[Slackbuilds-users] Suggestion for packages which require a startup file.

[/dev/rob0]

Welcome Rob, we're glad to have another long-time Slacker here, even 
if we don't agree. :) (My vintage is Slackware 3.6, late 1998, FWIW.)

On Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 10:15:35PM +1000, Robert Kelsen wrote:
Manuel:
> > That's not the "Slackware way" of init. Slackware uses a
> > BSD-like init.
> 
> Well, I wasn't expecting such a politically charged response.

I was. :)

> Then why are there all of these /etc/rc.d/rc*.d directories?

For optional support of packages that insist on SysVinit with all the 
ugly symlinks. They're not necessarily recommended, but they are 
supported.

> People who say that Slackware's init is "BSD-like" should go and 
> install a *BSD before making this comment.

Agreed. But Slackware tries to keep it simple, and the SysVinit way 
certainly is not simple.

> > I vote for not using this for SlackBuilds on slackbuilds.org.
> 
> You vote against a symlink?  You'd rather keep manually editing 
> rc.local?

I, personally, am not happy with the explosion of /etc/rc.d scripts. 
I'd prefer something like a rc.local.d/* which could be quickly and 
cleanly parsed like this:

for SCRIPT in /etc/rc.d/rc.local.d/rc.* ; do
    if [ -x "$SCRIPT" ]; then $SCRIPT start ; fi
done

For every new Slackbuilds.org submission which creates a new 
/etc/rc.d/rc.* script, $DEITY kills a soft, fluffy kitten.  Of 
course, there are people who are more concerned with the 
proliferation of kittens than of rc.$FOO scripts. These people are 
satisfied.

Here's how I do mine in rc.local:

SERVICES="apcupsd asterisk"
for RC in $SERVICES ; do
    if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.$RC ]; then
	echo starting $RC ; /etc/rc.d/rc.$RC start
    fi
done

So yes, I prefer editing one line of rc.local to making a symlink. 
Fortunately we both can be happy in Slackware, because it's easy to 
have it your own way.

I'm not speaking on behalf of the SBo project to say this, but my 
vote is with Manuel; let us not go down this road.
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