what is a bootloader...and why should we care?

[chefb]

I've seen a bunch of roms that are built off 2.3,something.... so what is it what's up with all the buzz what will it add to the phones functionality? Why change the bootloader?....is mine broke lol.

 

[Dave12308]

You can't replace the bootloader on the DROID X, here's a link from Koush that explains how custom ROMs are booted on the X.

My Brain Hurts: Droid X Recovery (and Droid 2 too!)

You're not really replacing the bootloader, you are hijacking the boot process and causing it to go into a recovery mode instead of the native OS. From this recovery, you can install a custom ROM, but NOT a custom kernel or boot image.

 

[chefb]

So why do they have new roms based on this leaked verson? Maybe im confused but my question is about the bootloader.....not bootstrap recovery.