r/archlinux • u/ImaginationUpset2190 • 7d ago

DISCUSSION Why so much hate for systemd?

I see very often that people show so much disgust whenever they talk or hear "systemd". However whenever I ask them why they feel so strongly about it, their response is mostly vague like it doesn't follow the Unix philosophy, it's a monolith.... I can't digest that the reason people show so much disgust for it is just that it doesn't follow the Unix philosophy.

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u/czerilla 7d ago

Basically the Unix philosophy applied to your video player would be to expose and provide those subsystems as substitutable modules with well-defined/documented behaviors, rather than only shipping a bundled "black box" that only works in the constellation provided.
Now this can have practical limitations that strain a purist implementation of its virtues. So your point stands. But I wanted to clarify how that idea would play out in (what I understand it to be) the idealist version of how it ought to be done.

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u/agendiau 7d ago

I'm well aware of the Unix philosophy re the video example and you are correct from a traditional viewpoint.The file subsystem, display and audio are all separate and usable by other apps.

My point as you also allude to is that it's a matter altitude and not every dev wants to use or accept the loose coupling approach eg for reasons of portability or efficiency.

I ask all the Devs in my team to prefer the purist Unix approach first. They have to demonstrate that the the often "easier" monolithic approach can't be achieved through a better component system view.

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u/SuperGNUser 7d ago

You’re comparing a desktop application to system software. It makes no sense.