• nesc@lemmy.cafe
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    11 hours ago

    That’s pretty niche use-case devices that can run linux but at the same tume limited enough that systemd is the bottleneck. I do get it that running systemd on some embedded devices makes little sense.

    Systemd has stable API so nothing stops other systems from implementing parts of it that interest them, thing is, *bsds aren’t interested or resource constrained so much that they can’t.

    • ferrule@sh.itjust.works
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      17 minutes ago

      it’s honestly not that niche. it’s just not a use case that hobbiest run into. there is a lot of devices in your house or in your life running linux and you just never think about it. none of the devs of these devices are loud about systemd because we are hand crafting distros ourselves so dealing with scripts in an init system is the least of our worries.

      I have worked on gas meters for your house, refridgerators, two way radios for your car, home automation systems, TVs, gas pumps, A/C controllers. All hand crafted, tiny distros, all things you never see a penguin on but still run linux.

      Systemd has stable API

      yes, now it does as an afterthought. it wasn’t a public standard, seeking comment. no taking input from other developers. systemd was created to solve a problem distro were having, a system manager that is plug and play and makes everything just work. it is a good problem to solve, it’s one of the few reasons that so many distros exist.

      But there are tons of design choices that had very narrow views. Polkit, logind and the rest of credential management come to mind as something that needs a lot of massaging if you are rolling your own distro. When running a non-systemd distro there are often pain points getting apps and services that need to have a wider reach or interact with other priviledged code. none of it makes the system any more secure, just more of a pain in the ass.