Earlier quoted context omitted.
> However, linux is missing basic functionality other os's offer, and systemd is showing up and trying to fill in those blanks. I'm curious what functionality other OSes had that Linux did not before systemd came along. It seems to me that it has been subsuming functions of other systems on Linux that were already present, as opposed to offering anything new. Socket activation? inetd/xinetd. Timed start of programs?…
> I'm curious what functionality other OSes had that Linux did not before systemd came along. Uniform daemon/service handling. Just look at the scripts in /etc/init.d (or wherever they are located in your particular SysV init setup). It's a total mess. The rest of what systemd offers I can't comment on because I'm not familiar with it. But it is clear to me that systemd's declarative .service files are a billion time…
What is not uniform about the previous service handling implementation in debian?