Anyway, I digress. Advantages of systemd are: [long list]

Those are all very nice things to have.

Unfortunately, for my needs, simplicity and understandability are far more important than a fast boot and feature-rich management of the runtime environment. I need to KNOW that things are being handled properly and securely. That's become far more important since Snowden showed us, not that the spooks were getting into our computers (which we'd already figured was happening), but how DEEPLY and EFFECTIVELY their technology and personnel are able to do so.

If the improved functionality is at the cost of burying the configuration and logging in non-human-readable form and entangling diverse processes into an interlocking mass under a complex and ever growing manager, the shark has been jumped.

Though Linux has been becoming (MUCH!) more usable with time, its configuration has been buried progressively more deeply under more and more "convenient and simplifying", but non-transparent, configuration management tools. Systemd is the continuation of the trend. But it is also a quantum leap, rather than another thin slice off the salami. So it has apparently created the "Shelling Point", where a lot of frogs simultaneously figure out that NOW is the time to jump out of the pot.

It's been a great ride. It had the potential to be even greater. But I think this is where it took the wrong turn and it's time for me to get serious about switching.

There's good reason to switch to NetBSD at work, on the product. (The code supporting the secret sauce is on the user side of the API and is Posix compatible, so it should be no big problem.) Porting my laptop, home servers, and desktops to OpenBSD now looks like it's worth the effort - and less effort than trying to learn, and keep abreast of, the internals of systemd.

Call me if somebody comes up with a way to obtain the key benefits of systemd in a simple and transparent manner, rather than creating an opaque mass reminiscent of Tron's Master Control Program. (Unfortunately, the downsides of systemd's approach seem to be built into its fundamental structure, so I don't expect it to evolve into something suitable, even if it's forked.)

As I understand the three major forks:

One (OpenBSD) is for having as secure a desktop/server/embedded platform as the maintainers can manage - important in this post-Snowden era (as it was, all unknown, in the era preceding Snowden B-b). It is based outside the US so it can incorporate strong encryption without coming afoul of US export controls.

One (NetBSD) is for developing network internals software and networking platforms (typically ported, when possible and not part of a proprietary product, to the others and other OSes.)

One (FreeBSD), now that its original purpose of getting the code disentangled from proprietary accomplished and the other two projects forked from it, is for making an open unix-like system run on the widest range of hardware platforms and devices possible.

Unless you're using your machine for building networking equipment or it's a new hardware platform under development, the choice seems clear.

The irony is that it could be seen as "karma" that Jobs basically committed "suicide by woo", refusing to treat his cancer with any recognized scientific technique for most of a year and instead trying pretty much every technique in the book popular among the sort of person who typically believes in karma.

So perhaps all of the woo stuff actually works, but it plays in with the laws of karma ;)

You're probably right if you're considering the 80's. PC hardware was pretty awful... but in the 90's things really changed. Sure, your SMB, Zelda, Contra, etc type games were better on the SNES... but what about Sim City (and 2000), Civilization, Command and Conquer, Warcraft 1&2, Star Control 2, Ultima 6-8, Wing Commander, X-wing and Tie Fighter? All of these were amazing DOS games, and either didn't have console versions, or if there were, they weren't quite the same (the SimCity,Civilization and Wing Commander for SNES come to mind) Anyway, my point is there were many more games for DOS than just DOOM and Descent in the 90's. Maybe you didn't experience them, but there was a lot of good stuff.

I actually felt the opposite from you those days. I felt a lot of the SNES games were pretty much just rehashes of old stuff, maybe with a slightly better gameplay, but there really wasn't much original going on there, and I was generally bored pretty quick. Then again, I was a teenager, so take this with a grain of salt :)

Are we allowed to say that out loud?

According to the first amendment, the government of the United States can't stop you.

If the denizens of the largest religion of the Unitied States (Progressivism), or at least their media spokespreachers, decide to gang-shun you, there's still the other half of the population to interact with.

