Non-Linux-based generic bootloader/OS loader alternatives
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- Dominant language
- JavaScript
- Stars
- 300
- Forks
- 54
- PR merge metrics
- No merged PRs in 30d
Description
Some notes about alternative boot chains that are not LinuxBoot-based. These are generic, mostly running on top of vendor specific lower-level firmware (such as UEFI). For the book, it might be worth listing these somewhere to act as inspiration for the LinuxBoot-based "distro" developers in terms of features and demand.
- [Ventoy](https://ventoy.net/en/index.html): Grub-based "universal bootloader" capable of booting directly booting distro ISOs and even full virtual machine images from local disks. Also supports Windows (including VM images). Leverages GRUBs boot tooling and chainloading, both UEFI and legacy BIOS compatibility. Has a plugin system.
- [rEFInd](https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/): graphical boot menu on top of UEFI, relies on EFI's boot loading capabilities. Next step must be an EFI-compliant executable, such as an EFISTUB kernel or another loader/menu.
Also, this list is nowhere near complete, please amend it if you find something interesting!
Contributor guide
No contributing guide indexed for this repository
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by locating the book section covering LinuxBoot-based boot chains or distro features and review how related projects are presented. Add a concise section covering Ventoy and rEFInd, including their boot methods and notable features, and verify that the links and descriptions are accurate.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- linux
- Domain
- documentation, operating-systems
- Issue type
- Documentation
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Estimated time
- 1-3 hours
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100