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View Full Version : Vista uses GRUB ?!?!?!?


Ocxic
May 19th, 2008, 04:09 AM
I'm have Vista Ultimate running in VirtualBox, and just today due to having to power off my computer without a proper shutdown, Vista gave me "Error 17 - Files not found" and dropped me to a GRUB command line interface. now it was looking for ntldr but what does this mean, is Micro$oft starting to see the light?? or was this just a subsystem of VirtualBox?
angryfirelord
May 19th, 2008, 04:22 AM
The only versions of Vista I've seen that use Grub are hacked (usually pirated) versions to bypass the activation requirement or have dual-booted previously with Linux and then removed the menu.lst file. From what I know, Vista uses winload.exe as its boot manager.
Dr. C
May 19th, 2008, 04:29 AM
I seriously doubt that Microsoft would be that stupid to be caught red handed as a software pirate!

GNU GRUB is licensed under GPL v2 or later, so if they included it in Vista and did not provide you with a copy of the source code or an offer valid for three years to provide you with the a copy of the source code they would be pirating GNU GRUB and that could leave Microsoft vulnerable to a multi billion dollar lawsuit from the copyright holders of GNU GRUB namely the Free Software Foundation.
schauerlich
May 19th, 2008, 05:16 AM
I seriously doubt that Microsoft would be that stupid to be caught red handed as a software pirate!

GNU GRUB is licensed under GPL v2 or later, so if they included it in Vista and did not provide you with a copy of the source code or an offer valid for three years to provide you with the a copy of the source code they would be pirating GNU GRUB and that could leave Microsoft vulnerable to a multi billion dollar lawsuit from the copyright holders of GNU GRUB namely the Free Software Foundation.

Not if they kept it separate and didn't modify it. They'd just give back the same source code they used. And anyways, they wouldn't use FLOSS.
Northsider
May 21st, 2008, 06:40 PM
Vista uses its own boot manager
justin whitaker
May 21st, 2008, 07:01 PM
I seriously doubt that Microsoft would be that stupid to be caught red handed as a software pirate!

GNU GRUB is licensed under GPL v2 or later, so if they included it in Vista and did not provide you with a copy of the source code or an offer valid for three years to provide you with the a copy of the source code they would be pirating GNU GRUB and that could leave Microsoft vulnerable to a multi billion dollar lawsuit from the copyright holders of GNU GRUB namely the Free Software Foundation.

Using GRUB is not pirating. If you took GRUB, made no changes (it does not need changes to boot windows), then they could put it on every computer in the world without running afoul of the GPL.

That said, AFL is right: only pirated copies of Vista use Grub. They have their own bootloader.
swoll1980
May 21st, 2008, 07:03 PM
The only versions of Vista I've seen that use Grub are hacked (usually pirated) versions to bypass the activation requirement or have dual-booted previously with Linux and then removed the menu.lst file. From what I know, Vista uses winload.exe as its boot manager.

ha ha the threader told on him self :) I bet he feels silly right now
bigbrovar
May 21st, 2008, 08:54 PM
i can confirm that this happened to the compaq of a friend of mine recently .. i think its a patch that can make vista work even after the 60 days trial period .. and bypass activation
Bungo Pony
May 21st, 2008, 09:03 PM
I seriously doubt that Microsoft would be that stupid to be caught red handed as a software pirate!

It's already happened:

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-11183-0.html?forumID=89&threadID=173539&messageID=1765547
Dr. C
May 21st, 2008, 09:12 PM
Using GRUB is not pirating. If you took GRUB, made no changes (it does not need changes to boot windows), then they could put it on every computer in the world without running afoul of the GPL.

That said, AFL is right: only pirated copies of Vista use Grub. They have their own bootloader.

If you distribute or convey GPL software and do not provide the source code you are pirating it. In any event what this looks like is that some pirate took both Vista and GRUB and created a derived work that infringes on both Microsoft's EULA and the GPL at the same time.
damis648
May 21st, 2008, 09:13 PM
It's already happened:

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-11183-0.html?forumID=89&threadID=173539&messageID=1765547

Wow thats crazy...
klange
May 21st, 2008, 10:10 PM
If you distribute or convey GPL software and do not provide the source code you are pirating it. In any event what this looks like is that some pirate took both Vista and GRUB and created a derived work that infringes on both Microsoft's EULA and the GPL at the same time.
Oh boy, twice as bad but with less than 1% the meaning!



Find me a copy of Vista installed supposedly OEM from a major manufacturer and maybe I'll care a bit more. If at first you don't succeed, it's not Microsoft - however, if you do eventually find one, we'll know someone's breaking the law.