Here's how I interpret the "Won't fix" response to this bug:

"Whatever we choose as the default place for GRUB could very
well be wrong for you because we have no way of knowing your
requirements. But we're going to go ahead and put GRUB someplace anyway.
And during installation we're neither going to tell you where we put it, nor
tell you how to specify some other place. We could just require you to specify
where to put GRUB, and that would avoid the entire issue. But we'd rather
continue doing something that's always wrong for somebody."

At 01:10 PM 1/13/2014, you wrote:

>WOW indeed. This bug highlighted a legitimate problem, and all the 
>attention it got was abusive.
>Finally, it got closed five years later with a useless and incomplete comment.
>
>WHERE grub gets installed is a legitimate issue, and the default is 
>completely unrelated to
>where the BIOS goes looking for boot candidates. The numbering 
>system for grub's drives
>is unique to itself, unrelated to the numbering/naming that Ubuntu 
>gives to drives after
>bootstrapping. Without further assistance, grub will frequently make 
>an inappropriate choice
>and fails to communicate that choice to the user at a time when the 
>user could have any
>useful control over it. For myself, I've taken to installing Ubunutu 
>on a non-raid drive and
>physically removing all raid drives at the time of installation 
>because otherwise grub
>may choose one of the raid drives to install grub, rather than the 
>drive to which I'm
>installing the system.
>
>Unfortunately, the treatment of this bug report is typical.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Richard Friday
>Sent: 01/12/14 02:42 PM
>To: <email address hidden>
>Subject: Re: [Bug 389194] Re: Poor choice of device for installing GRUB
>
>WOW, I filed 389194 a loooooong time ago. I didn't think anyone would
>ever look at it again. After thinking about this again I realize that
>ANY default location for GRUB is going to be wrong for someone. Perhaps
>the best solution is to force the user to explicitly choose where to put
>GRUB. At 04:54 PM 1/12/2014, you wrote: >Defaulting to the device you
>are installing to isn't good either since >it will pick the wrong drive
>for anyone installing to their secondary >internal drive. > > >**
>Changed in: ubiquity (Ubuntu) > Status: New => Won't Fix > >-- >You
>received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> >report. >https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/389194 > >Title: > Poor choice
>of device for installing GRUB > >Status in One Hundred Papercuts: >
>Invalid >Status in "ubiquity" package in Ubuntu: > Won't Fix > >Bug
>description: > My laptop runs Windows. But I booted up a Ubuntu LiveCD
>and > installed to a Flash Drive. Surprisingly, GRUB got put onto my >
>Windows hard drive instead of my Flash Drive. This was absolutely > not
>what I'd expect, because one reason for installing to a USB device is to
>be > able to have a portable Ubuntu installation. After Googling for a >
>while I found out that I had to use the "Advanced" button to select > a
>different location for installing GRUB. > > It would be much more new-
>user-friendly if the step where you > choose the device on which to
>install Ubuntu would > (1) automatically select the device you're
>installing to as the > place to put GRUB > AND > (2) Output a message
>something like "GRUB will be installed on > <your device>. Use the
>"Advanced" button to specify > a different location." > >To manage
>notifications about this bug go to:
> >https://bugs.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/389194/+subscriptions
>-- You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the
>bug report. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/389194 Title: Poor choice of
>device for installing GRUB Status in One Hundred Papercuts: Invalid
>Status in "ubiquity" package in Ubuntu: Won't Fix Bug description: My
>laptop runs Windows. But I booted up a Ubuntu LiveCD and installed to a
>Flash Drive. Surprisingly, GRUB got put onto my Windows hard drive
>instead of my Flash Drive. This was absolutely not what I'd expect,
>because one reason for installing to a USB device is to be able to have
>a portable Ubuntu installation. After Googling for a while I found out
>that I had to use the "Advanced" button to select a different location
>for installing GRUB. It would be much more new-user-friendly if the step
>where you choose the device on which to install Ubuntu would (1)
>automatically select the device you're installing to as the place to put
>GRUB AND (2) Output a message something like "GRUB will be installed on
><your device>. Use the "Advanced" button to specify a different
>location." To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/389194/+subscriptions
>
>--
>You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
>report.
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/389194
>
>Title:
>   Poor choice of device for installing GRUB
>
>Status in One Hundred Papercuts:
>   Invalid
>Status in "ubiquity" package in Ubuntu:
>   Won't Fix
>
>Bug description:
>   My laptop runs Windows. But I booted up a Ubuntu LiveCD and 
> installed to a Flash Drive. Surprisingly, GRUB got put onto my 
> Windows hard drive instead of my Flash Drive. This was absolutely 
> not what I'd expect, because one reason for installing to a USB device is to be
>   able to have a portable Ubuntu installation. After Googling for a 
> while I found out that I had to use the "Advanced" button to select 
> a different location for installing GRUB.
>
>   It would be much more new-user-friendly if the step where you 
> choose the device on which to install Ubuntu would
>   (1) automatically select the device you're installing to as the 
> place to put GRUB
>   AND
>   (2) Output a message something like "GRUB will be installed on 
> <your device>. Use the "Advanced" button to specify
>   a different location."
>
>To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/389194/+subscriptions