3. Project Format

The Pocket Linux Guide takes a hands-on approach to learning. The guide is written with each chapter building a piece of an overall project. Chapters are further broken into sections of Analysis, Design, Construction and Implementation. This format is derived from Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology. Without going into detail about design methodologies, the sections may be summed up as follows.

• The Analysis section gives a high-level overview of what is to be accomplished in each chapter. It will introduce the tasks that need to be completed and why they are important to the overall system.

• The Design section defines the source code packages, files and configuration necessary to address the requirements set forth in the Analysis section. Much of the theory of why certain system files exist and what their purpose is can be found here.

• The Construction section is where all the hands-on action takes place. This section goes into detail about building source code and configuring the system files.

• The Implementation section will test the proper operation of the project at the end of each chapter. Often there are a few shell commands to perform and samples of expected screen outputs are given.

Readers interested in learning more about RAD may want to consult a textbook covering systems analysis and design or visit the following University of California, Davis website on the subject: http://sysdev.ucdavis.edu/WEBADM/document/rad-stages.htm.