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Message-ID: <9b1b4e10-f624-4364-80b5-8e8219e9fc7e@SystematicSW.ab.ca>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:20:35 -0700
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Subject: Re: init-config has incorrect path for /etc/rc.d/rc [FIX]
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From: Brian Inglis via Cygwin <cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
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On 2026-01-14 23:00, Jakob Bohm via Cygwin wrote:
> On 14/01/2026 18:21, Bruce Jerrick via Cygwin wrote:
>> On 1/13/26 22:09, matthew patton wrote:
>>
>>> or is it a case someone broke/removed the symlink from /etc/rc to /etc/rc.d/ 
>>> rc? Or more correctly /etc/rc -> /etc/init.d/rc.Removed, I believe, not 
>>> broke. See below re executables in /etc .
>>
>>> /etc/rc dates back to SunOS v4 at least. Similarly /etc/init and /sbin/init.
>> Long before any SunOS or BSD.  It was probably in Version 6 Unix .
>> Way back then (as they say), /etc contained "system" executables, as well as 
>> config files.
>> The executables were eventually moved to /sbin .  I don't remember if that 
>> happened in BSD or SunOS.  It was /sbin, then, not /usr/sbin, because they had 
>> to be available before /usr was mounted (SunOS commonly got a read-only /usr 
>> via NFS).
>>
>>> /etc/rc.d (and children like /etc/rc[0-6].d) is more of a "expression of 
>>> state" directory.
>> Agreed, but only in regard to /etc/rc.d/rc[0-6].d .
>> (A better name for /etc/rc.d (or /etc/init.d) would be /etc/init, since a ".d" 
>> suffix usually implies optional contents.)
> .d indicates a Directory variant of the single file designated without the .d .
> Forexample, /etc/crontab.d is a directory of additional crontab files beyond
> the commonglobal entries in /etc/crontab.
> 
> Nothing in a sane /etc directory should represent state,as the directory
> is supposed to be the core system-wide system config, not writableexcept
> by admin action.  In particular, /etc should not be writable by automated
> thingssuch as boot executables and daemons (that belongs in /run and
> /var).  On a real system rather than a compatibility layer like Cygwin,
> /etc will be part of the a small read-only root mount that gets remounted
> r/w only during relevant sysadmin tasks such as installing and removing
> packages.
> 
> /etc/default/ is supposed to be a directory of per package config overrides,
> such aschoosing additional invocation options for daemons started by
> scripts in /etc/init.d/ .
> 
> /etc/default/etc/inittab is clearly out of place.

Nothing in Cygwin packages should install anything under /etc/default/.

>> Not so in /etc/defaults/etc/inittab -- those subdirs are all "rc.d", not 
>> init.d .  See my comments above re 'rc' being a special case.

Under Cygwin /etc/defaults/ - note plural - contain originals of package system 
config files to be installed under /etc/..., /usr/share/.../, or
/var/{games,lib}/.../ by package postinstall scripts if not already present, and 
removed on package upgrades by preremove scripts if not modified by the admin 
since install, determined by comparison with the original under /etc/defaults/, 
otherwise the locally modified config file is retained.

This includes the user home directory setup files:

	$ la /etc/defaults/etc/skel/
	.bash_profile  .bashrc  .inputrc  .mkshrc  .profile

Some entries under /etc/ are symlinks:

$ find /etc/ -maxdepth 1 -type l | xargs -r ls -glo
lrwxrwxrwx 1 12 Aug 29  2019 /etc/aliases	-> mail/aliases
lrwxrwxrwx 1 13 Nov  2  2020 /etc/gaminrc	-> gamin/gaminrc
lrwxrwxrwx 1 53 Sep  1  2015 /etc/hosts     -> 
../proc/cygdrive/c/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts
lrwxrwxrwx 1 37 Jan 12 15:35 /etc/leap-seconds.list -> 
/usr/share/zoneinfo/leap-seconds.list
lrwxrwxrwx 1 26 May 14  2013 /etc/machine-id	-> ../var/lib/dbus/machine-id
lrwxrwxrwx 1 21 Apr  9  2024 /etc/mime.types	-> /usr/share/mime/types
lrwxrwxrwx 1 12 Sep  1  2015 /etc/mtab		-> /proc/mounts
lrwxrwxrwx 1 56 Sep  1  2015 /etc/networks  -> 
../proc/cygdrive/c/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/networks
lrwxrwxrwx 1 56 Sep  1  2015 /etc/protocols -> 
../proc/cygdrive/c/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/protocol
lrwxrwxrwx 1 56 Sep  1  2015 /etc/services  -> 
../proc/cygdrive/c/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/services

-- 
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis              Calgary, Alberta, Canada

La perfection est atteinte                   Perfection is achieved
non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter  not when there is no more to add
mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher  but when there is no more to cut
                                 -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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