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From: patl@asimov.volant.org
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Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 10:23:29 -0700
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To: peter@taronga.com, jmb@kryten.atinc.com
Subject: Re: ports startup scripts
Cc: hackers@freebsd.org
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|>  > >	if you are using a non-offical port, you are NOT a newbie.
|>  > 
|>  > Say *what*?
|>  > 
|>  > >	that both use a master file.  one exists as a file, the other 
|>  > >exists as an artifact of ascii sort order (not obvious to our poor 
|>  > >newbie, especially when we have to explain that 10 comes before 2).
|>  > 
|>  > 02 comes before 10
|>  
|>  	as does 002.  still not obvious  to a newbie

Even the rawest newbie should have no trouble noticing that all of the
scripts have EXACTLY TWO DIGITS after the initial 'S' or 'K'.

|>  ...
|>  
|>  	standard newbie stuff.  create 1, 2, 3, 4 ... 10
|>  
|>  	hey why did 10 run before 2.   now i KNOW that 2 < 10.  2 ran 
|>  before 3, so i am right.  better file a bug report.

Even newbies don't usually create everything from scratch - they copy
existing stuff and make the necessary mods.  Why would they create
'S2mumble' when the existing examples are 'S01foo', 'S04bar', etc. ?

If you are really worried about this, insist on explicit documentation
of the expected number of digits, in both the man pages and the per-state
README files.

|>  > >	no having to chase links
|>  > 
|>  > No having to chase links.
|>  > 
|>  > >	increased clarity (i hope)
|>  > 
|>  > I find a script less clear than a directory listing.
|>  > 
|>  > I've done it both ways. This one really does work better... well enough to
|>  > have replaced /etc/rc on Xenix and s:user-startup on my Amiga.

If you are seriously worried about link chasing, a simple perl script
added to the daily run can ensure that every [SK]* file in a rc?.d
directory has at least two links.  For the truely anal, it can ensure
that every file with the same suffix (after the first three chars)
in any of the rc?.d dirs are linked together (by checking inode numbers),
and even that each [SK]##mumble is linked to init.d/mumble.



-Pat