On Mar 12, 2013, at 8:45 AM, John.Florian(a)dart.biz wrote:
> From: Chris Murphy <lists(a)colorremedies.com>
> > Kernel update breaks system. User ignorant of hold-down key approach
> > is stuck. Menu at least advertises possibility of alternative.
>
> This logic doesn't work. The user ignorant of holding down even
> random keys, let alone what will become a common knowledge key, is
> also ignorant of the existence of a boot menu, and even more
> ignorant of the notion they need to choose a prior kernel.
And said users are supposed to become more enlightened by obscuring the boot loader with
an invisible cloak just because grub burns your retinas?
No, I'm saying that the idea people become enlightened by seeing boot manager menus is
an idea worthy of ridicule.
I for one learned a hell of a lot about *nix systems by playing with
(among many other things) the the kernel command line and doing things like
"init=/bin/bash". While I find grub quite arcane, I do like to tinker with
low-level details that affect the higher-level things. Such tinkering got me a decent
career. Like it or not, general purpose PC hardware needs a boot loader.
It's tinkering that presents potential for enlightenment. Not a visible boot manager
menu by default.
This "GRUB must be visible for users to become curious and knowledgeable" meme
is f'n annoying deification. Curious users will still be curious, those who want
knowledge will seek it. The bootloader menu god does not get one byte of credit for my
knowledge or intellectual curiosity.
It's as if every Windows (let alone Mac) user is a complete, utter, retard in the
minds of such linux users because they don't suffer through every conceivable UX
nightmare of the past and present. We must bleed the new users with leeches! Yes! They
must be bled out properly in order to properly understand the linux the way we do, and it
can only be done with leeches! We need more leeches, not less!
No one wants to take away your option to use leeches. I realize it's shocking heresy
that there might be new concepts, and emphasis on what sorts of experiences people need to
have, let alone MUST have by default.
Chris Murphy