Re: grub2 miscelanea questions (1/2)

[adrian15 <adrian15@raulete.net>]

>> 3) Why any grub2.cfg file (I suppose it's the substitute for menu.lst)
>> is inside the grub2 source code?
> 
> What do you mean?

Usually a program should include examples on how to use their files and
document examples and so on... why isn't there any grub2.cfg ?

>> 4) Why any doc folder is inside the grub2 source code?
> 
> There is?  We need documentation...
:) I might work on this too... but as an unofficial documentation. I do
not like the rigid official documentations.
>  	
>> 5) grub2 lacks
>> ==================
>> 5.1) pager
>> -------------
>>
>> When I want to do a big ls the output does not stop screen by screen...
>> Is there any hidden pager that I do not know?
>> Maybe is not implemented yet?
> 
> set pager=1
> 
> It just isn't documented :-/

We should be able to prompt with help command (help variables perhaps?)
these kind of tricks or pseudocommands.

> 
>> 5.2) Chainload DEVICES
>> ------------------------
>>
>> How the hell do you boot windows?
>> Maybe from a file that has inside it the first 512 bytes from the
>> Windows partition?
> 
> chainload (hd0,1)+
> boot

I've checked that this works:
chainloader (hd0,1)+1
boot

>> 6) Compulsory Argument dilemma
>> ================================	
>> If I run help I can seen things like this:
>> 	
>> ls [-f|-l|-s] NAME
>>
>> and
>>
>> [ EXPRESSION ]
> 
> Yes?
> 
>> If [ ] means optional it should also mean optional in the case of the
>> test alias [ .!!!
> 
> What do you mean?

The [] has not a single meaning in this program.
	If it's written after a command in the help description it means: Optional.
	If it's used as a program it means that it runs the test command.

It might be confusing for some users I suppose.

Why did not use to new bash syntax? $((variable))

> 
>> 7) set help incomplete
>> ========================
>> Set help should say that if no argument is set then it shows all the
>> environment variables.
> 
> Why would it?  Only using set shows all env. variables.
Because it is a hidden feature.
If you do not how grub does work and type "help set"
it shows "Set an environment variable".

The user is unable to know that "Only using set shows all env.
variables" because it isn't written anywhere.

>> 9) help does not complain when no command help is available
>> =============================================================
> How it currently works is looking at the first characters.  For
> example try "help l".

I know... but if the first characters do not match with any command
beginning I think an error should be prompted. Don't you think so?

> 
>> 10) help --all
>> =================
>> Do we need this functionality in grub2?
> 
> Are there hidden commands for which this is important?  In that case,
> yes.

The hipotetical dd command. :)
> 
>> 12) ls and -h argument
>> ========================
>>
>> This is not an error but it curious. You can ask for the help of command
>> with this:
>> command -h
>> however
>> ls -h
>> works in a different way.
>>
>> I suppose we may have the same problem with '-u' in the future.
> 
> Ehm, I am not sure.  You mean `-h' is short for help and we should
> remove it?

I mean that if an user gets used to use the "-h" option for getting grub
commands help then when using ls, he will be confused a little.

adrian15