Changeset 3a4cb53

Timestamp:

Jun 16, 2014, 11:27:21 PM (10 years ago)

Author:

Chris Staub <chris@…>

Branches:

clfs-3.0.0-systemd, master, systemd

Children:

39ca59f

Parents:

7481f2d

Message:

More detailed explanatory text in cross-tools File page. Thanks Martin Ward for the reminder

File:

• BOOK/cross-tools/common/file.xml (modified) (1 diff)

BOOK/cross-tools/common/file.xml

@@ -23 +23 @@
     <title>Installation of File</title>
 
-    <para>Here we install a native <command>file</command> program that can run
-    on the host system, as this program is needed by Binutils.</para>
+    <para>One method that <command>file</command> uses for identifying a given
+    file is to run <quote>magic tests</quote>, where it compares the file's
+    contents to data in <quote>magic files</quote>, which contain information
+    about a number of standard file formats. When File is compiled, it will run
+    <command>file -C</command> to combine the information from the
+    magic files in its source tree into a single <filename>magic.mgc</filename>
+    file, which it will use after it is installed. When we build File in 
+    <xref linkend="chapter-temp-system"/>, it will be cross-compiled, so it
+    will not be able to run the <command>file</command> program that it just
+    built, which means that we need one that will run on the host system.</para>
 
     <para>Prepare File for compilation:</para>