grub: Role of a boot loader
1.5 The role of a boot loader
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The following is a quotation from Gordon Matzigkeit, a GRUB fanatic:
Some people like to acknowledge both the operating system and
kernel when they talk about their computers, so they might say they
use "GNU/Linux" or "GNU/Hurd". Other people seem to think that the
kernel is the most important part of the system, so they like to
call their GNU operating systems "Linux systems."
I, personally, believe that this is a grave injustice, because the
_boot loader_ is the most important software of all. I used to
refer to the above systems as either "LILO"(1) (⇒Role of a
boot loader-Footnote-1) or "GRUB" systems.
Unfortunately, nobody ever understood what I was talking about; now
I just use the word "GNU" as a pseudonym for GRUB.
So, if you ever hear people talking about their alleged "GNU"
systems, remember that they are actually paying homage to the best
boot loader around... GRUB!
We, the GRUB maintainers, do not (usually) encourage Gordon's level
of fanaticism, but it helps to remember that boot loaders deserve
recognition. We hope that you enjoy using GNU GRUB as much as we did
writing it.
Info Catalog
grub: Features
grub: Introduction