Re: reasons to ditch LILO before upgrading to jessie?
Stephen Powell composed on 2016-07-09 13:19 (UTC-0400):
Felix Miata wrote:
Stephen Powell composed on 2016-07-09 08:58 (UTC-0400):
As for features, LILO has all the features that I need.
One feature it never acquired AFAIK, which Grub shares with Syslinux, is the
^^^^^
ability to edit the kernel cmdline at boot time, before kernel load. With
^^^^
problematic hardware, problematic BIOS, and pre-release kernel and distro
versions, that ability is a big troubleshooting convenience. It's one of the
features that facilitated my decision to migrate from OS/2 to Linux as
primary OS.
Not true. I use the traditional text-mode interface of LILO (install=text).
To supply kernel options during boot, press the Shift key (by itself) before
the "delay" timer expires to get a boot prompt ("boot:"). Then type the
label of the kernel you want followed by the desired boot parameters.
For example,
Linux single
to boot the kernel in single-user mode. Or
Linux forcepae
to get a PAE-requiring kernel to boot on a Banias-class Pentium M or
Celeron M processor, if you forgot to specify
append="forcepae"
in /etc/lilo.conf before running lilo. If you can't remember the names of
your kernel labels, press the Tab key at a "boot:" prompt. LILO will
display the names of your kernel labels followed by another "boot:" prompt.
All that's well and good, but I see nothing there that equates to my
understanding of the meaning of "editing", which includes removal as well as
appending.
I've never used the menu-based interface of LILO, but I'm sure that there
is a way to supply kernel options at boot time with the menu-based interface
as well.
What I wrote probably assumed too much of the reader, as my use of Grub to
boot virtually always begins in its Gfxboot incarnation, and on a multi-boot
PC with various incarnations of pre-release OS installations. I keep Gfxboot
configured in most cases to place the entirety of kernel appendages for the
selected stanza in edit mode at the outset, so that I know exactly what to
expect before proceeding.
See my LILO web page at
http://www.stevesdebianstuff.org/lilo.htm
for more information.
P.S. I used to use OS/2 as well. But I switched because OS/2, after Warp 4,
was more or less abandoned by IBM. Besides, Linux is free. If I had known
about Linux back then, I would probably have gone straight from DOS to Linux.
More recent incarnations of OS/2 remain the best host for a DOS application I
still depend on constantly. Some things never get improved upon, or if they
do, the "improvements" don't add meaningful value for every user context, or
add complexity that outweighs putative benefit. e.g. for some, 64 bit, which
is killing off 32 bit in more and more distros. Many don't need more power
than it takes to run apps that can do everything needed of them in as little
as an 8 or 16 bit OS, much less 32 or 64.
I'm glad to see Lilo remains available for those who remain content to use
it. Debian's Grub (Legacy) is too broken for use on installations with EXT4
filesystems even without 64 bit nodes, while openSUSE's keeps on keeping on
pleasing me, needing no scripts to maintain to my liking.
What I'd like to find which I've had no luck with so far, is finding a Debian
installer cmdline option to skip the waste of time that is installation of
any bootloader. My disks get generic MBR code and Grub installed by me before
any OS gets installed. Thus, I have no need to see warnings about blocklists
and unreliability from installers trying to do what I don't want or need done
in the first place.
--
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!
Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/
Reply to: