Re: [PATCH] Add config option to prefer Linux kernel versions by substring match

[Jordan Uggla]

On Sun, Sep 7, 2014 at 12:37 PM, Doug Brunner <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> First time submitting - please let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.
>
> This patch adds an option, GRUB_LINUX_PREF_VERSION_SUBSTR, that can be set to 
> prioritize Linux kernels containing a
> given substring. This takes precedence over version ordering, so if you have 
> 3.14.1-generic, 3.14.2-generic,
> 3.8.13-fnord1, and 3.8.13-fnord2 and the substring is 'fnord', the order is:
> 3.8.13-fnord2
> 3.8.13-fnord1
> 3.14.2-generic
> 3.14.1-generic
>
> Rationale: I and others, (see e.g. 
> http://askubuntu.com/questions/216398/set-older-kernel-as-default-grub-entry) 
> needed
> to change the Linux kernel version GRUB sets as default. The process is 
> error-prone: you have to figure out where in the
> GRUB menu it will appear, then enter that in /etc/default/grub, and if the 
> menu position changes due to new kernels
> added to the system you have to do it all over again. I had older kernels 
> with a distinctive local version naming scheme
> that I wanted preferred over the stock kernels, but it could also be used to 
> specify a particular kernel version.

Your rationale, as stated, is completely solved by using the menuentry
ID, as documented in "info -f grub -n 'Simple configuration' ", rather
than using a menuentry number. The answer given to that askubuntu.com
question is a poor one, as noted by one of the commentors (though that
commenter recommends menuentry titles, which have their own issues,
again as documented in the texinfo manual).

-- 
Jordan Uggla (Jordan_U on irc.freenode.net)