Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2013 20:34:46 +0100 From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> To: jb <jb.1234abcd@gmail.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FB 9.1 boot loader problem in VirtualBox Message-ID: <20130106203446.19ba863b.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <loom.20130106T194525-209@post.gmane.org> References: <loom.20130106T005723-617@post.gmane.org> <loom.20130106T121300-657@post.gmane.org> <50E96648.6090303@FreeBSD.org> <loom.20130106T194525-209@post.gmane.org>
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On Sun, 6 Jan 2013 19:02:43 +0000 (UTC), jb wrote: > Right, but the wordings are unfortunate and counterintuitive/misleading: > > 'Machine-Close-Send shutdown' means to 'shutdown -p now' (equivalent to > 'poweroff') of Guest, followed by unforced "Close" of VM. > > 'Machine-Close-Power off' means "Kill VM' without regard of the Guest - but > the "Power off" in its name may make user believe that there is "Poweroff" > (orderly shutdown, poweroff) involved as part of the process. > > It would be better, in my opinion, if these options were called > "Machine-Close-Shutdown-Guest" > "Machine-Close-Kill-Guest" > > No margin for error/misunderstanding. A need for this interpretation may arise for those who did not do computing in the pre-ATX era (at least in the PC sector). Power off means _power off_, typically AC power off, a switch that would disconnect the mains source, so there is no way for the OS to shut anything down. On an AT PC, there was no real way to tell the OS to perform a shutdown, so "shutdown -h" would be the equivalent command to be issued by the operator, followed by "mechanically" switching the machine off. A command like "shutdown -p" combined both things when ATX (with APM, later with ACPI) became common. Similarly, "emergency power off" would carry this meaning: stop the machine at all costs NOW. A different term, "delayed power off", was common on machines to allow the OS to perform the proper shutdown steps and _then_ power the machine off, but it's not common anymore. However, your transition of this knowledge to the terminology to be used in combination with _virtual_ machines makes sense. Maybe that wording is really not optimal. "Kill guest" matches today's understanding, but could possibly be formed better in regards of future use (like the power off vs. shutdown difference that was totally clear in the 1990's, but maybe isn't as clear anymore today). -- Polytropon Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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