On Sun, 28 May 2000, Seth chandler wrote:
> shoot, one more question, as i'm sure you're already aware, they fixed lilo
> so it works past 1024 cyls anyway, so, is there a point to use grub then?
> (assuming you incorperate the new version of lilo into mandrake) ????
Absolutely. I've had systems fail to boot because essential parameters on
the boot line needed to be changed and there's no way to do it with LILO.
For example, if your lilo.conf has a line that says something like this:
append="ide2=0xd000,0xd206,11"
and you pop a new PCI card in your computer, it suddenly doesn't boot. You
try "linux ide2=<new correct addresses>" and it STILL doesn't boot because
the append line still gets added and overrides what you type at the boot
prompt! You need to edit lilo.conf to boot your machine but you can't do
a darn thing from the idiotic LILO prompt!
On the other hand, if you're using GRUB, you calmly drop to the GRUB command
line and execute and commands you need to. If a system can possibly be
booted at all, it can be booted from the GRUB command line, WITHOUT requiring
any specific configuration. I carry a GRUB disk around now just to be able
to boot any machine runnning any bootable OS, regardless of what's been done
to its normal booter/MBR.
Until LILO fixes the problem of being completely unusable without having been
preconfigured for the system in question, I'd consider it foolish to use it
instead of GRUB...
