Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition

[Robert Millan <rmh@aybabtu.com>]

On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 02:29:45PM -0400, Dave Vasilevsky wrote:
> On my GPT-partitioned MacBook, I seem to have two options for booting
> with grub-pc:
> 
> 1. Install grub to the start of an existing partition. This coexists
> well with the rEFIt boot menu, but requires blocklists to load
> core.img.

Why?  Can't you fix rEFIt instead?

> 2. Use a BIOS boot partition. This allows embedding core.img, but
> installs to the MBR and makes rEFIt unhappy.

That will lead to trouble.  The BBP is a shared resource, like MBR.  If
installing GRUB to a partition made use of it, it could overwrite other
things, which users wouldn't appreciate.

Besides, the whole notion of "installing a bootloader to a partition" is
specific to DOS-style labels anyway, and used only for compatibility with
Microsoft.  There isn't any real benefit in trying to archieve the same
thing on GPT.

-- 
Robert Millan

  The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and
  how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we
  still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all."