[RELEASE] New Boot-Loader Menu

[Dieter BSD]

> Already on the to-do list is to support ``loader_logo=...'' in
> /boot/loader.conf

Including an option for no logo? (For consoles that are slow and/or
small, and for people that just don't like the logos.)

>> Putting brackets around letters (and numbers) sounds good.
>> If there is room, perhaps add a message explaining that
>> the user should enter one of the choices in brackets.
>
> I think I'm going to have to play with this and see what we come up with. I
> don't want to make it too "busy" if you know what I mean. That's with
> respect to the brackets. As for adding a messages... things are a bit tight
> and again, I'm afraid of making it too cluttered. I'll post some screenshots
> of some mock-ups tomorrow, incorporating the various requests.
>
>> A help option would be useful, giving a reminder of what
>> things like ACPI and APIC stand for, what "safe" mode does, etc.
>
> This is not altogether infeasible. Since this menu (unlike the current one)
> has the ability to be wiped from screen and then recalled completely in the
> original state is was left in ... implementing an F1 feature that reads text
> from a file would be very do-able.

If there is a help option that the user can figure out how to execute,
the explaination about brackets (if you go that route), entering numbers,
letters, and such could be included in the help screen(s) instead of the
main menu page.

>> Would be nice: a fix for having to lean on a key autorepeating
>> for a couple seconds.
>
> Could you explain? I don't follow.

On my Tyan Tomcat k8e 2865, just entering the number rarely if
ever works. I have to either repeatedly bang away at the key or
hold it down, letting the RS-232 terminal do the autorepeat thing,
while hoping that it notices before the timer runs out.