On Saturday 22 November 2008 04:46:48 David A. Bandel wrote:
> Lennart Sorensen wrote:

[snip]

> > grub (at least on debian) has that too.  Just grub-reboot to pick the
> > kernel for the next boot, and after that it will go back to the current
> > one again.
>
> Interesting.  But not only not intuitive, more trouble than it's worth:
> grub-reboot 3
> vs
> lilo -R Linux | BSD | Solaris
>
> what was 3 again?  My OpenBSD install or my Solaris install.  Now do I
> count from 0 for this or is that just disks and partitions?  Bad enough
> the GRUB developers couldn't decide on a "standard" hard drive syntax
> already in use, like sdx or hdx or wdx or even the gobbledy gook that is
> Solaris device files, nor could they implement simple labels so even
> idiots can understand what they're going to reboot into.
>
> I'm already confused enough.

I think you are missing the point. grub is a boot loader, it is not an 
operating system and should not use a specific operating system convention 
for it's naming. Which names are these "standards" you speak of? The Linux 
ones? BSD ones? Solaris? Windows? Something else? Whatever Linus feels like 
having the kernel call them tomorrow? They are all different and not set in 
stone (unlike major/minor numbers). Seeing as these names are only valid once 
grub has already finished doing it's job, it's silly to enforce say Linux 
conventions on software that might load Solaris. The grub devs took the only 
sane way out - all disks are hds and are numbered rom 0 according to a sane 
discovery sequence.

[snip]

> > Also grub is written in C, lilo is assembly.  I know which one I find
> > easier to maintain and add features to.
>
> I haven't the time or desire to maintain or add features to lilo, grub,
> or any of a thousand plus other packages.  I install the binaries and
> run with them.  If I tinker w/ 3 packages a year, that's a lot.
>
> Lilo needs to stay in the exam.

Well, that's your opinion. Others might disagree. The only sane criterion I've 
seen yet in this thread to decide if lilo stays or goes is "how many distros 
use it by default" and perhaps "how many people use it in real life"?

If you find it useful, that's great - continue to do so. You have the same 
choice w.r.t. qmail or djbdns[1] for example. But that doesn't mean it is 
sufficiently pervasive to warrant inclusion in a generic exam.

Do you not think that an LPIC-1 qualified person is clued-up enough to go and 
find out how lilo works should they decide to give it a try? Do you also not 
think that if someone can show he understands the basics of bootstrapping via 
grub questions, that the purpose of the Objective has been satisfied?

[1] that Dan is the author of both is not relevant here.

-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

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