If you're reading this in /etc/init.d/, Slackware's real init directory is
/etc/rc.d/. Maybe you already knew this, but it never hurts to say. :-)

This script was taken from Fedora (and is presumably licensed under the GPL).
While I don't see Slackware init scripts making much use of it (but use it
if you wish), some third party init scripts (such as for commercial software
designed to run on Red Hat based systems) expect this script and use it in
their own init scripts, so it's a good idea to make it available here.

These functions are provided solely for commercial (or other) software that
expects to find "Red Hat-isms". I wouldn't use them to write new init
scripts (personally), but if you've had experience with them in the past
and like them, by all means feel free.

It's planned to continue support for them.