2 minor items to GRUB 0.9x

[Christoph Plattner]

Hello GRUB group !

I have two minor items for GRUB 0.9x to discuss.
Both are not "features" which will "violate" the "feature freeze".

1)

We should add the XON/XOFF support for the serial line.
This can be done locally in serial.c:

When waiting for a key or checking, if a key is pressed (in the
current GRUB routine `fill_input_buf()') a XON is sent to the
user, while GRUB is processing (the routine fill_input_buf()
has done) a XOFF is sent to the user (terminal).

For the `nowait' feature, I think, it is necesary to wait some
(1..10ms), if there is a character, and not returning immediatly.
As far I know the implementation, this will not impact the
"response feeling" of GRUB !

So this will be a small patch in `serial.c'. XON/XOFF should
be default behaviour (as this is default on UNIX consoles),
and there should be an option `--no-xonxoff' to disable on
the `serial' command (so the command intpereter needs a small
patch too !).


2)

I would like to have a option to command `bootp', which is
called `--diskless-only' (for example). The `bootp' command
should then be executed, if this is the diskless version
of GRUB, not the disk loaded.

This small option would help very much in the use of preset
menu !
With the current implementation, I have to do 2 different
configured GRUB builds to have a local version (not having
"bootp" in the preset menu) and a diskless version (including
the "bootp").

But doing the `bootp' hardcoded in the code can reduce the
variatiions of usage GRUB offers today.

So a `bootp --diskless-only' can help here for doing better
general preset menus.

(An alternative way - I do not like it, but here for discussion:
Having a prefix to the command, which is only executed in the
diskless operation, like the "%" or whatever, and another
symbol for the oppiste. Example:

bootp   # done always
%bootp  # done only in diskless mode
!bootp  # done only in local mode

... or whatever ....
But then we slowly introduce a "bad style" shell !!!!
So this IS NOT a method I prefer !!!!

Answer is welcome !

Christoph


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