Will installation on BIOS systems with no ESP be supported in 21.04?

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Wed, 14 Apr 2021 23:55:57 +0200, Liam Proven wrote:
>[...]I always run in legacy BIOS mode if I can; it's simpler, more
>familiar, and there is less to go wrong [...] entirely useless extra
>partition [...]

To me the whole thing is useless and reading something like

"What is the UEFI Forum?

Through a collaborative approach with world-class companies,
institutions and experts, the UEFI Forum advances innovation in
firmware technology standards. These extensible, globally-adopted UEFI
specifications bring new functionality and enhanced security to the
evolution of devices, firmware and operating systems." -
https://uefi.org/faq

sounds like snake oil to me.

Actually "world-class companies, institutions and experts" are
responsible for CPUs suffering from meltdown and spectre. However, the
UEFI forum innovative standard includes obscurity: "the file system
specification is independent from the original FAT specification. The
actual extent of divergence is unknown" -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_system_partition#Overview

UEFI implementations not necessarily apply to UEFI specifications

"The UEFI specification requires MBR partition tables to be fully
supported.[1] However, some UEFI implementations immediately switch to
the BIOS-based CSM booting upon detecting certain types of partition
table on the boot disk, effectively preventing UEFI booting to be
performed from EFI system partitions contained on MBR-partitioned
disks.[5]" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_system_partition#Overview

"What problem is the UEFI Forum trying to solve with the UEFI
Specification?

The UEFI Specification provides interfaces and mechanisms to allow for
support of new technologies, improved development, and enhanced
customer experience during the time before the operating system loads.
The UEFI Specification has benefits for both the business and consumer
end-user." - https://uefi.org/faq

IIUC a consumer end-user benefits from trouble, due to "smart"
implementations.

Unfortunately "legacy BIOS mode" is also fishy, but it still offers
less painful experiences and doesn't require an obscure FAT partition.