[syslinux] syslinux vs grub

H. Peter Anvin hpa at zytor.com
Sat Jan 8 15:04:42 PST 2005


H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>>
>> So, in my usage scenarios, to supplant GRUB you need two things:
>>
>>   1) A better boot-time command-line interface (e.g., the ability to
>>      select the boot device, TAB completion of file names, or at least
>>      the ability to browse the filesystem)
>>
>>   2) Modular filesystem drivers (I assume you would eschew a GRUB-like
>>      monolithic design).  So I could boot a FAT floppy, tell it to
>>      load the appropriate ext2/xfs/jfs/whatever module, then load and
>>      boot the kernel from my real hard drive.
>>
> 
> This somewhat cuts to the core of what I consider the essential 
> simplicity of syslinux, the fact that it deals with a single filesystem 
> (and not just a single *type* of filesystem).  If the above are genuine 
> requirements, then I'm barking up the wrong tree.
> 

I probably should be more blunt: the above is basically asking to turn 
syslinux into grub with a somewhat cleaner internal structure.  I must 
say I question the genuine value, but if that's what people want to do, 
then syslinux is the wrong product and I should shut the project down.

	-hpa




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