a "love" letter to systemd

Wikipedia describes systemd as a software suite for system and service management on Linux. In other words, an init system that bootstraps Linux and manages your services. However systemd is a LOT more.

THE BLOAT

The systemd project isn’t just an init system. It manages DNS via resolvectl. It has a bootloader (systemd-boot). It stores info on users, and recently started storing user provided birth dates to try to comply with the new OS-level verification bills in places like California. This is just opposite to the UNIX philosophy: Do one thing and do it well.

systemd also absorbed udev and made it incompatible with other init systems. This lead Gentoo to develop a fork called eudev.

THE EVIL

So what if it violates the UNIX philosophy? Who cares?

I think that not caring about the UNIX philosophy is totally okay. But systemd seems to be trying to obtain a monopoly (which will not happen).

systemd contributors tried and tried to push systemd specific code into other FOSS software. We’re talking big stuff. GNOME, for example.

SECURITY

I’m not aware of any vulnerabilities in systemd but I am aware of one concept: the more code you have, the bigger the chance of vulnerabilities.

WTF DO I DO

Just get a non-systemd distro.

If you’re on Arch Linux check out Artix If you like Debian check out Devuan

Check out nosystemd for more info.