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Date:      Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:44:56 -0800
From:      Doug Barton <dougb@FreeBSD.org>
To:        Chuck Swiger <cswiger@mac.com>
Cc:        David Demelier <demelier.david@gmail.com>, freebsd-current@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: BSDInstall: merging to HEAD
Message-ID:  <4D38BAE8.5020806@FreeBSD.org>
In-Reply-To: <3BC35D04-4E8C-47DC-8487-26D826222ACF@mac.com>
References:  <4D309563.1000404@freebsd.org> <4D38AB1F.8090308@gmail.com> <3BC35D04-4E8C-47DC-8487-26D826222ACF@mac.com>

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On 01/20/2011 14:15, Chuck Swiger wrote:
> On Jan 20, 2011, at 1:37 PM, David Demelier wrote:
> [ ... ]
>> Why does the installer use GPT partition by default? Do you know that GPT is not supported on every (even modern) computer ?
>
> Sure.  Legacy PC/BIOS platforms can work with a hybrid GPT which includes the legacy or "protective" MBR used by pre-EFI systems; FreeBSD 7 and later, recent Linux, MacOS X 10.4 and later should be able to boot from disks with that hybrid format.
>
> If you need to dual-boot into Windows, however, and your hardware doesn't provide EFI then you're likely stuck using MBR + PC/BIOS only.

We should not do anything by default that damages the ability to 
dual-boot windows (and by windows I really mean "xp or later" since 
we'll have xp around through 2014). If there are significant advantages 
to gpt as a default when possible then it will be necessary to ask the 
user some intelligent questions such as "Will this system be 
multi-booted?" and if yes, "Will ${lowest_common_denominator:-windows} 
be installed?"


hth,

Doug

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