Is udev really 'optional'?

[Patrick Wiseman]

Hello:

Having read of people having so much difficulty with it, I've been avoiding udev and sticking with hotplug, which seems to work just fine for me.  (I assume it  _needed_ replacing for some reason?)

Being on a laptop, I really need the functionality.  Am I going to have to give up the hotplug package or will it continue to be an alternative to udev?

Patrick