# /etc/init.d/hald and hotplug

## wizardofos

Hi

I use hal, and wondered why HAL uses hotplug instead of hotplug-base. I don't see where's the need for hotplug?

Another thing: HAL has "depend hotplug" in it's initscripts, which is a bit of a nonsense, cause there isn't anything useful in /etc/init.d/hotplug (it's kind of a dummy).

greetings

fabian

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## Headrush

You're right, its a dummy file used for backward compatability needed for some packages and to maintain package dependencies.

Just leave it, it won't hurt anything.

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## wizardofos

Hm, but there are still two things:

1. Why does hald depend on hotplug instead of hotplug-base? Does it need the scripts in /etc/hotplug

2. Why does /etc/init.d/hald depend on the nearly empty hotplug script?

fabian

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## Headrush

 *wizardofos wrote:*   

> Hm, but there are still two things:
> 
> 1. Why does hald depend on hotplug instead of hotplug-base? Does it need the scripts in /etc/hotplug
> 
> 2. Why does /etc/init.d/hald depend on the nearly empty hotplug script?
> ...

 

The hotplug package contains several configuration files for many usb devices, so it is still needed.

I believe it is those files that hald uses. 

The hotplug package requires hotplug-base, so it is probably easier to leave hotplug as dependency by other packages instead of hotplug-base. This way you get both. 

For a definitive answer, you would need to ask package maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman.

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## wizardofos

OK thanks!

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## onlymee

Anybody find a definitive answer to this? 

A similar question has been raised again recently:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-3433204.html#3433204

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