[kwlug-disc] What is all this about systemd?

[L.D. Paniak]

OK.  Let me try to navigate the treacherous waters here...

Can someone explain the philosophical differences (because those appear
to be what the most fervent anti/proponents of systemd hinge arguments
on) between systemd (anti-UNIX evil!) and something like busybox
(super-cool tool!)?

I can imagine a situation where a Grand-Unified boot/OS mgmt system is a
"good" thing. Phones, Internet-of-Things things, tablets, cars,
toasters, etc.  Simplify(?), strip out unnecessary complication and have
a single entity control the bits.  Think of all the race conditions that
will have to find a new place to live.  One binary to make everything
work.  Think of the bits that can be saved, the permutations of various
competing services that no longer have to be mediated/refereed, the log
files that no longer have to be read because they are not readable, the
automated testing nirvana...

Would I want to build a cluster of machines around such an
architecture?  No.  Just like I would not want to use busybox for my
utilities and services in that setting.  Could I?  Sure.  It is about
choice.  If I was outfitting a power/storage/performace limited device
with narrow requirements?  I know that it is often the correct choice.
That is what open source is about:  many correct choices - you get to
pick the best one for your application.

Regardless of how bad systemd is, the intent of those who espouse it and
what the ultimate objectives of systemd are, open source has a fail-safe
solution:  fork it! 



On 08/19/2014 08:18 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:
> More on systemd
>
> http://www.infoworld.com/print/248436
>
> While systemd has succeeded in its original goals, it's not stopping
> there. systemd is becoming the Svchost
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svchost> [5] of Linux -- which I don't
> think most Linux folks want. You see, systemd is growing, like
> wildfire, well outside the bounds of enhancing the Linux boot
> experience. systemd wants to control most, if not all, of the
> fundamental functional aspects of a Linux system -- from
> authentication to mounting shares to network configuration to syslog
> to cron
> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bZId5j2jREQ/U-vlysklvCI/AAAAAAAACrA/B4JggkVJi38/w426-h284/bd0fb252416206158627fb0b1bff9b4779dca13f.gif>
> [6]. It wants to do so as essentially a monolithic entity that
> obscures what's happening behind the scenes.
>
> But there are also 45 years of history behind Unix and extremely good
> reasons it's still flourishing. Tools designed like systemd do not fit
> the Linux mold, to their own detriment. Systemd's design has more in
> common with Windows than with Unix -- down to the binary logging.
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com
> <mailto:kb at 2bits.com>> wrote:
>
>     Yet another article on systemd from someone who has been around
>     for a while, and does not like the all-in-one concept that it
>     forces on people ...
>
>     I agree with the gist of it, not the rant-ish tone though ...
>
>     https://lkml.org/lkml/2014/8/12/459
>
>     -- 
>     Khalid M. Baheyeldin
>     2bits.com <http://2bits.com>, Inc.
>
>     Fast Reliable Drupal
>     Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
>     Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. --  Edsger W.Dijkstra
>     Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. --   Leonardo da Vinci
>     For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear,
>     simple, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Khalid M. Baheyeldin
> 2bits.com <http://2bits.com>, Inc.
> Fast Reliable Drupal
> Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
> Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. --  Edsger W.Dijkstra
> Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. --   Leonardo da Vinci
> For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple,
> and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken
>
>
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