Linux: concerns over systemd adoption and Debian's decision to switch

Thu Oct 23 01:35:19 UTC 2014

Israel G. Lugo wrote:
> On 10/23/2014 12:05 AM, Jeffrey Ollie wrote:
>
>> systemd is a tool designed to get the system to a state where "real
>> work" can be done.  NTP servers, DHCP clients, consoles, aren't the
>> real work of a system, or at least I hope not, because that would be
>> boring to me.

Depends on the system.
>
> Legitimate question, not trying to be sarcastic: would you concede that
> the amount to which something is a "detail" may vary significantly per
> the use case, and requirements? On my desktop I might not care about
> whatever the DHCP client is doing, or the NTP server, but on a server
> that may very well be a different story.

Re. NTP: Timekeeping is rather essential in lots of applications - like, 
for example, transit operations, where I currently spend my work life.  
An accurate, accessible central clock tends to be a rather important 
system component.  And we're talking concerns in the range of seconds.  
When you start getting into serious real-time systems (laboratory 
instrumentation, utility operations, warfighting, ....) - yeah, NTP 
servers start getting really interesting, to a lot of people.

Miles Fidelman

-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.   .... Yogi Berra