GRUB nomodeset by default

[JJscott]

I'm a newbie to linux and just recently installed Linux Mint on my laptop. Ran into the issue where it would boot into a black screen without any ability to enter the GRUB menu or TTY. Issue was solved by booting from a USB, mounting the drive, chrooting, and adding nomodeset to the GRUB boot parameters.

According to discussion on the parameter here:

The newest kernels have moved the video mode setting into the kernel. So all the programming of the hardware specific clock rates and registers on the video card happen in the kernel rather than in the X driver when the X server starts.. This makes it possible to have high resolution nice looking splash (boot) screens and flicker free transitions from boot splash to login screen. Unfortunately, on some cards this doesnt work properly and you end up with a black screen. Adding the nomodeset parameter instructs the kernel to not load video drivers and use BIOS modes instead until X is loaded.
Note that this option is sometimes needed for nVidia cards when using the default "nouveau" drivers. Installing proprietary nvidia drivers usually makes this option no longer necessary, so it may not be needed to make this option permanent, just for one boot until you installed the nvidia drivers.

I think it would be a great feature to add nomodeset by default to GRUB on install, or if possible, work out when to add it based on the hardware. This would improve the first-user experience and prevent annoying issues where you have to fix it in a super roundabout way. Happy to hear why this isn't a good idea though, still learning about the Linux ecosystem.

[cplittlfield]

I think it would be a great feature to add nomodeset by default to GRUB on install,

In other words, what you are asking is to shift the burden of modifying kernel parameters to the many users who need mode setting.

NVIDIA drivers do their own mode setting, so they do not need KMS, and the system is smart enough to know that, but most of the rest of us pretty much rely on it.