building FOSS from source

[lm8]

I enjoy building many of the applications I use on my computer from source code.  It makes it easier for me to get to know the programs I use and to modify them to fit my preferences when needed.  Was curious if anyone else regularly builds the software they use from source.

I've looked at projects like LFS/BLFS, but the programs they document and the ones I'm using have diverged a lot over the years.  I tend to build cross-platform portable programs so that I can use them on different computers and operating systems at work and at home without being locked in to any one system.  I love to find useful, lightweight, low dependency C/C++ programs.  I'd like to attempt to build a distro or distro spin someday, but I have a feeling it would mainly just appeal to me.  It's probably easier to use other operating systems and add my own programs to work with them.

Does anyone else enjoy finding lightweight FOSS that's easy to build from source?  Does anyone enjoy building and patching software from source?  Have you considered making your own distro?  I'd love to discuss the topic further and compare notes with other hobbyists and FOSS enthusiasts.

[jjanzen]

I do sometimes enjoy building things from source. It is nice to be able to read the source and change things to your liking. For the most part, I tend to not build from source to avoid dependency issues though. `pacman -Ql | wc -l` says I have exactly 2000 packages installed on my computer and managing that myself would be too much of a hassle. It is nice for the occasional program for sure though. My text editor of choice used to be st and that program only supports configuration by modifying the source code directly. It is honestly a really nice experience.