docs: Address the Differences Between Boot Loaders and Boot Manager #53
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1Naim
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ptr1337
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Aug 17, 2024
When talking about UEFI systems, the correct term to refer to systemd-boot, rEFInd and even GRUB is boot manager. Boot manager is not the same as a boot loader. A boot loader handles the task of loading an OS kernel into memory, often along with support files such as a Linux initial RAM disk (initrd) file, and starting the kernel running. On the other hand, a boot manager presents a menu of options to boot into, along with some other way to control the boot process. After the user selects an option, the boot manager will hand off control of booting to the OS.
This note here seems redundant because the base expectation is that everything is supported. If a boot manager doesn't support a filesystem somehow, this should be stated in the respected boot manager subsection or even in the aforementioned filesystem's subsection.
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There are two parts to this PR. The first part is renaming all instances of boot loaders to boot managers. The second is adding a preambule to the boot manager installation page to differentiate between the two terms.
When talking about UEFI systems, the correct term to refer to systemd-boot, rEFInd and even GRUB
is boot manager. A boot manager is not the same as a boot loader.
The motivation of this PR is the big interest I gained after reading through some of Rod Smith's web pages regarding EFI boot loaders, found here.
Some can argue that this can be considered nitpicking. While I do agree partially, I am also stand by the fact that using the correct terms must be necessary as to not cause misinformation and even confusion.