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(grub.info)History

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History of GRUB
===============

   GRUB originated in 1995 when Erich Boleyn was trying to boot the GNU
Hurd with the University of Utah's Mach 4 microkernel (now known as GNU
Mach).  Erich and Brian Ford designed the Multiboot Specification
(Note: Multiboot Specification.), because they were
determined not to add to the large number of mutually-incompatible PC
boot methods.

   Erich then began modifying the FreeBSD boot loader so that it would
understand Multiboot. He soon realized that it would be a lot easier to
write his own boot loader from scratch than to keep working on the
FreeBSD boot loader, and so GRUB was born.

   Erich added many features to GRUB, but other priorities prevented him
from keeping up with the demands of its quickly-expanding user base. In
1999, Gordon Matzigkeit and OKUJI Yoshinori adopted GRUB as an official
GNU package, and opened its development by making the latest sources
available via anonymous CVS. Note: Obtaining and Building GRUB, for
more information.