Re: [gentoo-dev] Making systemd more accessible to "normal" users

[Rich Freeman]

On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 1:18 PM, Michael Mol <mikemol@×××××.com> wrote:
> It would effectively need to be bumped every time any package added,
> removed or changed a unit file requirement. Also every time a unit
> file-bearing package is added or removed from tree.
>
> That would be one insanely hot package.

Splitting out unit files might have made sense when systemd was a
highly experimental piece of software that a few people are tinkering
with.  It is rapidly becoming the most commonly used init.d-like
implementation out there (mainly by virtue of the fact that every
other one tends to be used by a single distro).  Quite a few are using
it on Gentoo.

I think it really needs to be accommodated in the same way as openrc
init.d scripts.  I'm not saying that maintainers should be required to
create them if they're missing (they don't even have to do that for
openrc init.d scripts).  However, if users or other devs contribute
them and vouch that they work, then they should be included in
packages.

This really isn't any difference from the myriad of unusual
configurations that Gentoo supports.  If somebody on the Prefix team
suggests some changes to my ebuild to make it more Prefix-friendly I
collaborate with them.  I don't need to get Prefix working on a sparc
to accept their input that some change to the ebuild makes life easier
on this arch.  Sure, I'll make sure we're not adding regressions, but
this is a community effort.  The same is true if I get a bug that some
package I maintain has some problem on hardware I don't own (like a
different graphics card).  I can't test it, but I can work with what
I'm given and call for testing and so on.

Bottom line is that none of this should really be inconveniencing
maintainers much - nobody is required to create unit files.  However,
if a friendly user submits a bug with one attached, then the
maintainer should strongly consider adding them to the package at the
next convenient time.

Nobody has to use systemd if they don't want to, but honestly, it
seems like it is slowly taking over.  It sounds like OpenRC will
support compatible unit files, and that is really a win-win all around
as it means that users of both platforms will benefit from work
invested on the other.  That will mean that those who want to stick
with OpenRC/Eudev/whatever will have a good experience even if many
devs abandon those platforms, and vice-versa.

Rich