Re: unetbootin

[bill-auger]

On Thu, 29 Dec 2022 07:53:58 +0100 Denis wrote:
> Unetbootin probably works by extracting files from the iso and
> modifying the syslinux arguments (in grub)
>
> I was more thinking of users that use that tool only once to
> install GNU/Linux and then hopefully never run Windows again.

there is a bit of confusion there - like im trying to argue,
this software is targeted at people who do not have _any_ linux
bootloader installed already, and who have no desire ever to
clobber the factory-installed proprietary bootloader -
unetbootin's unique function is to modify the _windows_
bootloader config, after expanding the ISO to disk - ie: it
ensures that windows always boots, regardless of how badly the
user messes up the "other OS" - it may be useful as a tool to
"never run Windows again"; but that was never its aim - 10-15
years ago, it was a simple way to try-out a new system; but
today, i suppose that the windows<->ubuntu compatibility
subsystem has displaced the wubi use-case - if windows users can
now install a nix on top of windows (as an app); there is little
incentive to mess with the bootloader

i have been arguing against the importance of this program; but
i do see it's value, if it were properly liberated - luckily, i
suppose that it is a very simple (easy to hack) program; so the
liberation would probably be quite easy to accomplish, if
someone wants to - liberation could be as simple as replacing a
single config file declaring the suggested downloads for the GUI