Re: Moving rc.d scripts to base.tgz

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

jmmv%NetBSD.org@localhost (Julio Merino) writes:

>You can change anything you like locally; that's why you have the
>source tree.

So, whoever needs to configure the startup beyond what is provided
by rc.conf must build everything by himself?

>By legitimate I meant: is it there any technical reason to allow
>modifying these files *as configuration* instead of from the source
>tree, other than "just because I want to"?  They are code.

The existence of rc.local should show you that rc files are not
just code. In particular, many rc files just assign a few variables
and delegate the 'code' to a library.

>sources.  Also, there is nothing that says the programs in /etc/rc.d/
>should be scripts; what if they were binaries?

The point is that they are intentionally scripts so that they can
be modified and configured easily. Providing scriptable hooks to
many processes is a very popular theme in Unix. Of course, most
configuration needs are satisfied by configuration variables
in rc.conf, but not all. That's the beauty and flexibility of
scripting.

Saying this, modifying the scripts without modifying the files
themselves is possible since rc.conf.d, the shell will not only
overlay new variable assignments but also functions that implement
the start/stop actions. It is slightly more limited but I prefer
this method so that I don't have to merge changes with every update.

-- 
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."