The rcscript is a /bin/sh script first, so all of Miroslav's replies are written in man sh. However, the following differences
> : ${dummy_enable:=no} > : ${dummy_msg="Nothing started."} are only mentioned in manpage > In the parameter expansions shown previously, use of the colon in the > format results in a test for a parameter that is unset or null; omission > of the colon results in a test for a parameter that is only unset. So we would have to read it in depth to realize why. :) Any missing variables can be made up in the script. : ${pidfile=${dummy_pidfile-/var/run/dummy.pid}} if [ -z "${pidfile}" ] ; then pidfile='/var/run/dummy.pid' fi p.s. I made a mistake in the address of the email, so I will send it again. I'm sorry to those who received a duplicate. :)