Comment 10 for bug 47949

>I don't think "type in menu.lst chunk" makes a remotely sensible UI

I don't either. But you should not reject this bug. Here is how you should do it:

1. You add one more screen after installing the OS, to let the user decide if he wants the boot manager on MBR (default) or on /.
2. Below these widgets there is a button that says "more options".
3. By clicking that button you go to another screen that you detail the partitions one after the other vertically (each in its drop-down menu) and their names that are being assigned by the boot manager each in its own input widget (e.g. "ubuntu", "ubuntu recovery", etc)
4. Below these, there are non-selected drop down menus and blank input boxes (if more partitions are available). Through the drop down menu the user can select let's say /dev/hdb4 and then type next "BeOS".

That's it, the boot manager now should add BeOS to its menu and chainload it when selected. BeOS and FreeBSD and other OSes don't require special arguments in the boot line. You just load them as you would load a chainloaded Linux (that has another boot manager on its /) or Windows.

As to how to recognize these partitions: fdisk understands them. It understands both BeOS and BSD-marked partitions. And especially with BeOS, 99.9% of the time, if there is such a BeFS partition there, it IS bootable.

The way I propose to do it is doing some important things:
1. The main screen only has options for MBR or /, this is VERY important to be there so you don't nuke the existing boot manager. The way you do it now -- by nuking it-- it's UNFORGIVABLE.
2. The more advanced screen is only available to those who want it and understand it. The rest, they can just press "cancel" and go back to the previous screen.

You give this important option to those who need it, without confusing the newbies and without doing this terrible thing of deleting existing information. Ubuntu is plain destruction with the way you do it now by erasing the MBR. I am sorry, it is really bad way of handling one person's PC. Don't expect the person to KNOW that you would do that, you don't give such indication BEFORE installation!

Please, do something about it. And if you can't add the second screen (which IMHO is needed), at least the MBR screen is needed 150%.