Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 14:26:47 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: Gary.Jennejohn@munich.netsurf.de Cc: freebsd-hackers@freefall.FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: /etc/init.d/ Message-ID: <199707112126.OAA25717@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <199707111023.KAA07742@peedub.gj.org> from "Gary Jennejohn" at Jul 11, 97 10:23:29 am
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> I run a SVR4 box here at home, and the only useful run-level options > (IMHO) it offers involve NFS services. When I need NFS I just > switch to that run-level and all the services are started. When I'm > done using NFS I just switch to a lower level and the NFS stuff is > removed. But a box without networking is pretty useless and I've never > run the box in that configuration. Most of the advocates of run states (not levels) agree with you. However, say I have a laptop; it can be: o Docked at the office and hooked into a net o Undocked at the office in a conference room and hooked into a net via a 4Mbit IR link at the conference table o Undocked on a plane with a dialup link o Undocked anywhere with a cellular link o Undocked anywhere with a cellular link, but out of cell range o Undocked anywhere with no link o Docked at home and hooked into a *different* net o Docked at home with a dialup connection o Docked at home and not hooked into a net I want the boot run state to assess the connectivity options, and pick the run state it ends up in based on the current hardware configuration. I also want to be able to "hot" undock/dock, and automatically change between the appropriate states, as needed. Windows95 assumes you shut the machine down. You must also manually pick one of several "Hardware Profiles" (which you can do at boot time). Even if the states are not automatically configured by docking state/PCMCIA card state changes, in order to do what Windows95 can do, several client and service configuration details normally handled globally in a single rc file in traditional BSD need to be handled otherwise. For example, should I mount the NFS server with the shared copy of WordPerfect 4.2 for IBCS2? There is also the issue of service anonymity: 1) I'm docked at the office, and have created a presentation using a presentation graphics package with a floating network license, run from an office server. 2) I undock at the office to go to a meeting in a conference room 3) I arrive at the conference room and am IR linked 4) I leave the conference room and get in the car 5) I enter my home and redock at the home dock 6) I undock and get back in my car 7) I drive to the airport 8) While waiting for my flight, I check on my stocks via a cellular link 9) I get on the plane, where if I were to use the cellular link, I would get in trouble because the airlines can't make as much money off me (planes would fall out of the sky over any metropolitan area if the avionics claims were true). 10) Halfway through my flight from LA to New York, I user the 28.8 modem built into my ethernet PCMCIA card to connect to the in flight phone and check the stock close price. 11) I arrive at my hotel and use the ISDN card to connect to the hotel's digital PBX, and check my corporate mail. 12) The next morning I check my corporate mail and the opening value of my stock. 13) I drive the rent-a-car to the corporate offices, go into the conference room, and get an IR link and mount the local server where the same presentation software is installed, obtain a local license, and make my presentation to the board. Now it's true that few people will benefit from this total scenario; but it's also true that many more than a few could benefit from any two or more elements in the scenario. And it's a stupid design which prevents these people from being able to easily use a piece of non-Microsoft OS software this way. Even if the majority of people somehow believe they will never install commercial software that needs to be started or shutdown before or after other pieces of the OS or other commercial software (I guess these people believe that Microsoft will always dominate the OS software market, for the rest of time?). Or believe that they will never own a portable computer or PDA. Why make those of us who *aren't* technologically clueless suffer for those who (apparently) are? Regards, Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
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