Fresh install Kubuntu 13.10: how best to partition the HD

[Felix Miata]

On 2013-11-07 00:43 (GMT+0100) Bas G. Roufs in English composed:

>> or where it - and how - it wants to put its
>> bootloader. This is bit is pretty important;

> As far as I remember from previous installation sessions, also the Kubuntu
> installer puts the bootloader in the beginning of the HD.

Every Linux distro I've used, except openSUSE, categorically assumes you wish 
its bootloader be installed to the MBR. openSUSE usually does the same, but 
not always, as it may take into account what is or is to be installed on 
primary partitions, sometimes suggests / or /boot, and often the extended. 
Most installers also assume you wish the new bootloader to be the primary 
bootloader, and include all operating systems it can find in its boot menu. 
The more operating systems you install to a system, the less likely any or 
all of these defaults will be satisfactory long term.

You need accept neither MBR default, nor master, in most distros, including 
*buntu and openSUSE. I never allow MBR for Grub, and disable bootloader 
installation entirely for every installation that provides neither / nor 
/boot option (e.g. Fedora). My systems all boot from a primary partition 
using standard MBR code, one which I maintain myself, and do not ever mount 
to /boot. Most commonly I use Grub Legacy as master bootloader, never Grub2. 
On a brand new or otherwise empty HD getting set up from scratch, my usual 
procedure is to boot Knoppix (granddaddy and king of live Linux) to run a 
partitioner, after which I install Grub manually, before doing the first OS 
install, which may or may not be Windows, and typically is not.
-- 
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words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

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