Re: Grub version variable in shell

[Vladimir 'φ-coder/phcoder' Serbinenko]

On 11.03.2012 03:40, Andreas Born wrote:
> Hi,
>
> it would be great to have a variable like version or grub_version in
> the shell. Sorry, if there is already such an option and I didn't find
> it. But I only saw cpu and platform as well as the feature variables.
>
> This is useful, if you want to use some new feature or don't want to
> use some ugly workaround anymore, which you needed for an older version. 
We don't use grub_version because it would give only very approximate
idea of features supported and so only marginally useful and is likely
to make devs use suboptimal method. Instead we define variables like
feature_foo. Good example is from root setting code:
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt10
--hint-efi=hd0,gpt10 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt10  UUID
else
  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root UUID
fi

> Currently, I'm doing a check like 'if keymap' to show a minimal menu
> to pre-1.99 users with a warning that they're version is too old
> instead of giving them garbage if at all. But that check does not feel
> really reliable nor clean. ;)
> Especially given the recent discussion regarding backwards
> incompatible changes, this would be a really big help even if they're
> only small changes. But I imagine there are other uses too. The early
> there is such a variable the more useful it is, but I wouldn't
> consider it critical.
>
> On the other hand it's quite hard to parse a version string on the
> grub shell, especially if distributions choose to change it to some
> Brainf**k imitation. Or they give the code a major revamp and then
> don't change it. Well, maybe grub could get a Brainf**k parser at
> least. :D
>
> For completeness two-line patch attached. (Untested)
>
> Andreas Born
>
>
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-- 
Regards
Vladimir 'φ-coder/phcoder' Serbinenko

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