Bug#520221: In the GRUB menu, "single-user mode" is misleading (and so is "recovery mode")

[Fabian Greffrath]

Package: grub
Version: 0.97-47lenny2
Severity: minor

Hi,

in the GRUB menu there is the choice of two options for each installed 
kernel, one of them is the so called "single-user mode". I believe 
this lable is misleading, because it does not actually describe what 
will happen if I choose this option -- i.e. "single-user" is only half 
the truth, it doesn't tell there will be no X11, no cups, no 
network-manager, etc.

I am afraid that unexperienced users feel tempted to boot into 
"single-user mode", because that's what they believe is what they 
want. They only want to write some letter and check emails, no need 
for further users on the system.... You got the point?

To describe what hides behind this option something like "root 
console" comes to my mind (although this is still cryptic to the 
unexperienced user). In the grub2 packages the label has been changed 
to "recovery mode" which is at least better than "single-user mode" 
but still not perfect, because it also does not really describe what 
hides behind this option.

What do you think?

Cheers,
Fabian


-- 
Dipl.-Phys. Fabian Greffrath

Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Lehrstuhl für Energieanlagen und Energieprozesstechnik (LEAT)
Universitätsstr. 150, IB 3/134
D-44780 Bochum

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E-Mail:  greffrath at leat.ruhr-uni-bochum.de