> 
> What if /boot/ is spuriously corrupted, either as an fs or as a dir?
> I think the idea of config information being stored exclusively in
> a file instead of in the kernel is asking for trouble, as if it is in
> an irretrievable file, one will not even be able to arrive at single-user
> mode unless one has an "emergency repair disk" (uck).
> 
> ...or are my paleolithic roots showing, again?

Yes.

What  if libc.so is corrupted? /netbsd? the first block of the disk? What if
a dinousaur killer asteroid lands on us tomorrow?

Critical system state is critical system state.

You can always do things in the FreeBSD loader like interrupting it and at the
'ok' prompt entering:

hint.foo.bar.y.at="bellybutton0"

or some such.

You don't have to have it separate- you can compile such hints into the kernel
(much like proposing to store the config file, only more usefully). Just like
you don't *have* to have kernel modules. If you have an installation where
things are this unstable or broken, and you don't need the flexibility, great.

*I* like this because if, say, the Qlogic driver got borked somehow, I can
disable it at boot time, or set debugging on it, and it alone (w/o the
moronicity of DDB or KGDB) and not have to worry about digging up a different
kernel.

> 
> # 
> # This may not be desirable (or practical) for NetBSD. I was just mentioning it
> # so that before the establishment of an invasive feature, even a minor one,
> # that some thought was applied.
> 
> This is not to toss the idea completely; it just makes *me* twitch a bit.

It's good for you.

-matt