> all of that are technical choices, that can be debated on their own merit without the need to attribute malevolent intentions to the developers
The ramifications of those technical choices on the software ecosystem are so well understood [0], that there is no point in discussing "their own merits" in a vacuum.
What's most relevant to my professional and waning hobbyist interests are the shape and trajectory of the software ecosystem as a whole. To talk about systemd without talking about how it's developers interact with the software ecosystem is to talk about nothing.
[0] I graduated before systemd was a glint in Pottering's eye, but we somehow still covered it in school. Not only coupling vs cohesion in the abstract, but also how various design decisions (including init system arguments of old!) interacted with the ebb and flow of unix-like OS evolution.
The ramifications of those technical choices on the software ecosystem are so well understood [0], that there is no point in discussing "their own merits" in a vacuum.
What's most relevant to my professional and waning hobbyist interests are the shape and trajectory of the software ecosystem as a whole. To talk about systemd without talking about how it's developers interact with the software ecosystem is to talk about nothing.
[0] I graduated before systemd was a glint in Pottering's eye, but we somehow still covered it in school. Not only coupling vs cohesion in the abstract, but also how various design decisions (including init system arguments of old!) interacted with the ebb and flow of unix-like OS evolution.