The Boot Loader Showdown

An anonymous reader writes "What utility do practically all Linux users use, regardless of their job or expertise? A boot loader. In this article from IBM, see how a boot loader works, meet two popular loaders -- LILO (LInux LOader) and GNU GRUB (GRand Unified Boot loader) -- and review the pros and cons of each." From the article: "Most simply, a boot loader loads the operating system. When your machine loads its operating system, the BIOS reads the first 512 bytes of your bootable media (which is known as the master boot record, or MBR). You can store the boot record of only one operating system in a single MBR, so a problem becomes apparent when you require multiple operating systems. Hence the need for more flexible boot loaders.""

Comments

more like dupeloader

[Anonymous Coward]

so, which dupeloader is the best?
I use CmdrTaco, works best with my old version of the beowulf cluster....

ahh

[nomadic]

Whoa, tone down the technical mumbo-jumbo a bit, I'm having trouble following. So now what you're saying is that Linux thing is now on computers?

Re:ahh

[rco3]

So now what you're saying is that Linux thing is now on computers?

That's right. It's not just for toasters any more.

Re:ahh

[Anonymous Coward]

That's right. It's not just for toasters any more.

I'm a Cylon, you insensitive clod!

I was going to post

[pklong]

I was going to post but computer says LIL-

Re:DUPE

[hackstraw]

Yeah, you have posted this before!

Yeah, but there is a big:

diff -u post1 post2
--- post1 Tue Jan 3 09:35:05 2006
+++ post2 Tue Jan 3 09:34:20 2006
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-Francesca
+An
+anonymous
+reader
  writes
  "What
  utility
@@ -125,4 +127,4 @@
  more
  flexible
  boot
-loaders."
+loaders.""


If the authors would have been the same and the second one didn't have an extra '"' at the end of it, it would have been the perfect dupe.

Exact Dupe!!

[ltwally]

Oh, and not only is it a dupe, but it's an exact duplicate. Word-for-word. Someone copy & pasted the entire article description of the one from august, and Taco still let it get through!

Notice that it's an AC that did it, too. It's actually pretty funny, in a sorry sort of way.

Auto-dupe check

[JLavezzo]

That's it!
I'm going to download the slashcode and hack in an auto-dupe-check using diff... If you are too similar the article get's an automatic first post of "DUPE!"

What utliity do practically all Linux users use?

[Caspian]

What utility do practically all Linux users use, regardless of their job or expertise?

Windows.

I keed, I keed! ;)

Neither! Luna works best...

[justinchudgar]

My kitten Luna loads my boots with shredded paper and cat toys every night. She is the best boot loader ever!

Yaboot

[so1omon]

I use Yaboot you insensitive clod!

Re:My biggest problem for not using GRUB

[slashdotnickname]

My biggest problem, and why I stick with LILO as opposed to using GRUB, is because of the current state of the GRUB development. I'm not exactly sure what's going on with the GRUB project, I have seen their website, and read their information, but I don't understand where they are at in their development, especially with GRUB 2.

I would of tested and compared them in the context of boot environments... but you're right, a confusing web site/documentation definetly translates into "subpar product"... in fact, i'm removing any executable whose man pages I can't comprehend! brb

Re:Both!

[Eli Gottlieb]

Apparently the virus protection doesn't recognize Windows for what it is, either.

Re:GRUB!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes.