>> If you're a Linux fan, I'd be surprised if the only reason you like Linux is it's script-based init system.
For me at least, its not the only reason but its certainly one of the big benefits. I like being able to non-ambiguously see and control exactly what is really going on, and to even be able to run those scripts individually in a sandbox if I want.
I also really like plaintext system log files, having to now use some commandline tool to continually create them first is nothing but a giant pain in the ass.
For me at least, Systemd takes a lot of simplicity and usability away, with nothing even close to a correspondingly sized gain in other benefits.