I think we can all agree that the old sysv init is obsolete and must be replaces with something more powerful. But as a *nix enthusiast, I'll want to keep what defines *nix: KISS. Things like grep are just right: they do one thing and they do it well, and you can use them for.. whatever, really.
I haven't tried systemd yet. What really scared me off the most is that the authors think they can do everything better than everyone else, and that it all should integrate with their one solution for booting (which basically, was a set of scripts up until now before they showed up).
It's like someone with a Sauron complex, handing out rings to everyone to make them all dependant on systemd and then do something sinister and unspeakable, weilding The One Ring...