this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2025
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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It was highly contentious for a number of years - largely because it had a lot more functionality and touched more parts of the OS than the init systems it was designed to replace. It was seen as overzealous by the naysayers.
I was in the never system-d camp for a long time because I felt like my ability to choose was being removed. Even some distros that provided alternate init systems eventually went systemd-only.
But I’ve come around - it’s fine, good even - though ultimately I had no choice or say in it.
It’s very straightforward and easy to write one’s own units. It’s reasonably easy to debug and often helpful when something isn’t working as expected.
Like all things in the world of software, many folks are going to try (and eventually succeed) to make a better mousetrap.
This particular init system’s design goals seem (at least to me) to indicate a focus on small, embedded and/or more secure systems where the breadth of tools like systemd are a hindrance.
IMHO systemd tries to go above the requirements of an init system and behave more like an abstraction layer to the OS, in the same way Linux is an abstraction layer to the hardware. Would we be better with a micro kernel, instead of the Linux beast? Maybe, but we do all use it and it is mostly a standard nowadays. Same for systemd. Could it be simpler? Sure! But having a standard abstraction layer at user level for all distros is excellent for an app developer. And, AFAIK, it should be possible, albeit less verified, to disable most features and use alternative implementations.
Totally fair and exactly part of my original disdain. I was happy with SysV and Upstart. But here we are and I’ve got things to do. ;)
I hated repackaging all my software for systemd. lol. We waited as long as we could before eating that pie.