson</para> <para>This package provides a software tool for automating the building - of software. The main goal for Meson is to minimize the amount of time - that software developers need to spend configuring their build + of software. The main goal of Meson is to minimize the amount of time + that software developers need to spend configuring a build system. It's required to build Systemd, as well as many BLFS packages.</para> @@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ <listitem> <para>MPC</para> - <para>This package contains functions for the arithmetic of complex + <para>This package supplies arithmetic functions for complex numbers. It is required by GCC.</para> </listitem> @@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Ninja</para> - <para>This package contains a small build system with a focus on speed. + <para>This package furnishes a small build system with a focus on speed. It is designed to have its input files generated by a higher-level build system, and to run builds as fast as possible. This package is required by Meson.</para> @@ -456,14 +456,14 @@ <para>This package contains libraries for terminal-independent handling of character screens. It is often used to provide cursor control for a menuing system. It is needed by a number of - packages in LFS.</para> + the packages in LFS.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Openssl</para> <para>This package provides management tools and libraries relating to - cryptography. These are useful for providing cryptographic functions to + cryptography. These supply cryptographic functions to other packages, including the Linux kernel.</para> </listitem> @@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Psmisc</para> - <para>This package contains programs for displaying information + <para>This package produces programs for displaying information about running processes. These programs are useful for system administration.</para> </listitem> @@ -511,14 +511,14 @@ <para>Python 3</para> <para>This package provides an interpreted language that has a design - philosophy that emphasizes code readability.</para> + philosophy emphasizing code readability.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Readline</para> - <para>This package is a set of libraries that offers command-line + <para>This package is a set of libraries that offer command-line editing and history capabilities. It is used by Bash.</para> </listitem> @@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ <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 + text editor. It is also needed by many LFS packages' configure scripts.</para> </listitem> @@ -534,14 +534,14 @@ <para>Shadow</para> <para>This package contains programs for handling passwords - in a secure way.</para> + securely.</para> </listitem> <listitem revision="sysv"> <para>Sysklogd</para> - <para>This package contains programs for logging system messages, - such as those given by the kernel or daemon processes when unusual + <para>This package supplies programs for logging system messages, + such as those emitted by the kernel or daemon processes when unusual events occur.</para> </listitem> @@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ <para>This package provides an <application>init</application> program and several additional boot and system control capabilities as an - alternative to Sysvinit. It is used by many commercial distributions. + alternative to Sysvinit. It is used by many Linux distributions. </para> </listitem> @@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ <para>Sysvinit</para> <para>This package provides the <application>init</application> - program, which is the parent of all other processes on the Linux + program, the parent of all the other processes on a running Linux system. </para> </listitem> @@ -566,20 +566,20 @@ <para>Tar</para> <para>This package provides archiving and extraction capabilities - of virtually all packages used in LFS.</para> + of virtually all the packages used in LFS.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Tcl</para> <para>This package contains the Tool Command Language used - in many test suites in LFS packages.</para> + in many test suites.</para> </listitem> <listitem> <para>Texinfo</para> - <para>This package contains programs for reading, writing, and + <para>This package supplies programs for reading, writing, and converting info pages. It is used in the installation procedures of many LFS packages.</para> </listitem> @@ -593,20 +593,20 @@ </listitem> <listitem> - <para>Wheel</para> - - <para>This package contains a Python module that is the - reference implementation of the Python wheel packaging standard. - </para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> <para>Vim</para> - <para>This package contains an editor. It was chosen because of its + <para>This package provides an editor. It was chosen because of 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> + many users. Any other editor can be substituted, if you wish.</para> + </listitem> + + <listitem> + <para>Wheel</para> + + <para>This package supplies a Python module that is the + reference implementation of the Python wheel packaging standard. + </para> </listitem> <listitem> @@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ <listitem> <para>Zstd</para> - <para>This package contains compression and decompression routines + <para>This package supplies compression and decompression routines used by some programs. It provides high compression ratios and a very wide range of compression / speed trade-offs.</para> </listitem> |