[Initscripts-ng-devel] Defining the workgroup objectives

[Henrique de Moraes Holschuh]

Hello people,

Here's what I envision this workgroup doing as a starting point.  I'd like
to receive comments so that we can produce a "getting started" document for
people who join us later, and go on to the interesting stuff ASAP.

Workgroup Objectives:

 1.  Design a distribution-agnostic interface layer for packaging systems
     to deal with static order-based (sysv-rc classic), static dependency-based
     (init-ng, LSB), dynamic dependency-based (runit?), and hybrid
     static-dynamic dependency based initscript subsystems

 2.  Do the same for Debian (i.e. design the Debian implementation of 
     the interface defined in (1)):
     
     * changes to update-rc.d? write a new interface (register-rc.d?)?
     * document what subset of telinit package scripts can use
     * see what needs to be done to allow plugging a new init into Debian
       (probably defining telinit is enough)
     
 3.  Design either an hybrid static-dynamic or a purely dynamic dependency
     based initscript subsystem (completely distribution-agnostic)

     3a.  Write an implementation of said subsystem from scratch, OR
     3b.  Modify init-ng or r-unit to add whatever functionality is needed
          (this need not be a fork. init-ng has a nice plugin
	  functionality, and all code is to be sent upstream anyway!)

 4.  Write the interface layer to plug it into Debian

 5.  Deploy it as a proof-of-concenpt in Debian sid

Futher objectives, such as (2), (4) and (5) for Gentoo, Fedora, Mandriva, or
any other distribution are welcome, if someone from that distribution wants
to work on it.

Should we have any other objectives? Should we drop any of the objectives
listed above, or modify them?  Note that defining the design goals for each
objective are a separate issue.

Are the four initscript system types clear (read the paper in the Docs
section of the project)?  Do we need a document explaining them further?

-- 
  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
  Henrique Holschuh