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The Tragedy of systemd

linux.conf.au · 1.3M views · 2019-01-24 · 47:18

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Overview

FreeBSD developer Benno Rice traces the history of init and bootstrap systems at linux.conf.au 2019 to explain why systemd was seen as necessary and why it provokes such strong reactions. He also discusses why change is scary.

On Hacker News

The most-recommended balanced take on systemd, from a BSD perspective, handed to anyone caught up in the systemd debate.

Recommended by 16 HN people across 14 months · HN mentions 2019–2025

Topics

Linux & open-source ecosystemsOperating systems & kernels
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systemdinit systemsfreebsdunix historylinux

What people said

nickysielicki · 2025-09 · Strong recommendation

I linked it elsewhere in this thread, but you should really watch this talk, particularly 12:45 through 16:20: [VIDEO] tl;dr: systemd isn't meant to be an init system, it's meant to manage services, and the alternative world where you don't have a unified system for managing services and events actually sucks.

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fermigier · 2025-01 · Strong recommendation

There is a wonderful talk by Benno Rice a few years ago. Insightful and entertaining. Not focussed only on the negatives, BTW. [LINK] [VIDEO] HN discusion: [LINK] LWN comments: [LINK]

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SahAssar · 2024-08 · Strong recommendation

[VIDEO] (The Tragedy of systemd) is an interesting talk on this topic from the view of someone (Benno Rice) in BSD land. Highly recommended. EDIT: this is mentioned in the article, thanks koalacola

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Video by linux.conf.au, played through YouTube.

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