[Bug 872826] f18 anaconda - no option to install bootloader to a partition

[Kevin Fenzi]

On Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:32:20 -0500
Felix Miata <mrmazda at earthlink.net> wrote:

> On 2012-12-02 19:21 (GMT) bugzilla at redhat.com composed:
> 
> > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=872826
> 
> > --- Comment #19 from Chris Murphy ---
> > Anaconda should not offer options that are expressly stated as not
> > recommended by upstream. The problem is ext4's boot sector is only
> > 512 bytes, which is not enough space. The use of --force fragments
> > GRUB, and installs the pieces into free space without informing the
> > file system. At any future time the file system can step on any one
> > of those block lists and render the system unbootable

This sounds like a different bug than the one thats in the report
above. I'd advise the commenter to open a new one on mkfs or anaconda
to change the boot sector padding. 

...snip...

> Changing the boot track without permission is rude, particularly
> since it doesn't bother to report it will obliterate what is already
> there present. Fedora ought to be able to be put where the user wants
> it, on a partition prepared as the user wants it prepared, without
> any bootloader if that's what the user wants, and without writing
> anything to any partition table when it's unnecessary and unwanted
> due to all partitioning having been done in advance (see:
> Mandriva/Mageia: cmdline option "readonly=1" results in only
> "partitioning" to allow selection of mount points for existing
> partitions).

How can anaconda know all that? If you are dual booting a bunch of
OSes, don't you already have to manually decide how you want things to
chainload and update? I think a default of MBR with an option to not do
anything seems reasonable... how does the 'don't do anything with
bootloaders' not meet your needs?

> Anyone who thinks Windows installation is rude or limiting needs to
> put on a Fedora hat and look in the mirror.

This is the kind of comment that makes some people less likely to
listen to the rest of your argument... IMHO. 

kevin
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