In: Computer Science
1. Discuss whether they would prefer to use a Linux or Windows boot loader on their home OS and explain their reasons why.
2. Discuss some of the different reasons why they believe a Linux system should or should not be configured to use the X Windows environment. Why do they think that some administrators might choose to use the environment while others would not?
1. A boot loader, also called a boot manager, is a small program that places the operating system (OS) of a computer into memory. When a computer is powered-up or restarted, the basic input/output system (BIOS) performs some initial tests, and then transfers control to the Master Boot Record (MBR) where the boot loader resides. Most new computers are shipped with boot loaders for some version of Microsoft Windows or the Mac OS. If a computer is to be used with Linux, a special boot loader must be installed.
Windows stores something akin to a second-stage bootloader in the boot sector of the partition it was installed in.For Linux, the two most common boot loaders are known as LILO (LInux LOader) and LOADLIN (LOAD LINux). An alternative boot loader, called GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader), is used with Red Hat Linux. LILO is the most popular boot loader among computer users that employ Linux as the main, or only, operating system. The primary advantage of LILO is the fact that it allows for fast boot-up. LOADLIN is preferred by some users whose computers have multiple operating systems, and who spend relatively little time in Linux. LOADLIN is sometimes used as a backup boot loader for Linux in case LILO fails. GRUB is preferred by many users of Red Hat Linux, because it is the default boot loader for that distribution.
2. The X Window System is the graphical interface for Linux.The proper term is “The X Window System.” If you must shorten it, call it X11, or just X.Like everything else on Linux, the X Window System is based on a network paradigm. The program that actually controls your display, drawing the boxes and buttons you see, is called the X Server. Each X server is made for a specific video card, so there are several X servers to choose from. Programs that use the X server to display themselves on your screen are called X clients. Unlike MS Windows, the X server and X client can run on different computers and talk to each other across the network. This means that you can run a program on another machine and make it display itself on your own!X provides the basic framework for a GUI environment: drawing and moving windows on the display device and interacting with a mouse and keyboard.These are the reasons some administrators might choose to use the environment.