The non-profit NeoSmart Technologies has just released EasyBCD 2.0. The new version of the free bootloader utility supports ext4fs, GRUB2, Windows 7, booting from ISO images, Virtual Harddisk VHDs, network devices, and USBs. It also has tools to create bootable external media and can be used to set up 1-click dual-boots with the most popular operating sytems. Screenshots. And the icing on the cake is that the installer is 1337 KB, and they claim that was merely coincidence.
I’m a happy user of EasyBCD 1.7, using it to dual-boot Win7 and Arch on one of my main computers. Version 2.0 seems to add even more possibilities. Something like c:\test.iso could then contain any live CD I would like to try. Nice.
Was just looking for a way how to load SUSE while having Windows installed, without using Live CD or virtual machine limitation
1337
Edited 2010-07-12 21:37 UTC
So this is freeware AND by a non-profit, yet the source code is not open? Why? Some of this technology would be nice to go with Linux. Its not like they are going to lose profits doing it that way. And they may even draw some community help. Be cool to be able to boot iso images from a grub environment. I also wonder if this is REALLY just a boot loader, or some hypervisor in reality.
Maybe it uses some proprietary code under the hood that they can’t release. Otherwise, I often wonder the same thing… why folks would release free apps, but not release the source.
Why not? If it’s not open source it’s because they have their reasons; they could be dumb reasons or excellent ones. In a way this is a good thing because after all that’s also an expression of freedom.
First: Why not? Jeez, do you guys score a free meal in a restaurant and demand they give you the recipe? Do you win {InsertGadgetNameHere} in a contest and then demand the manufacturer to give you the blueprints? NeoSmart can charge money for EasyBCD, give away the source code or give the program for free but keep the source to themselves. It’s their work and they are free to do whatever the heck they want with it.
Second: I can’t remember anything EasyBCD can do that the Linux bootloaders can’t already do. Yes, EasyBCD is, um, easier but other than ease of use I don’t think Linux users are missing on that much.
Edited 2010-07-13 02:33 UTC
I second that. Moreover, your username resonates so well with me.
Freeware has never meant or implied open-source. The converse is true because once the code is out in the wild, I don’t see how one can demand retribution for the work done.
http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2009/05/25/boot-an-iso-via-grub2/
Could be they want to maintain absolute control of their project or don’t want to deal with support requests on other people’s code when/if someone forks it.
Open source is great for some things, but it’s certainly not without it’s tradeoffs
“And the icing on the cake is that the installer is 1337 KB, and they claim that was merely coincidence.”
LOL – my first son was born at 13:37 (for those of you in the US, that’s 1:37PM)… and my wife still thinks that was a coincidence
What’s the thing with 1337? There’s a cultural reference there that I don’t have. Please someone enlighten me.
Google wil enlighten you, Google is god!
http://google.nl/search?q=1337
Yes, that’s what I said: cultural reference I didn’t have. Now, I’m a little more educated.
When I first read the summary post here, and even going onto the EasyBCD welcoming page, I had the impression that this was a general boot-loader. Going through the details it became clear that this was a bootloader to dual boot machines with Vista or 7 as one of the installed operating systems.
This is still an excellent bit of news since the Window boot-loaders have never been particularly cooperative or friendly to other operating systems. However, it would have been great that this context be included in the summary post.