The reason a Linux can dual boot a Windows is because Windows (and Dos) always has a boot loader in the boot section of partition it resides. This makes the system automatically "chainloadable" by Grub and Lilo.

If a Linux user arranges each of his/her systems chainloadable, by requiring a boot loader residing in the root partition, then a Linux installer can detect its presence and offers to chainload it but the user will be asked to tell the installer the name of that system.

As far as I am aware, with the exception of small distros, it is the "routine duty" of every Linux installer to check for a boot loader when going through every partition of the hard disk and include it for booting if one is found. Most of us just don't make use of this characteristics.

I find it easier and quicker to write a prgram/script to generate configuration file by a do loop rather to answer the installer question by question.

I sense that my super-universal-foolproof-bootloader is not going to make it to the top of the poll...

I just need one liner topics for what options should be in the poll.....Going Twice.....

More support to handle proprietary drivers/hardware with a front end (ie application ).

While your write-up on grub and how you use it with
the chainloader method it silently drops things like
QNX and other more esoteric OSes .... which is not
what pixelanny asked for :}

And I'll stick with my statement above: there's too
many beasts out there to do this. Your approach is
fine for x86 where maybe Linux, Windows and *BSDs live.


Cheers,
Tink

I started using Linux years ago. It used to be a hacker's OS then. For me this means:
1. no whining, frustration, blame;
2. if something is not working then it's me, not GNU/Linux.
Consequently I'm happy and do not think Linux users should force developers to change anything.
... wait a minute ... I wish every piece of s/w had good comprehensive documentation!

Come on now---there is ALWAYS something to improve!!!!
This poll is to see what people feel is most important.

So--add documentation to the list

another just popped into my head: Increased compatibility between SW based on ODF and the bleep-bleep proprietary MSOffice formats

**So--when you print from Acroread for Linux and the only option offered is the default printer, you feel that is YOUR fault?? And the convoluted mess in xorg.conf called "modelines" is YOUR fault???
Please post your phone # so we'll all know who to call when we have trouble.....

I would put printer support and better WPA support for wireless.

Yes, there is always something to improve, agreed. But will polls or petitions help? For me GNU/Linux is do-it-yourself (and upload if you think others could use it).
Yes, Sir. Hack into it or pay for it (with imaginable right to demand quality then). And my xorg.conf is clean as is everything else in my box(es).

OK--it's Friday and I am allowed to wander off-topic (especially in my own thread.. )

Scenario:
Adobe Acrobat Reader has always been free--a long ago business decision by Adobe, presumably to help promote the usage of PDF.
As Linux matures, Adobe decides to release a Linux port of Acroread.

In this scenario, I think that the end user has every right to assume that Adobe would not do something stupid. Everyone else writing for Linux seems to be able to display the printer options, so it seems logical that Adobe could do this. I do not see it as the responsibility of the end user to figure out how to hack Acroread. Besides, is it even OpenSource?

I need to get the silly poll published....

Improvements to Wireless

Graphical disk management, including building RAID arrays, etc

Improvements to Wireless

Better Grub/Lilo installations, perhaps GUI based, that work seamlessly the first time with Windoze

and, oh yeah,

Improvements to Wireless

Added:

A better SMB interface that doesn't argue with you over userids and passwords when there's no password

Improvements to Wireless (couldn't resist)

pixellany

I'm really not here to argue. Just wanted to say something different, everybody else was wanting something (stubborn as I am). Regarding that Acrobat issue ... one could probably write a wrapper for that. Or use some other application for printing pdf's. Considering Adobe did not invent pdf, it is a GhostScript/PostScript thing.

So it seems that I might want to add wireless to the list (just a hunch.... )

GUI interface for configuring GRUB--I LIKE it!!

I want a single configuration file that deals with EVERYTHING important to Linux operating (coldplug, hotplug, modules, etc). Why? It makes it a hell of a lot easier to fix problems.

For example, I was having troubles with a USB mouse suddenly disappearing from /dev at random times, forcing me to reboot to regain mouse functionality. To (try to) fix this, I changed a lot of configuration files, so many that I can't even remember which. Well, it didn't solve the problem, but I did introduce a nice error message when Gentoo boots saying something like "Coldplug: module mousedev not found". I have checked every single file (or so I think) in /etc and have commented out two lines in two different configuration files dealing with loading "mousedev", yet the message is still there.

If EVERY setting were in one, large file, it would be so much easier to find the problem.

Does it? What if you happen to mangle that single
file, like the windows registry. If that goes bananas
people usually re-install. And finding the appropriate
section doesn't get easier with increased size, either.


Cheers,
Tink

greeniguana00

In addition what Tink said.

If you edit something you write it down, keeping a log is essential when managing your Gentoo - or any other Linux system.
Coldplug is obsolete, udev does the job. Your system is out-of-date.

Sorry, pixellany, off-topic.