Fortunately, techies usually have to deal with real-world more than social issues. Unfortunately, PHBs have control of the money and have to interact with the fanatics. Fortunately, techies are noted for not being skilled on social fads and are given much slack. Unfortunately, that slack sometimes comes with a hook: The PHB tells his techies not to be a "lightning rod" and say/post things, in a way traceable to a particular employee of The Company, that might bring down the wrath of the pressure groups, make it look like his "herd of cats" really IS crazy and repell funders and customers, or otherwise make his job harder than it already is.

Which (mainly the "crazy cats" case) is why I started posting anything that MIGHT be controversial under pseudonyms. And a reference to the PHB's order is the origin of the slashdot pseudonym "Ungrounded Lightning Rod" (since slashed down to "Ungrounded Lightning" by changes to the slashcode that limited pseudonym size). And why, now that "ULR" has a large and valuable reputation (and though that reputation might help with job searches) I STILL don't out the corresponding "True Name" on any electronic medium.

(So now you know.)

In Linus' case, I doubt that even a gang-shun by the Politically Correct would have an impact, on his finances, his social standing, or the adoption of his work or technical ideas.

(Can you imagine, for instance, the luddites , or even Microsoft's PR department, trying to get people to avoid Linux and switch to Windows or MacOS, or avoid git and switch to Clearcase, Bitkeeper, ... because Linus once said "... run away, screaming like little girl" and therefore must be a Sexist Pig? Especially, can you imagine ANY tech company using THAT slander and thus inviting that kind of scrutiny of their OWN people? B-) )

How is that better than T-Mobile's $3/month pay-as-you-go plan? 30 mins/30 txts per month.

I use T-Mobile's pay-as-you go, and it's $3/month for 30 mins or texts. They require $10/3 months, so that's not too bad.

So have faith. Either he's right, and systemd will not turn out to be that bad, or his faith in systemd will end in tears, and then, he'll sit down and write a new startup management system that will kick everybody else's collective asses!

Or maybe somebody ELSE will write a kick-ass init system, and Linus will say "Hey, that's cool!" and promote it. Or the maintainers of a major distribution will adopt it. Or those of a MINOR distribution will - and user will migrate.

Linus is great. But why does THIS have to be HIS problem? The init system may have a bit of extra-special status and privilege, but it's largely NOT the kernel's problem. Along with the system call API it is THE boundary between the kernel guts and the user/demon/daemon firmament. It says to the kernel: "Thanks, I'll take it from here."

Thanks for the reply. I'm not a lawyer, but as a ham I have poked around in Parts 2, 15, and 47. The following are just my concerns that might impact your endeavor.

Operating a non-certificated/approved device in the ham bands is one thing - marketing a transmitter of any type is yet another.

If you're going the module route, Part 15.212 puts some pretty stringent limits on what you can do with the module - it has to have the 'unique' antenna connector and must be certified with a particular antenna - "All single or split modular transmitters are approved with an antenna."

Part 15.212 also says that "The modular transmitter must be equipped with either a permanently affixed label or must be capable of electronically displaying its FCC identification number." That implies that it must have an FCC ID number, which implies some level of certification/authorization.

While it's true that hams can use any equipment in the ham bands and are responsible for their signal purity, those that MARKET such devices have more stringent requirements - Part 15.201(b) says that "... all intentional radiators operating under the provisions of this part shall be certificated by the Commission pursuant to the procedures in subpart J of part 2 of this chapter prior to marketing." I'm not sure how close to 'marketing' your kickstarter campaign is - hopefully the FCC doesn't consider it marketing.

If you go the kit route, the waters are even more murky. For a pretty good review of the state of affairs, check out this article on SparkFun.

Good luck - If I were you I would seriously consider consulting someone that's competent to review your situation and give you advice, whether that be a lawyer or RF engineer, or perhaps one of the Certification labs.