Describe the sequence of Linux OS loading stages and the role of bootloaders in this process.

The Linux boot process consists of several stages:

1. BIOS/UEFI — hardware initialization and searching for a boot device.
2. Bootloader — for example, GRUB or LILO. It loads the Linux kernel into memory and hands over control. The bootloader can provide a menu for OS selection and boot parameters.
3. Linux Kernel — initializes hardware, mounts the root filesystem, and starts the init process.
4. Init system — launches system services and user processes.

The role of the bootloader is to ensure the correct loading of the kernel and transfer control to it, as well as to provide the user with options to select the boot configuration.