On Mon, 16 Oct 2017 17:18:43 +0200
"Dr. Nikolaus Klepp" <dr.klepp@???> wrote:

> Am Samstag, 7. Oktober 2017 schrieb Tobias Hunger:
> > On Sat, Oct 7, 2017 at 3:46 PM, Didier Kryn <kryn@???> wrote:  
> > >     Then maybe I misunderstood the reason for EFI.  

> >
> > UEFI is a huge step forward in pretty much all areas and makes
> > booting both simpler and more powerful.

UEFI is a huge step forward in monopolization of well-funded operating
system vendors to fend off challenges from smaller vendors. UEFI is a
huge step forward in guaranteeing the ability of the user to break his
hardware with a dumb error. UEFI is a big step forward for Microsoft,
who has the clout to make sure all computer manufacturers can boot
Windows on their machines. Other OSes, well, not so much. UEFI is a
huge step forward for systemd, because the giant distros who can afford
to supply Microsoft endorsed keys all run systemd. This is Redhat's
final defense against superior, non-systemd OSes. Yes, they might be
better, but you can't run them, so bend over, grease up, and embrace
systemd.

Tobias Hunger is a systemd apologist and perpetual troll. Instead of
contributing to the systemd project, he comes to Devuan discussion
venues and says "systemd's not so bad."

> >
> > Grub on BIOS basically works like this: the one MBR is read by BIOS
> > and executed (512 bytes!). That contains code to chain load some
> > more code (usually from a fixed set of sectors on disk!). That is
> > phase 1 of the boot loader. That has enough smarts to find a
> > hard-coded partition and read phase 2 from there. Phase 2 will then
> > load a ton of modules and some configuration files and do the
> > actual work.

The preceding is reasonably accurate.

> >
> > With UEFI the firmware just loads a efi binary with everything:-)
> > MUCH simpler.

There's absolutely nothing simpler about the preceding sentence: Hunger
simply fails to break out a vast tree of subcomponents and dependencies
of the "efi binary."


> >
> > UEFI has a couple more features:
> >
> > * UEFI allows for better hardware support (graphical login at full
> > resolution, mouse support, RAID drivers, etc.)

OF COURSE we all desparately need graphical login at full resolution.
And I guess we never had RAID and CLI mouse support before UEFI, right?

> > * UEFI allows for more security with secure boot. E.g. my thinkpad
> > *only* boots things that I have signed with my key.

Does Devuan have a key? If not, I guess that's all we need to know
about what distro Tobias Hunger REALLY uses. I'm guessing he doesn't
have the brainpower to actually implement the distro-independent shim,
which sounds like an utter nightmare.

> > * UEFI allows for different OSes living next to each other
> > peacefully, without the constant fight over who writes the MBR and
> > with that defines the boot loader.

Characterization. "Peacefully?" "Constantly fighting?" The fights only
occur when changing the boot system. And by the way, if you use MBR
boot, you can use the old and superior Grub1 or LILO.

> You forgot to mention that UEFI is the best code in the world written
> by the the best of the best and therefore absolutely secure.
>
> Nik

Nik, that should be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer :-)

Tobias Hunger, why don't you go support the project you DO like instead
of trolling the one you don't?

SteveT

Steve Litt
October 2017 featured book: Rapid Learning for the 21st Century
http://www.troubleshooters.com/rl21