grub_cmdline_linux_default vs grub_cmdline_linux: Understanding the key differences explained

You know, I heard folks talkin’ ’bout this computer stuff, GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX. Sounds like a whole lotta mumbo jumbo to me. But my grandson, he’s a smart one with these newfangled things, he tried to explain it. Said it’s somethin’ ’bout how the computer starts up. This whole Grub thing is like a menu before the actual computer starts, and then you add lines to it, to tell the computer to do specific things.

He said this GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, that’s for when you start up the computer regular like. You put some words in there, like if you want the screen to be a little different, or somethin’ like that, then save it there. So you know what that means, you can basically make it your own menu. Then, every time your computer is booted, it will follow what you have told it to do. I don’t know. This is too complicated for me, and I do not know what’s the point of doing so.

• GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT
• This one’s like the everyday stuff you tell the computer.
• It’s like sayin’, “Hey computer, do this every time you start.”

Now, this other one, GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX, that’s a little different. My grandson, he said this one’s for, like, always. It doesn’t matter if you’re startin’ it up regular or doin’ somethin’ special. Like a fixed menu, it is there forever. I think it’s more important than the previous one. This is important, I guess. Because it is there all the time. Or maybe it’s just my guess. I don’t know. I am too old for this.

• GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX
• This one’s like, for everything.
• No matter what, the computer’s gonna do what you put in here.

So, you see, you put these “commands” in a file, he called it /etc/default/grub. Sounds like a secret code or somethin’. It is like a notebook for the computer. And then, the computer, it reads these commands when it’s startin’ up. It’s like givin’ it instructions. Like you are telling the computer what to do. And what to remember before starting.

Honestly, I don’t really get it. Why do you need to tell the computer these things? Back in my day, we didn’t have none of this. You just turned the darn thing on, and it worked. If it is broken, then it’s broken. We fixed the broken part and it will work just fine. Maybe this is like that. You adjust a little part here and there, and it will work just fine.

But my grandson, he says it’s important. He says it helps the computer run better. Or somethin’ about fixin’ problems. I don’t know what he is talking about. He is talking about problems that I cannot see. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. I just hope he knows what he’s doin’. These computers, they’re gettin’ too smart for their own good, I reckon. And also, I am too old for this. I think I need some rest now.

He was sayin’ somethin’ ’bout “kernel arguments” too. What in the world is that? Sounds like somethin’ you’d find in a cornfield. Maybe it’s like the seeds of the computer. You plant ’em, and the computer grows. Kernel is like the core of something, so I guess it is important. He also said that this Grub thing is like a boss in the computer world. It is the most important thing.

And this GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX, it’s like the boss’s right-hand man. Always there, makin’ sure things are runnin’ the way they should. It is like the default one, but it is more powerful and more important. It is like the most powerful thing in the Grub world. If you want to change something, it is better to change this one first.

Then there’s the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, it’s like the helper. It only steps in when you’re startin’ things up the usual way. It is like the backup of the previous one. If the previous one is not working, then this will take over. It’s there just in case, I guess. But you know, the computer does not need any backup. It should work just fine.

It’s all a bit much for me. I think I’ll stick to my garden. At least the plants make sense. You water ’em, they grow. You give ’em sunshine, they’re happy. No need for all these fancy commands and codes. No need to type anything, and no need to worry that I might break it if I accidentally type something wrong. You know, I am too old for this.