Use echo instead of touch - saves on forking

init.d.BSD/clock

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ start() {
 	[ "${CLOCK}" = "UTC" ] && TBLURB="UTC"
 	ebegin "Starting the System Clock Adjuster [${TBLURB}]"
 	if [ "${CLOCK}" != "UTC" ] ; then
-		touch /etc/wall_cmos_clock
+		echo >/etc/wall_cmos_clock
 		start-stop-daemon --start --exec /sbin/adjkerntz -- -i
 	else
 		rm -f /etc/wall_cmos_clock

init.d.Linux/consolefont

@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ start() {
 		cp "${font}" "${RC_LIBDIR}"/console
 		echo "$(basename "${font}")" > "${RC_LIBDIR}"/console/font
 		if [ "${UNICODE}" = "yes" ] ; then
-			touch "${RC_LIBDIR}"/console/unicode
+			echo > "${RC_LIBDIR}"/console/unicode
 		else
 			rm -f "${RC_LIBDIR}"/console/unicode
 		fi

init.d/bootmisc

@@ -26,15 +26,16 @@ start() {
 		fi
 	fi
 	
-	if ! touch -c /var/run 2> /dev/null ; then
+	if ! echo 2>/dev/null >/var/run/.test.$$ ; then
 		ewarn "Skipping /var and /tmp initialization (ro root?)"
 		return 0
 	fi
+	rm -f /var/run/.test.$$
 
 	if [ "${RC_UNAME}" = "Linux" ] ; then
 		# Setup login records
-		> /var/run/utmp
-		touch /var/log/wtmp
+		echo > /var/run/utmp
+		[ -e /var/log/wtmp ] || echo > /var/log/wtmp
 		chgrp utmp /var/run/utmp /var/log/wtmp
 		chmod 0664 /var/run/utmp /var/log/wtmp
 	fi
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ start() {
 	fi
 
 	# Create the .keep to stop portage from removing /var/lock
-	> /var/lock/.keep
+	echo > /var/lock/.keep
 	eend 0
 
 	# Clean up /tmp directory
@@ -120,13 +121,12 @@ start() {
 
 	# Create an 'after-boot' dmesg log
 	if [ "${RC_SYS}" != "VPS" ] ; then
-		touch /var/log/dmesg
-		chmod 640 /var/log/dmesg
 		dmesg > /var/log/dmesg
+		chmod 640 /var/log/dmesg
 	fi
 
 	# Check for /etc/resolv.conf, and create if missing
-	[ -f /etc/resolv.conf ] || touch /etc/resolv.conf 2>/dev/null
+	[ -e /etc/resolv.conf ] || echo >/etc/resolv.conf
 }
 
 stop() {

init.d/checkroot

@@ -7,14 +7,11 @@ and optionally repair them."
 
 do_mtab() {
 	# Don't create mtab if /etc is readonly
-	if ! touch /etc/mtab 2> /dev/null ; then
+	if ! echo 2>/dev/null >/etc/mtab ; then
 		ewarn "Skipping /etc/mtab initialization" "(ro root?)"
 		return 0
 	fi
 
-	# Clear the existing mtab
-	> /etc/mtab
-
 	# Add the entry for / to mtab
 	mount -f /
 
@@ -43,7 +40,7 @@ do_fsck() {
 		return 0
 	fi
 
-	if touch /.test.$$ 2> /dev/null ; then
+	if echo 2>/dev/null >/.test.$$ ; then
 		einfo "root filesystem is mounted read-write - skipping"
 		rm -f /.test.$$
 		return 0

sh/init-common-post.sh

@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 # mount $svcdir as something we can write to if it's not rw
 # On vservers, / is always rw at this point, so we need to clean out
 # the old service state data
-if touch "${RC_SVCDIR}/.test" 2>/dev/null ; then
-	rm -rf "${RC_SVCDIR}/.test" \
+if echo 2>/dev/null >"${RC_SVCDIR}/.test.$$" ; then
+	rm -rf "${RC_SVCDIR}/.test.$$" \
 		$(ls -d1 "${RC_SVCDIR:-/lib/rcscripts/init.d}"/* 2>/dev/null | \
 		grep -Ev "/(deptree|ksoftlevel)$")
 else