I’ve broken my bootloader many times. I remember frantically looking up how to fix that online for the first time. Now I know not to do stupid things that could bork my bootloader.
As a Linux noob, the only time I’ve broken my bootloader was updating my distro after ignoring it for a year. I ignored the update because it broke a badly made script badly solving the complex problem caused by a simple problem that I ignored the solution to.
I finally fixed the simple problem because I needed to upgrade a library to get a modded launcher working so I could play with my friends. And I was thinking of rewriting the firmware for my macro keyboard to be better structured anyways.
I went back to the old firmware with a simple fix as the new one has a weird bug that if I hold two “even” keys at once, I get spammed down signals for the higher order one.
I get that, sometimes it can feel like “why am I even bothering to write a big long comment” but there’s no need to apologise for it. Not everything we say or write has to be profound, sometimes people just want to share a story!
And I feel your pain as well, I had a similar issue updating mine after leaving it sit for about a year, but I very, very stupidly decided to do it on a Friday morning, on my work machine, on the same some code was due to be delivered. So I had a frantic Friday trying to fix my PC and get the work done!
Does writing Arduino code really discount me from being a Linux noob? I still think I need to learn python to implement my macros rather then rely on GOME keybinds and bash scripts.
I also need to learn how to make a GNOME theme. I just want the default but with a different accent color. I used to use an extension, but it’s out of date and doesn’t convince pop-os to be in dark mode.
Damn… Every time I start talking about my experience I just start rambling about barely connected things.
To me, noob implies not only lack of experience but also lack of skill, so yeah in that sense I would say it does discount you somewhat ^^
Do learn python, you’ll pick it up super easily and will be amazed by the simplicity of the syntax (but perhaps also slightly grossed out by the duck typing and use of whitespace as syntax)
I feel like it’s harder to break the bootloader these days. All my dual-booting escapades worked fine, I still have most of my hair, and there’s no way my Linux skills have improved that much.
I think that the major issue with the bootloader is when a user confuses the device file for the entre drive (/dev/sda) with the device file for the partition (/dev/sda1), whch is not entirely unreasonable for a new user who doesn’t understand the naming system to do. Like, mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda rather than mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1. Then you overwrite the entire drive, starting with the MBR, rather than the contents of a partition with your new filesystem.
The only thing I fucked up was /etc/sudoers. Once it refused sudo to me, my colleague told me about visudo and having another terminal with root already open as backup. And handed me a bootable USB stick to fix my fuckup. Good times, lessons were learned.
I broke my boot loader last weekend trying to enable hibernation. It worked, but was flaky, so I decided to undo everything, but when I tried to run upgrade-grub to apply the changes, it stalled. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t make it to run, and booting without upgrading grub was out of the question.
Fortunately, since the only change was related to hibernation, shutting down instead of hibernating let me reboot using the old boot loader, and after that the update-grub worked well.
Having broken the boot loader several times before taught me that you can sometimes boot a broken boot loader in the right conditions.
Let’s be honest. If you haven’t broken your bootloader at some point in time, you haven’t experienced Linux.
I’ve broken my bootloader many times. I remember frantically looking up how to fix that online for the first time. Now I know not to do stupid things that could bork my bootloader.
I know not to do stupid things that could bork my bootloader. I still do stupid things that I know can bork my bootloader.
This is the way.
Windows probably broke my bootloader (GRUB) more times than I did though.
As a Linux noob, the only time I’ve broken my bootloader was updating my distro after ignoring it for a year. I ignored the update because it broke a badly made script badly solving the complex problem caused by a simple problem that I ignored the solution to.
I finally fixed the simple problem because I needed to upgrade a library to get a modded launcher working so I could play with my friends. And I was thinking of rewriting the firmware for my macro keyboard to be better structured anyways.
I went back to the old firmware with a simple fix as the new one has a weird bug that if I hold two “even” keys at once, I get spammed down signals for the higher order one.
Linux has been fun!
I started writing that, got a little carried away, then decided even if no one cares, talking into the void has always been cathartic
Hi, the void here.
I care, and it sounds like you did have a real proper Linux experience. Good for you. =)
I get that, sometimes it can feel like “why am I even bothering to write a big long comment” but there’s no need to apologise for it. Not everything we say or write has to be profound, sometimes people just want to share a story!
And I feel your pain as well, I had a similar issue updating mine after leaving it sit for about a year, but I very, very stupidly decided to do it on a Friday morning, on my work machine, on the same some code was due to be delivered. So I had a frantic Friday trying to fix my PC and get the work done!
I mean if you know how to write firmware you don’t really count as a Linux noob, regardless of your lack of experience with linux
Does writing Arduino code really discount me from being a Linux noob? I still think I need to learn python to implement my macros rather then rely on GOME keybinds and bash scripts.
I also need to learn how to make a GNOME theme. I just want the default but with a different accent color. I used to use an extension, but it’s out of date and doesn’t convince pop-os to be in dark mode.
Damn… Every time I start talking about my experience I just start rambling about barely connected things.
To me, noob implies not only lack of experience but also lack of skill, so yeah in that sense I would say it does discount you somewhat ^^
Do learn python, you’ll pick it up super easily and will be amazed by the simplicity of the syntax (but perhaps also slightly grossed out by the duck typing and use of whitespace as syntax)
deleted by creator
I feel like it’s harder to break the bootloader these days. All my dual-booting escapades worked fine, I still have most of my hair, and there’s no way my Linux skills have improved that much.
I think that the major issue with the bootloader is when a user confuses the device file for the entre drive (
/dev/sda) with the device file for the partition (/dev/sda1), whch is not entirely unreasonable for a new user who doesn’t understand the naming system to do. Like,mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdarather thanmkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1. Then you overwrite the entire drive, starting with the MBR, rather than the contents of a partition with your new filesystem.thats why you gotta stock up on boot loaders, can never have enough boot loaders, if one breaks I just boot off another one!
The only thing I fucked up was /etc/sudoers. Once it refused sudo to me, my colleague told me about visudo and having another terminal with root already open as backup. And handed me a bootable USB stick to fix my fuckup. Good times, lessons were learned.
I broke my boot loader last weekend trying to enable hibernation. It worked, but was flaky, so I decided to undo everything, but when I tried to run upgrade-grub to apply the changes, it stalled. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t make it to run, and booting without upgrading grub was out of the question.
Fortunately, since the only change was related to hibernation, shutting down instead of hibernating let me reboot using the old boot loader, and after that the update-grub worked well.
Having broken the boot loader several times before taught me that you can sometimes boot a broken boot loader in the right conditions.
How did you break it?