Re: Grub Manual

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> Exactly. And it has caused a lot of confusion on this list. Someone said
> there is only one root. Then when Grub came up with two more it got
> confusing.
>
>
>         Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI

And there is only one true root in a Linux file system.  Hence why I
noted that most refrain from refering to the top level directory of a
mounted partition as the root of that partition.  And we've now
learned that grub has its own root (**I didn't catch that grub has two
more...did I miss that?**).  Which makes sense because contrary to
LILO which does no understand file systems grub understands file
systems and will mount the boot partition and then load the kernel
image.  So when it mounts your boot partition (which is mounted at
/boot once your system is booted so not at root), it is the only
partition mounted at that point hence as far as grub is concerned
(we've learned) that is its root which is not to be confused with root
once Linux is booted.

All very informative for many of us I'm sure.  But it all comes back
to what many have said.  You should not write documentation for others
(and once you share it, it's for others) unless you are going to use
the accepted terminology AND ensure the accuracy of your instructions
(and if for a more specific scenario you MUST insert that caveat at
the beginning).  And where such terminology can hold more than one
meaning to the majority of your readers (such as root) depending on if
it's in the context of grub or the context of Linux (vs a Windows
reader looking to use grub as their boot loader then using the term
root would not potentially cause them to conclude a different meaning
as is the case for Linux users - the most common consumers of grub -
now that doesn't sound appetizing does it...).

All this is easily solved by not posting such guides to a list.
Because on a list like this it's archived - errors and all.  So when
someone searches the list for a solution to their problem and they hit
your posting they will receive erroneous information.  Whereas in a
blog environment if someone points out an error you correct it.  The
misinformation is gone, never to potentially mislead a user who finds
your guide when searching for a solution to their problem.  Instead
they find the guide that you've modified over time thanks to the input
from others.  So the information they rely upon is reliable (assuming
that others have assisted in vetting your guide to ensure its
accuracy).  And if down the road you decide that the topic is too
complexe for you to write a proper guide on it you can take the guide
down.  You cannot remove such guides from the list archives.

Post your guides on a blog or some website.  Post a link on this list
when someone asks a question about the topic covered in your guide.
Heck post the link on this list asking the membership to provide
feedback on your guide (until such time as the guide reaches a point
of maturity you may want to note that the guide is a work in progress
still undergoing the scrutiny of the Fedora community so it may
contain errors - use accordingly).

Jacques B


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