A couple of months ago I mentioned that I wanted to build a Linux system from scratch to see what all is involved. I proceeded to build a minimal SuSE system to experiment, and then had to re-install a full system because I needed to finish up some work on the Kylix book. Since then, the Linux system has been collecting dust as I work on other projects.
Today I ran across the Linux From Scratch web site. These guys have put together a comprehensive book that describes how to build a Linux system from scratch, using a pre-installed Linux system as a starting point. Yes, I know it sounds kind of silly: why build a minimal system when you already have a full system installed? But if you’re interested in learning how all the pieces fit together, you don’t necessarily have to start with bootstrapping from a bare minimum. Maybe I’ll try the bare-bones approach sometime, but this time around I’m going to follow the Linux From Scratch approach. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.