this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I think that's a "winners write history" situation. There were other options at the time that might have been better choices. Everyone uses it now because of Redhat and Debian being upstream to most users, desktop and corporate. I was not surprised by Redhat adopting it (it's their own product) but Debian was quite the shock.
Yes systemd is definitely a step up from traditional initscripts (oh god). In terms of simplicity, reliability and ease of configuration however it's a step below other options (like runit). I don't have distro management experience but, given the problems I've encountered with different init systems over the years, I suspect there would be less of a maintenance burden with the other options.
I'm very curious about the downvotes to this one. May I ask people's thoughts? Perhaps I'm too vague? I can put a bigger story about my experiences with various init systems in production & research if people are interested.