On Wed, 10 Jan 1996 12:38:39 +1100 
    Luke Mewburn <lukem@supp.cpr.itg.telecom.com.au> wrote:
   
    > 	After the changes, the following files are superfluous and can
    > 	be removed from the src tree and /etc:
    > 		ifaliases
    > 		myname
    > 		mygate
    > 		defaultdomain
    > 		hostname.*
    > 		netstart
   
   The problem with this approach is that it makes it more difficult for 
   install scripts to work configuration magic.  Note how the sparc and 
   hp300 install scripts have an easy time configuring network interfaces, 
   hostname, etc. by simply creating the appropriate files, rather than 
   having to go through a complex editing process on a file which won't 
   contain any special keywords like __REPLACE_ME, or whatever.
   
   Anyhow, my vote is to stick with what we've got .. 

i think that something inbetween is needed.  i'd like to see netstart
blown away, and the things done there put in rc.conf, and also more
things, like, being able to start screenblank (and then we can close
one of my open PR's!  :-).  but i'd like the hostname.*, defaultdomain,
myname, mygate and ifaliases files left the way they are -- i like that
each part of the boot process that is machine specific (as in, the
*really* basic things about a system:  it's hostname, it's interfaces,
it's domainname, if any, etc) is given a separate file.  this makes it
easier to look at and, as jason says, *MUCH* easier to "generate".

i'd like all the variables set in netstart now to be merged into this
rc.conf and also a Hell of a lot more stuff put there.  like running
savecore or not.  and lpd.  and inetd (yes, i'm *serious*).  and other
"daemon" type programs that we have available, but, must be manually
configured to run in /etc/rc.local.  also, the quota checking should
be "turn off"able.

that's my take on this.  :-)