PDA

View Full Version : Why did LILO lose so much marketshare over the last decade?


Cuddles McKitten
July 27th, 2010, 04:32 AM
FOSS history question: I remember around 2002 virtually everyone used LILO. Now it seems that almost everyone uses GRUB. Is there any real reason for this? I'm assuming it has a lot to do with Ubuntu using GRUB as the default, but why'd Canonical select it over LILO?
Kdar
July 27th, 2010, 04:36 AM
Does openSuse is using GRUB now too?

If I remember correctly, it used Lilo, when I first tried it.
doorknob60
July 27th, 2010, 04:48 AM
I'm guessing sometime in that period (pre-Ubuntu), Debian decided to make GRUB the default, and since Ubuntu was built off Debian, they used GRUB too. That's just an educated guess though.
jerenept
July 27th, 2010, 04:54 AM
LILO cannot load Windows, but GRUB can. There was a need to multiboot easily, and it was solved by GRUB.
cariboo
July 27th, 2010, 04:56 AM
Back when I used LILO, I dual booted Windows and Redhat, later Mandrake, it has been able to multiboot for years.
mickie.kext
July 27th, 2010, 05:00 AM
I'm guessing sometime in that period (pre-Ubuntu), Debian decided to make GRUB the default, and since Ubuntu was built off Debian, they used GRUB too. That's just an educated guess though.
It was Red Hat. http://lwn.net/Articles/89772/

Today everyone use GRUB. Except Slackware I think.
Cuddles McKitten
July 27th, 2010, 05:05 AM
It was Red Hat. http://lwn.net/Articles/89772/

Today everyone use GRUB. Except Slackware I think.

Great link. Thanks.
whiskeylover
July 27th, 2010, 02:09 PM
Because she started doing drugs and violating her parole and...

Oh wait, this thread is not about Lindsay Lohan :|
Guitar John
July 27th, 2010, 02:22 PM
Because she started doing drugs and violating her parole and...

Oh wait, this thread is not about Lindsay Lohan :|

:mrgreen:
Slug71
July 27th, 2010, 03:16 PM
Because she started doing drugs and violating her parole and...

Oh wait, this thread is not about Lindsay Lohan :|

:lolflag:
realzippy
July 27th, 2010, 03:24 PM
Because she started doing drugs and violating her parole and...

Oh wait, this thread is not about Lindsay Lohan :|

Thanks.1st smile today...:D
Eisenwinter
July 27th, 2010, 03:31 PM
LILO cannot load Windows, but GRUB can. There was a need to multiboot easily, and it was solved by GRUB.
LILO can load Windows.
SunnyRabbiera
July 27th, 2010, 03:36 PM
Well I think its themability and its ability to access ext4
saulgoode
July 27th, 2010, 04:19 PM
Well I think its themability and its ability to access ext4
LILO can boot EXT4 -- this is being posted from Slackware booting off an EXT4 partition. When the kernel devs get around to writing an EXT4 defrag utility, it will be necessary to re-run the 'lilo' command after defragging an EXT4 containing the /boot directory. If /boot is mounted to its own partition (a good idea in its own right) then one should never need to defrag it (nor would it need to be EXT4).
andrew.46
July 29th, 2010, 12:05 AM
A new version released recently:

http://lilo.alioth.debian.org/

Andrew
Dustin2128
July 29th, 2010, 12:25 AM
not sure.. I've always liked it. Also: It does support dual booting with any OS, ext4, and is the default in slackware as of 13.1.
ezsit
July 29th, 2010, 01:41 AM
Back in the day, LILO was seen as old and limited because changing the boot menu required reinstalling LILO to the MBR each time to update the boot menu. GRUB allowed users to update a text file and be done with it. GRUB also allowed for more video modes to be used.

GRUB was the future and LILO was the past, as many programs throughout history that still work are discarded for no better reason then that they have been around too long and no longer are sexy.