Linux 5.7 EFI Changes: "The GRUB Project Is Showing Signs Of Life Again"

[curfew]

Every time grub is being installed or even updated, it forcefully sets itself as default in the efi boot menu, which is cancerous. You can argue that windows did the same thing in the mbr era, and worse, which is true, but it's no excuse for this behavior. Even if it's intentional revenge, it isn't punishing Microsoft but the user. Whatever MS did decades ago surely isn't the users' fault.

This should be the number 1 thing to be fixed so grub doesn't qualify as malicious software.

If you're using Grub but not using it for everything, one could argue that the failure is on your part. This behavior -- if it's actually Grub behaving badly in the first place -- is probably due to buggy firmwares that mess up the boot order even worse on their own. If you don't want to ACTUALLY USE Grub, then don't use it for Linux either. Simply configure your EFI to directly boot the kernel via EFISTUB, or use simpler proxy like Systemd-boot.

[starshipeleven]

Decades ago? They are still doing it sometimes on some systems (no idea why it's working on some systems and not in other). I remember Windows switching to default OS in UEFI after updates sometimes on my laptop.

Can also confirm, Win10 does sometimes reset UEFI boot priority to itself after updates (i.e. I boot Windows from GRUB to avoid the UEFI changing boot order just because I selected it to boot once with the boot menu, run updates and boom, Windows is default boot option)

[skeevy420]

I really don't understand why most, if not all big distributions still use GRUB by default.
systemd-haters are gonna hate, but I really love the simplicity and elegance of systemd-boot and never looked back since switching to it.

I was hesistant at first, but for me it was the only way to get a PC with a LUKS2 system partition running. That's probably the biggest advantage of systemd-boot - it doesn't even have to implement LUKS2 support. It's enough if the kernel supports it.

Because the first decade of x86_64 doesn't support systemd-boot. That question is asked in every GRUB vs The World thread and that's the answer.

Another way to do that would have been to either A) compile GRUB from git or B) use LUKS for /boot and LUKS2 for the rest. A is more for Arch/Gentoo users (and not a very practical suggestion) and B is for everyone else until the next GRUB release.

[c117152]

I really don't understand why most, if not all big distributions still use GRUB by default.
systemd-haters are gonna hate, but I really love the simplicity and elegance of systemd-boot and never looked back since switching to it.

I was hesistant at first, but for me it was the only way to get a PC with a LUKS2 system partition running. That's probably the biggest advantage of systemd-boot - it doesn't even have to implement LUKS2 support. It's enough if the kernel supports it.

Because the "x86 hacks" they mentioned are necessary on some motherboards especially as you get closer to the embedded/industrial x86 world.

[darkbasic]

Probably to try and keep the same setup between UEFI and BIOS installs for now. systemd-boot requires you store your kernels in the ESP, which can be small. Though, this should be offset by the XBOOTLDR spec, if anything ever supports it.

Grub also supports features like encrypted boot partition which you cannot achieve with systemd-boot. Secureboot is close enough but not all firmwares allow you to provide your own keys. The reality is that most firmwares are shit, mine does not even allow to insert custom entries and directly boots the "default" path, which is not the default dictated by the standards but the **Windows specific** path. Solution? Overwrite the Windows bootloader with Grub and boot Windows chainloading a renamed copy of its own bootloader through Grub. Sometimes I ask myself why I spent so much on Talos system and when I rethink about this UEFI firmware shit I always remember why

[Danny3]

I really don't understand why most, if not all big distributions still use GRUB by default.
systemd-haters are gonna hate, but I really love the simplicity and elegance of systemd-boot and never looked back since switching to it.

I was hesistant at first, but for me it was the only way to get a PC with a LUKS2 system partition running. That's probably the biggest advantage of systemd-boot - it doesn't even have to implement LUKS2 support. It's enough if the kernel supports it.

Hey, do you have any idea if systemd-boot supports restarting into another OS ?
Like for example use a command in Linux to restart and go directly in Windows so I don't have to choose this at the bootloader step.
Not only this saves time like I'm choosing to restart into Windows and while the computer is doing that I can go away and get something to drink and come back.
But there are also like when the monitor dies or doesn't work for some reason or you're far away and you're controlling Linux distro through VNC and need to switch to the other installed OS like Windows like for example to use Steam's In-home streaming which unfortunately works only from Windows still.

I haven't found a way how to do that with GRUB.

[phuclv]

You can argue that windows did the same thing in the mbr era, and worse, which is true, but it's no excuse for this behavior

Windows only updates the MBR when installing. It doesn't do that after a big update

Decades ago? They are still doing it sometimes on some systems (no idea why it's working on some systems and not in other). I remember Windows switching to default OS in UEFI after updates sometimes on my laptop.

It's the fault of the UEFI firmare and has nothing to do with Windows. I've seen a lot of such situations. After I set the boot order in Linux and reboot, everything is immediately forgotten even if Windows hasn't ever booted

[phuclv]

Can also confirm, Win10 does sometimes reset UEFI boot priority to itself after updates (i.e. I boot Windows from GRUB to avoid the UEFI changing boot order just because I selected it to boot once with the boot menu, run updates and boom, Windows is default boot option)

Windows doesn't do that. It's your (likely buggy or has some weird secure boot setup) UEFI's fault. Just enter UEFI setup and in some cases you can fix that by forcing the UEFI to trust Linux's efi files

[Slithery]

Hey, do you have any idea if systemd-boot supports restarting into another OS ?
Like for example use a command in Linux to restart and go directly in Windows so I don't have to choose this at the bootloader step.
Not only this saves time like I'm choosing to restart into Windows and while the computer is doing that I can go away and get something to drink and come back.
But there are also like when the monitor dies or doesn't work for some reason or you're far away and you're controlling Linux distro through VNC and need to switch to the other installed OS like Windows like for example to use Steam's In-home streaming which unfortunately works only from Windows still.

I haven't found a way how to do that with GRUB.

Both grub and systemd-boot support this functionality.

[Zapp!]

Hey, do you have any idea if systemd-boot supports restarting into another OS ?
Like for example use a command in Linux to restart and go directly in Windows so I don't have to choose this at the bootloader step.

That's simple:

systemctl reboot --boot-loader-entry=other-os

Have a look here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...sing_next_boot