New comment by knusbaum on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/13377#issuecomment-516560471
Comment:
Hmm. I wasn't able to reproduce this from a clean postgres install.
`Void 4.19.59_1 x86_64 GenuineIntel uptodate rmFFFFFFFFFFFF`
`postgresql-9.6.14_1`

After install:
```
$ sudo ln -s /etc/sv/postgresql /var/service/
...
$ sudo sv status postgresql
run: postgresql: (pid 4052) 289s; run: log: (pid 4051) 289s
$ sudo su postgres -c psql  
psql (9.6.14)
Type "help" for help.

postgres=#
```
Before installing `/var/lib/postgresql` did not exist. After linking the service, `/var/lib/postgresql/data` exists and is populated properly.


## Reproducing
If I start with an existing `/var/lib/postgresql/data` directory that's empty, then link the service, I get errors:
```
$ sudo ls -alh /var/lib/postgresql/data
total 0
drwx------ 2 postgres postgres  6 Jul 30 14:25 .
drwxr-x--- 3 postgres postgres 39 Jul 30 14:24 ..
$ sudo ln -s /etc/sv/postgresql /var/service/
$ sudo sv status postgresql                  
down: postgresql: 1s, normally up, want up; run: log: (pid 12664) 12s
$ sudo svlogtail | grep postgres
2019-07-30T19:27:41.29180 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:41 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
2019-07-30T19:27:42.29694 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:42 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
2019-07-30T19:27:43.30463 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:43 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
2019-07-30T19:27:44.31350 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:44 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
2019-07-30T19:27:45.32417 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:45 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
2019-07-30T19:27:46.33308 daemon.info: Jul 30 14:27:46 postgres: postgres: could not access the server configuration file "/var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf": No such file or directory
```

While these aren't the same errors you reported, could it be that you have a dirty `/var/lib/postgresql/data` directory on your machine? Maybe we want to check the directory in the startup script rather than assuming it's good if it exists?