First-Stage Bootloaders
- UEFI
- The new x86 method
- Is an open standard
- TianoCore is a reference implementation by Intel
- Coreboot
- For more "open" x86 computers, Hackintosh, anything else
- BIOS
- The old x86 method
- Was a closed standard
- Replaced by UEFI
- Das U-Boot
- For embedded systems
- Used mostly on non-x86 processors (ARM, MIPS, RISC-V, etc.)
Second-Stage Bootloaders
- GNU GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader)
- What most Linux distros use
- systemd-boot (formerly gummiboot)
- Minimal alternative to GNU GRUB that "just works"
- LILO (Linux Loader)
- The original Linux bootloader
- No longer in use as of 2015
- Syslinux
- A suite of 5 different bootloaders