Lilo and Grub

What is the difference between lilo and grub ? and what has one got to offer over the other, which one do you use and why ?

i use grub because:

1. i like to be able to edit the config file without having to re-run it
2. the config file actually makes sense
3. i can edit the boot parameters from the boot menu
4. i like the look of the boot menu more
5. grub is a cooler name than lilo

6. grub let´s me boot wintendo, win2k and linux all from a single bootmenu. Lilo needs an extra menu stage for the windows versions

point 5 is the real reason most people use it though...

augustwest said:

i use grub because:

1. i like to be able to edit the config file without having to re-run it
2. the config file actually makes sense
3. i can edit the boot parameters from the boot menu
4. i like the look of the boot menu more
5. grub is a cooler name than lilo

Click to expand...

I use Lilo because:

1. it's not that hard to type lilo after I edit the config file.
2. the config file also makes sense.
3. you can also pass boot parameters from the boot menu.
4. I can't comment on this since I've never seen the grub boot menu, but that's a moot point since I'll only see it for 5 seconds at the most.
5. while grub migth be a cooler name, I prefer the Linux Loader

Everything that the GNU Grub project page claims Grub can do, lilo can do, also. The main difference is that you don't have to do anything if you change the config file.

While I applaude GNU for the things that it has provided to the free software movement, sometimes I think they create new programs just for free publicity, I mean sure lilo had things they didn't like, but how hard would it have been for them to work with the maintaners of Lilo to fix that instead of going off and creating a whole new program?

klingens said:

6. grub let´s me boot wintendo, win2k and linux all from a single bootmenu. Lilo needs an extra menu stage for the windows versions

Click to expand...

Lilo let's me boot Win98, Win2k, Slackware, RH, and FreeBSD all from the same menu. Maybe you didn't set something up right?

If lilo can do everything grub can, consider the following scenario:

hda1: windows98
hda5: Windows2k
hda6: Linux
hda7-8: other stuff

hda1 is the bootdrive for both versions of windows. (win2k doesn´t like booting from extended partitions). How do you boot with a single bootmenu, i.e. a bootmenu with all 3 OSes which you can boot with a single keystroke each.
This scenario got me using grub since it was the only one capable of doing what I wanted (thanks to chainload)

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/Multiboot-with-LILO.html. How to multiboot Win95, WinNT, and Linux. Even if you boot Win95, Win98, WinNT, Win2k, or WinXP the idea is the same.

I'll post back in a day or so to let you know if it works.