Re: [multiboot] command-line format

["Grégoire Sutre" <gregoire.sutre@gmail.com>]

Hi Robert,

> On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 01:39:48PM -0600, richardvoigt@gmail.com wrote:
>> I think a bootloader with "universal" in its name should be doing
>> everything possible to avoid this.  If I want to multiboot between
>> Linux, NetBSD, OpenSolaris, and OpenBSD, do I load my MBR with the BSD
>> fork of GRUB, the Linux fork of GRUB, or the Solaris fork of GRUB?
> 
> It doesn't matter, because whichever version of GRUB you use should
> generate a grub.cfg that uses multiboot command with appropiate
> parameters.

According to my little experience, I believe that GRUB should not rely 
too much on an automatic generation of a correct grub.cfg.  This 
requires an os-prober command that (1) is available on the system 
installing GRUB, which is not always the case, and (2) can detect other 
installed Oses correctly, which is not always the case as well.

What if I want to install GRUB to some removable drive or floppy disk 
for the purpose of rescuing systems with a damaged MBR?  You cannot hope 
to generate a grub.cfg that will universally work, so in that case you 
must use the GRUB shell.

As you mentionned in a previous email, it is important to keep the GRUB 
shell user-friendly.  Requiring users to duplicate the first argument of 
multiboot commands is not my idea of user-friendliness.  But I agree 
that it works.

Grégoire