>> I never got an acceptable explanation as to why they went with the
>> (imho retarted) rc.d crap..

> Since your message indicates that there's no reason you'd find
> acceptable, I'm probably wasting my time typing this...

Well, I'm not isildur, though I agree with him(?) on this point.

> For the rest of you, though, I consider it an eminently acceptable
> tradeoff to lengthen boot time - something that happens seldom - to
> make it much harder to screw up the system to the point that it won't
> boot.

And you're welcome to make that tradeoff that way - for your systems.

What I, and I think many of the objectors, were squawking about was
having this change committed in the absence of any sort of consensus
that it was a good thing.  There were - and are, probably - both rabid
flamers and good arguments on both sides.  And any other change, in
that case, would have been held.  This one wasn't.

> The monolithic startup script should have gone the way of the dodo a
> long time ago.

This is "proof by vigorous assertion".  I assert that it not only
shouldn't have gone away, but should come back.

> The only real objection to it has ever been in the BSD camp, a group
> known for virulent NIH syndrome.

...which even if true does not mean that the objections in this case
are NIH.  My own objection is that rc.d cripples human manipulation of
the startup sequence for the sake of easing mechanized ditto.  This is
a lose for people who (like me) do more manual than automated frobbing
of the boot sequence.

Your own argument (that it makes it harder to screw up the system)
doesn't really hold water; I have trouble thinking of anything I could
do to /etc/rc that would make it impossible to get into single-user
mode and put things back, and personally find it easier to avoid
shooting myself in the foot with monolithic scripts.  (Yes, I said I've
frozen my NetBSD systems pre-change.  I have, however, administered
other rc.d-style systems plenty in my time.)

					der Mouse

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