Hi,

On Thu, 2023-10-12 at 18:54 -0400, Steve Litt wrote:

..cut..

> For the sake of this discussion, let's call your file titoinit.conf,
> and assume its file definition/format is optimized to create init/run
> files. Nick mentioned that we already had systemd unit files, but
> somebody else (forgot who now) mentioned that using unit files would
> put us at risk of gratuitous unit file format changes. Watch this:
>
>                             ,-->|con  |-->|OpenRC|           
>                             |   |vert2|   |file  |
>                             |
>  |unit|-->|con  |-->|tito|--+-->|con  |-->|runit|
>  |file|   |vert1|   |file|  |   |vert3|   |file |
>                             |
>                             |-->|con  |-->|s6  |
>                             |   |vert4|   |file|
>                             |
>                             `-->|con  |-->|sysv|
>                                 |vert5|   |file|
>
> In the preceding, the convert1 program is a handy thing, not a
> necessity. If lennart changes the unit file to break our conversion
> process, tito files could easily be hand-assembled until convert1 is
> updated, even if that takes a year.

Let me try to stir the sh*t again :)

One of the problems in such conversion is that the declarative files come and
go on the filesystem, while the *init system expects scripts or something else.
Adding triggers to handle the conversion is a possible but quite lacking
approach. IMnsHO one really clean way to implement the above is by FUSE
filesystem that does the conversion on the fly and presents a folder with the
expected hierarchy for the particular *init. Writing that is not too complex, I
also believe that there are people around who have some experience in this
(hello Ralph)...

Imagine "mount -t sd2sysv /lib/systemd /etc/init.d" ;)

PS. I do not believe that sd unit files will drastically change to the extent
that makes them too hard to follow. It will (as someone already said) going to
mostly add stuff. Imagine the vast amount of unit files already written getting
obsoleted - this would be a pure example of shooting oneself in the foot.

With best regards,
b.