Making Linux From Scratch

Linux From Scratch, an online project directed by Gerard Beekmans, acts as a step-by-step guide for anyone who wants to build their own Linux distribution at home. The book carefully guides its readers through the tedious process of installing and compiling every package needed to make a Linux distribution bootable.

In October of this year, I decided that I would begin the process of constructing a Linux From Scratch build. I have held an interest in open-source software and Linux ever since I was about nine. In elementary school I experimented with Raspberry Pis, using them to emulate games and to help my grandma print out recipes, in middle school I self-hosted web and Minecraft servers off my friend’s used Optiplex, using Debian over SSH, and in high school I used WSL and Vim to complete my AP Computer Science assignments. Trusting in my experience and feeling confident in my Linux abilities, I estimated Linux From Scratch would take me less than two days.

Two weeks later, now the proud owner of a text-only, package-manager-less Linux distribution that immediately throws two warnings upon login, I am both humbled and fatigued. But I also now understand more about Linux at a very low level than I have ever understood before. Linux From Scratch has been the best explanation I have ever received of what Linux actually is, and, to me, Linux From Scratch serves as an example of how “doing it yourself” can provide a uniquely comprehensive understanding of whatever it is you are “doing.” Is making Linux From Scratch the best way to understand Linux? No, probably not. But, in this presentation, not only will I tell the story of how I got my own build working, I will also make the case for why, maybe, you should build one for yourself.