A large transit-station screen displays a GNU GRUB boot menu with UEFI and DMS options beside an escalator.
Sweden is the home of bork, and what better way to mark it than with a huge example of digital signage that shows a GRUB message instead of an ad?
Spotted by eagle-eyed Register reader Alexander, the GRUB in question is sadly not the delicious meatballs for which a well-known Swedish furniture maker is famed, but rather the bootloader familiar to Linux fans, usually when something is working as it should (since we can't imagine much call for selecting from multiple operating systems in the world of digital signage).
GNU GRUB (the GRUB is short for Grand Unified Bootloader),according to GNU, "is responsible for loading and transferring control to the operating system kernel software." In this case, the user has some options. UEFI firmware is one. Some options for DMS are another. DMS might mean Dank Material Shell, unless you know better. It's an attractive enough desktop, but it seems like overkill for something that slings ads for the few seconds Stockholm commuters raise their gaze from their devices.
Some enticing possibilities are on offer. Hitting "e" will edit the commands while "c" will drop the user into the command line. That's assuming, of course, that the user is carrying a keyboard to attach to the stricken screen, something we're sure every Register reader has in their backpack, but not something civilians would necessarily keep on their person.
GRUB has featured in this column before, appearing on a UK bus after a filesystem became a bit poorly (motion sickness can clearly affect computers as well as commuters), but this is a wall-sized example of the breed. Judging by the passengers on the escalators opposite, it appears that nobody is rushing to the aid of the stricken signage. That's probably for the best – leave it for a few seconds (by the looks of things), and it'll have another go at booting.
Still, it's always good to see GRUB putting in an appearance in a section often dominated by Windows and Android whoopsies. The era of the Linux desktop might not be upon us just yet, but judging by this Stockholm signage, bork is alive and kicking in the open-source world. ®
