Re: Grub 2 Grub Super Disk WishList

Re: Grub 2 Grub Super Disk WishList

[Marco Gerards]

"adrian15" <adrian15@raulete.net> writes:

Hi adrian15,

(posting on grub-devel instead of bug-grub.  You can post on
grub-devel as well if you subscribe to that list)

This is what I think of your proposals.  I hope the other GRUB2
developers would give their opinions as well.

> PROPOSAL 1) - Device autodetection
> ============
> Grub 2 should be able to autodetect where the
> main/first menu.lst is. 
> Grub 2 should be able to store automagically this device
> into a constant called
> GRUB_DEVICE

Is this the same as the prefix variable GRUB 2 uses?

> Grub Menu Advantadge
> ====================
> This option is useful for not having to rewrite menu.lst files
> that invoke another config files with the configfile command.
>
> If you develop a floppy disk with menus that invoke other menus
> like Grub Super Disk you will use commands like this:
>
>
> title spanish
> configfile (fd0)/grub/es/menu.lst
>
> If you want to make the same thing into a cdrom or into a network device
> you should replace (fd0) and put (cd) or (nd) respectively.
>
> Why can't we have something like:
>
>
> title spanish
> configfile GRUB_DEVICE/grub/es/menu.lst

You could use:

configfile ${prefix}/grub/es/menu.lst


> the following command:
>
> title Back to main menu
> configfile ../menu.lst
>
> should load: GRUB_DEVICE/grub/es/menu.lst
>
> This should help making complex menus with Grub.

Isn't this possible already?  I think something like this is possible
already:

configfile ${prefix}/..

>
> PROPOSAL 3) GRUB_TITLE
> ========================
> There is a variable which stores a main title which is displayed
> in the place where in GRUB 1.X is shown the grub version and the
> free mem.
>
> Every menu in Grub 1.x is the Grub menu. This way each menu can
> have a name of its own.

That would be possible, I wonder what the other developers think of
that.

>
> PROPOSAL 4) OLD MENU.LST VARIABLE
> =================================
> Once we load a configfile if we had already loaded another configfile
> the path/filename of this configfile into a variable called:
> OLD_CONFIGFILE.
>
> This will help to make Previous Menu option easier. Although I think
> that some sort of global variables among the different configfiles
> should be used.
>
> If one menu calls a second one and this second one calls a third one then
> OLD_CONFIGFILE of the first one and of the second one are lost.
>
> Having each previously loaded configfile each own OLD_CONFIGFILE should
> eat resources and maybe Grub developers don't want this.
>
> Any other similar idea?

I think you can implement this yourself like this:

THISFILE=/grub/es/menu.lst

title foo
set LAST=$THISFILE
configfile blah

title bar
set LAST=$THISFILE
configfile blah

Right?


> PROPOSAL 5) 2-line menu options
> ================================
> Grub should be ready to show title string that exceed screen width in 
> characters if we set it to this behaviour.
>
> This behaviour should be set with a variable like LINE2YES.

Why would this be useful?  It might be hard to implement and make the
code obscure.

> PROPOSAL 6) echo command
> ============================
> The cat command is very useful to show files but sometimes we need to show
> text and it doesn't need to be asociated to an option.
>
> So an echo command is needed (the same basic behaviour as linux one)

I agree that an echo command might be usable, especially when
scripting is implemented.

> PROPOSAL 7) cat more
> ==========================
> The cat command shows files. But with Grub 1.x if you run it within a menu 
> it doesn't stop at a full screen, even if the PAGER is ON.
> I think cat should be stoppeable.

set pager=1

Doesn't that work?

Please tell me if I misunderstood one of your proposals.

--
Marco

Re: Grub 2 Grub Super Disk WishList

[Vincent Pelletier]

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Marco Gerards wrote:
>>title Back to main menu
>>configfile ../menu.lst
>>should load: GRUB_DEVICE/grub/es/menu.lst
>>This should help making complex menus with Grub.
> Isn't this possible already?  I think something like this is possible
> already:
> configfile ${prefix}/..

In file ${prefix}/grub/es/menu.lst
 ${prefix}/../menu
wouldn't load
 ${prefix}/grub/menu.lst
as I think he is expecting. I think it's a good idea.

>>There is a variable which stores a main title which is displayed
>>in the place where in GRUB 1.X is shown the grub version and the
>>free mem.
> That would be possible, I wonder what the other developers think of
> that.

Good idea to me too.

>>Once we load a configfile if we had already loaded another configfile
>>the path/filename of this configfile into a variable called:
>>OLD_CONFIGFILE.
> I think you can implement this yourself like this:

I think it already works, as grub2 uses "russian dolls" terminals, if
one exits it returns control to his parent - and refuses to if it has none.

>>Grub should be ready to show title string that exceed screen width in 
>>characters if we set it to this behaviour.

I think such "cosmetics" should be left for more advanced interfaces,
like the vesa modes or so.

Vincent Pelletier
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Re: Grub 2 Grub Super Disk WishList

[Vladimir Serbinenko]

Marco Gerards wrote:

>>PROPOSAL 1) - Device autodetection
>>============
>>Grub 2 should be able to autodetect where the
>>main/first menu.lst is. 
>>Grub 2 should be able to store automagically this device
>>into a constant called
>>GRUB_DEVICE
>>    
>>
>
>Is this the same as the prefix variable GRUB 2 uses?
>  
>
I'm not sure that it's the same idea I had for the some time but
I thought that GRUB goes to grub rescue if partition map changed.
So my idea was to write partition module that will autodetect the
GRUB partition (another question is what parameter to use for
autodection. But it must be secure: GRUB will not detect other partition
containing modules at the other case the attacker could boot his own
modules) and register it like (boot) then GRUB can load the real
partition map module

>
>I think you can implement this yourself like this:
>
>THISFILE=/grub/es/menu.lst
>
>title foo
>set LAST=$THISFILE
>configfile blah
>
>title bar
>set LAST=$THISFILE
>configfile blah
>
>Right?
>
>
>  
>
T he disadvantage is that it doesn't work with "deep"
menus (if new menu loads another one)

>>PROPOSAL 5) 2-line menu options
>>================================
>>Grub should be ready to show title string that exceed screen width in 
>>characters if we set it to this behaviour.
>>
>>This behaviour should be set with a variable like LINE2YES.
>>    
>>
>
>Why would this be useful?  It might be hard to implement and make the
>code obscure.
>
>  
>
And why would someone use such a long title?


                                                                        
                     Vladimir