Grub or Lilo?

pioto · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 2:55 am Post subject: Grub or Lilo?

Hmm... I'm just curious... do more people use GRUB or LILO? Personally, I'm a LILO man myself [it's what I learned on]... Gimme opinions! Rants! Yay for divisive topics!

codergeek42 · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:06 am Post subject:

I posted something like this in OTW. Go check there if you want.
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codergeek42 · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:13 am Post subject:

[edit]

Why did it double post? Sorry about that :oops:

...

[/edit]
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mixa · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:27 am Post subject:

GRUB. I started using it as soon as I got my hands on Gentoo 2004.0

deathdruid · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:41 am Post subject:

Why would you use LILO if you could use GRUB? I have heard that there are certain systems on which GRUB doesn't work too well, but have not run into them myself. So for me, GRUB is the natural choice (I ran LILO from 1997-1999, GRUB ever since).

I shudder to think that I have to fix my bootloader every time I compile kernels....

Seph64 · Apprentice Joined: 13 May 2003 Posts: 191

I've used LILO and GRUB, but I must say that GRUB is the easiest loader to get running (IMO).

Fitzsimmons · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 5:33 pm Post subject:

tihkal · Apprentice Joined: 28 Feb 2004 Posts: 225

Grub out of choice.

But I'm just as happy with Lilo. As long as it works :-)

Grub does stop me from forgetting to run lilo after editing /etc/lilo.conf and doing an extra reboot because I'm forgetful....

newbie_100 · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 6:39 pm Post subject:

i use grub too...
its easier and just works...
and as deathdruid said, you dont have to "fix" grub when you upgrade your kernel...

Dr Gonzo · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 6:51 pm Post subject:

G-Style · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 8:35 pm Post subject:

I use LILO, since it's way easier to configure than GRUB, and at the time of my installing Gentoo I wanted a system running as soon as possible and I didn't want to go through all the trouble of having to understand GRUB. Maybe over the summer I'll make the switch but I'm happy with what I have right now.
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BoZ · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 9:16 pm Post subject:

I use lilo because I've always used it... but after these replies I think I'm gonna try grub soon, just for fun.

MooktaKiNG · Guru Joined: 11 Nov 2002 Posts: 326 Location: London, UK

grub is better. becuase it does NOT rely on an OS to keep working!!!!

All you need is a /boot partition. then a floppy. And grub.conf inside /boot/grub/grub.conf and thats ALL!!!!

I have a grub that i haven't integrated into an OS for 2 years now

/boot stays unmounted. Unless i want to edit the file. I have a floppy for one of those windows reinstalls, so that i can put grub back into mbr again. And thats it!!!!

I love it. I hate the fact that lilo requires you to have a working system for even doing making configuration.
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fernandotcl · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 10:04 pm Post subject:

I like Lilo because it is kept 100% in MBR. Also because it was the first one I tried, and used it in Mandrake. Finally, because it's syntax seem more natural to me.

MooktaKiNG · Guru Joined: 11 Nov 2002 Posts: 326 Location: London, UK

seems natural?

i don't think thats a good reason. Its like saying "i like windows because it seems more natural"

Basicly whatever you used first will be the natural to you. Everything else will seem unnatural

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pioto

Hmm... one point that a lot of people are raising is that GRUB doesn't require you to have any running system in order to update it. That seems like a pretty nice feature to me. But a few things have kept me using LILO till now:

LILO has the /sbin/lilo -R <image_name> command to let you select an image automatically for next boot. Does something comparable exist for GRUB?
LILO lets you have pretty bitmap bootloader screens...
GRUB's partition naming scheme makes NO SENSE to me... completely counterintuitive... and while it is allegedly going to change in the future, it hasn't changed now!

Additionally, I wonder: If GRUB is non-os specific (correct me if I'm wrong about that), is it possible to administer it from within a running Windows system? [I know you can just reboot and config it from the GRUB prompt on boot... but I mean like when you run the grub command in Linux...] Please feel free to point out where my GRUB perceptions are wrong.

fernandotcl · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 11:03 pm Post subject:

MooktaKiNG · Guru Joined: 11 Nov 2002 Posts: 326 Location: London, UK

Yes, bitmap and the reboot with a certain OS already chosen is a nice feature. I admit.

However, stuff like weird partition naming is very easiy to learn.

However, i may have bootsplash and other eye candy on my laptop

but, practicality is my main priority. i don't mind not having bitmap

If you can edit an ext2/ex3 or whatever partition you use for /boot, then you can configure it in windows

What is the 'Linux way'?

it doesn't bother me the least that they use 0 as starting point. or the weird hd(0,0). I don't mind. As long as its consistent.

I believe in terms of practicality grub out weigh's lilo.

even though i've never actually bothered to install lilo, i believe the configuring both of these bootloaders are the same. Each one has its own little differences but mainly they are the same.
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modal · Apprentice Joined: 02 Oct 2002 Posts: 277

yaboot= 15" 1.25Ghz PB
grub=1900+ AMD

uglyb0b · Apprentice Joined: 07 Sep 2003 Posts: 280

I love GRUB. It's just so simple to compile a kernel, then just reboot. I can;t count the times I've been using lilo and had boot errors because I was so used to running grub and not having to do /sbin/lilo.
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deathdruid

Coign · n00b Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 46 Location: Vail CO

I would use grub if I could get it installed. It is returning an aclocal error when I try to emerge it. See this thread if you think you can figure that out.

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=161617

If I can not figure out how to get GRUB installed by tomorrow evening I will be using LILO because God hates me.
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mollmerx · n00b Joined: 19 Dec 2003 Posts: 41 Location: Cambridge, UK

I have a dual boot system with windows. When installing Gentoo I just went for LILO because it is what I know from when I used to use Debian. I have a USB keyboard that works fine in Linux, Windows and the BIOS. However, LILO isn't interested in the keyboard, so I have an old Keyboard lying beside my system permenantly, in case I want to boot WinXP.

How can I solve this problem? Is Grub any better?

Thanks,
mollmerx

jjasghar · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:30 pm Post subject:

i've personally fallen in love with grub. it's so simple and streamlined. not to meantion you don't have the /sbin/lilo in a kernel install.

grub grub grub is my bud bud bud.

heh funny ain't i?

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get sirius · Guru Joined: 27 Apr 2002 Posts: 316 Location: Madison, WI

Was going to post a "grub grub grub" but noticed that the poster before me beat me to it. Dang! jjasghar said it perfectly.