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Old 09-01-2012, 12:00 PM   #1
ijiboom
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How good must one be to install LFS?


Hello
I've been looking at Linux From Scratch for a while, and thought it might be a good project, not out of need, but more because I want to learn more about the internal workings of a Linux system and also because of my geeky side who just wants to do it for the heck of it.
Now I've been using Linux for about a year now and have cruised through a good number of distros (Arch, Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Suse) and I can handle the command line wel and I am also learning some programming. I know you don't have to have a degree in computer science to install LFS, but I still wonder whether I could do it, and how long it would take, given the skills I have.
Of course, this is not a very technical question so I didn't really know where to put it, I just wanted to know what to expect so as not to waste 6 months of hard work...
 
Old 09-01-2012, 12:21 PM   #2
sag47
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Whatever you decide to do, undertaking LFS will not be a waste of 6 months of work. You will learn even if you can't get it running.

That being said, it sounds like you're more than able to work on LFS to get it running based on your brief description of yourself. If you haven't already, get familiar with a command line editor. Personally I use vim, but when that's not available I use vi or nano. Install vim on any of your Linux systems and run the command vimtutor.

I learn something new every time and using LFS will get you better acquainted with how to compile software. That, in itself, is great because not all good software comes with prepackaged binaries. It will also help give you necessary troubleshooting skills to bring you to the next level of using Linux as a power user rather than just a regular user.

SAM
 
Old 09-01-2012, 12:29 PM   #3
zwitterion-241920
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Follow the links on this page. If this all seems familiar, or at least comprehensible, you are good to go. Also, if you understand what the following shell script does, there is no way you will not succeed:
Code:
#!/bin/bash
cat $1 $2 | sed 's/stder/stderr' | lex -t | gcc -x c -o $3 -
But based on your description, you will most likely succeed.

Last edited by zwitterion-241920; 09-01-2012 at 01:01 PM.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
Old 09-01-2012, 01:37 PM   #4
jefro
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LFS is maybe the best way to learn linux. It is a massive task but you have all the resources you need online.

LFS is a thing you ought to do ONCE. Like climbing Mt.Fuji or visiting some major city.

When linux was just starting out we had to do all that without any internet help. Bulletin boards on dial up to get source and compile it for a week. We also had to walk three miles in the snow.
 
Old 09-01-2012, 02:13 PM   #5
ReaperX7
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LFS isn't too hard to get running, if you follow all the suggestions and keep track of existing problems in the forums, it's fairly simple, but is some work.

I had the base system working in about two weeks using make's -j2 option. If you have multi-core CPUs it helps immensely, and sticking to optimization level -O2 will help with probable incompatibility and stability issues.
 
Old 09-01-2012, 04:01 PM   #6
ijiboom
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Well thanks guys, it seems I can do it, after I checked out that prerequisite site! So this is my official new project, hopefully I'll be finished by christmas :P
 
Old 09-01-2012, 04:08 PM   #7
jefro
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Don't wait too long between steps. Keep after it.
 
  


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