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I Built Linux from Scratch

thesloth.me

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Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#61

Post by ilyt »

wheelerof4te wrote: post #6

If you need something more practical, but still challenging, try Slackware. Use the advanced install feature and only select the packages you need. Build the other software yourself. You can choose your own difficulty this way. You can also follow the distro's way of packaging up software (build scripts), or build it the software developer's way. The main advantages of building software yourself are: 1. You are a dev…

Nah https://buildroot.org/

Slackware was underdeveloped PITA back then and it is now

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#63

Post by ilyt »

boomskats wrote: post #10
wheelerof4te wrote: post #6

If you need something more practical, but still challenging, try Slackware. Use the advanced install feature and only select the packages you need. Build the other software yourself. You can choose your own difficulty this way. You can also follow the distro's way of packaging up software (build scripts), or build it the software developer's way. The main advantages of building software yourself are: 1. You are a dev…

I haven't run Slackware for maybe 20 years, but I remember running 7.2 at uni and recall really _enjoying_ building everything and having that level of control. It taught me so much about how Linux works. Conversely, I remember finding my initial experiences with dpkg and rpm quite frustrating in comparison.

dpkg had a bit weird experience, because the "easy" way of building (binary)package is literally "just put files that need to be deployed in one directory, and some metadata in the other and run a command to package it", i.e. extremely easy and entirely independent on how you build it.

But the "proper" way includes million scripts and checks that make sure your .dpkg is "distribution grade" and it can be quite complex

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#64

Post by ilyt »

vincent-manis wrote: post #20
polski-g wrote: post #13

If you have children, a much better investment is to have them install LFS and forbid them from using Windows/Mac, compared to going to college. I did not learn a damn thing in college because I'd been using Linux since age 12.

True. Building Linux from scratch will teach you everything in a modern CS curriculum, including the `cut' operator in Prolog, Boyce-Codd Normal Form, and alpha-beta pruning. \end{snark}

All of those "very" "useful" in huge variety of CS related jobs /s

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#65

Post by ktm5j »

I got to do an independent study project junior year of highschool where I build the LFS project and went on to write my own (super basic) source based package management system. Was hands down the most valuable learning experience I've ever had. I highly recommend going through the process once if you want a better understanding about Linux/operating systems/compilers/toolchains!

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#66

Post by abdullahkhalids »

Daegalus wrote: post #21

I did LFS back when I was a pre-teen/teen. So late 90s, early 00s. And while I agree to an extent that it doesn't give you much day-to-day stuff, it really makes you more comfortable with operating systems and linux especially. Nowadays, I am a devops/infrastructure engineer, and I can say LFS is a core foundational experience that has let me be better at my job. I know deeper inner workings of a Linux distro and tha…

I almost did it in 2008ish. Back then my country had a severe electricity crises, and in the summer we would get alternately one hour of electricity and one hour of blackout.

So I had to try and break the LFS build into one hour chunks. Though I got through quite a bit, unfortunately, there were some multihour build steps and I never got lucky enough with multihour electricity, till I finally lost interest.

I did learn quite a bit from reading the manual though.

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#67

Post by sweetjuly »

pessimizer wrote: post #50
jterrys wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you missed the point of college if all you did were things within your comfort zone

Maybe they missed your point, but plenty of people with expertise go to college in order to get a piece of paper that allows them to work. Making it a middle-class spiritual rite of passage isn't the only way to do college right.

They could've taken other classes then? Lift the lid a bit, learn about computer architecture, VLSI, transistor physics, fabrication, analog devices, MEMS, antenna design. If you already know a lot about computer science, it's unsurprising that you wouldn't learn too many radically new things just computer science classes, but you don't have to do that. Stay curious and seek out things you don't know.

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#68

Post by ingenieroariel »

Xeamek wrote: post #15

After I finish the whole process, can I slap pacman on top my freshly build LTS and effectively transform it into Arch and daily drive it? Or is it only meant "for the journey" of building it, but can't realistically be used as a daily?

I have used NIXOS_LUSTRATE (wipes the other Linux on the next reboot) on several systems where it was not supposed to be used. Once you build nix, you should be able to boostrap NixOS from there.

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#69

Post by WesolyKubeczek »

spudlyo wrote: post #4

I wrote this a few years ago, when LFS made the front page: I had a lot of fun doing this. You really get a feel for the evolution of build systems -- from older software that uses automake/make to newer programs that use meson/ninja/cmake etc. It was also cool to learn how to bootstrap a bespoke set of development tools tuned for your hardware. It took me a solid weekend to get everything built. I was able to get a…

I did LFS back when autoconf/automake was considered a modern way to build software.

Re: I Built Linux from Scratch

#70

Post by WesolyKubeczek »

ilyt wrote: post #61
wheelerof4te wrote: post #6

If you need something more practical, but still challenging, try Slackware. Use the advanced install feature and only select the packages you need. Build the other software yourself. You can choose your own difficulty this way. You can also follow the distro's way of packaging up software (build scripts), or build it the software developer's way. The main advantages of building software yourself are: 1. You are a dev…

Nah https://buildroot.org/ Slackware was underdeveloped PITA back then and it is now

I love Buildroot for unashamedly being the peak Makefile.
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