Bootloader

Briefly, a bootloader is the first software program that runs when a computer starts. It is responsible for loading and transferring control to the operating system kernel software (such as the Hurd or the Linux). The kernel, in turn, initializes the rest of the operating system (e.g. GNU).

List of bootloaders
X86:
 * Lilo
 * Grub
 * Syslinux
 * U-Boot
 * coreboot, formerly known as LinuxBIOS
 * Conference by Peter Stuge at Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2008, video

ARM:
 * APEX
 * Blob
 * U-Boot

MIPS:
 * U-Boot
 * YAMON

PowerPC:
 * U-Boot

Bootloader_Security_Resources