Thursday, October 2, 2014

What's really wrong with systemd?

Unless you've been living under a rock or on a park bench during the past two years, you've probably heard of systemd and the numerous issues and controversies involved. You probably also have also heard about some new alternatives.

Now instead of boring you with long lengthy arguments and debatable concepts and anecdotes, I'm going to boil the core problem with systemd down to two simple points:

  • The singular aim of systemd is to get other projects to depend on it.
  • The systemd developers have a track record for not knowing what they're doing, thereby creating very fragile and unwieldy problematic software.
Now if you're looking for proof of these two points, you're free to read through the aforementioned pages I linked to, as well as search online for more. I hope you've enjoyed my summary.
at

83 comments:

  1. henke37October 2, 2014 at 12:12 PM

    Aw, but I like "long lengthy arguments and debatable concepts and anecdotes". I guess the links will have to supply those instead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ava1arOctober 2, 2014 at 9:14 PM

    Do you have any issues with systemd? Have you tried it? Or you just posting links to the other people's boring posts about the topic they do not completely understand? Systemd just works and works good - I am using it on 3 different kind of systems, including embedded and have no issues with it at all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joe P.October 3, 2014 at 2:59 PM

    ava1ar, your comment highlights perfectly the sheer idiocy of the masses. "It works correctly in my narrow set of ordinary cases, therefore it must be that it works correctly in all cases." Alternately, "It works correctly right now, so it'll probably still work correctly in future releases." Sorry, no, that's not how the world actually works. Unless something has been guaranteed to account for exceptional cases and designed in a way that the amount of complexity won't grow as it's developed, you cannot call it stable.

    Engineering 101: The easiest way to ensure that something properly handles all cases now and in the future is to compartmentalize tasks into the smallest unit possible, so that the number of possible cases is limited, can be easily tested, and will limit the damage caused by any error to one small area. Do one thing and do it well.

    systemd on the other hand, takes the approach of "do one thing in a mediocre fashion, and then while we're at it, let's do a bunch of other things equally poorly". This concept of "boot system and service manager" is nice in theory, but the way and place where it's implemented (e. g. PID 1, running as root) means that it needs to be assuredly bulletproof. If there's even a single error in this process that causes it to crash, the entire OS will go into kernel panic (this is aside from taking down ALL services). If there's even a single exploitable vulnerability, your system is now subject to a root-level attack. The amount of complexity in systemd's design practically assures that there will be an error somewhere. Even if by some grace of God Himself the current code is 100% flawless, the complexity is almost guaranteed to grow as more things are added. This makes it nearly impossible to fully test.

    We've been shown time and time again that the more complex a system is, the more likely it is for things to fall between the cracks. We've been shown time and time again that mission-critical systems with too much complexity lead to terrible vulnerabilities. Look at the past year, look at Heartbleed, look at Shellshock, these things happened because systems were misdesigned in a way that made errors difficult to spot. systemd is no different. How long is it before they announce what will be known as the "systemdeath" bug?

    Also, "works well", not "works good". Learn English.

    ReplyDelete
  4. insane coderOctober 4, 2014 at 11:16 AM

    Hi Joe P.

    The real question is "works well" at what exactly?

    As I indicated in my first "problem point", its only goal is to get other software to depend on it. The way to gauge that working well is either by sheer amount of projects that depend on it, or percentage of projects that depend on it. Something which the sane among us will hope remains as low as possible, in other words, the less it achieves of its primary goal, the better.

    Now if we look at what the sheep are saying it's supposed to accomplish, there's two objectives you hear discussed most:

    1) System management:
    It's supposed to manage the applications running on your system.

    Now there's something we already have that does that, it's called an Operating System - Linux in this case. If the OS is lacking, expand it. If it's not the place of the OS, then the individual applications or system libraries they depend on should be dealing with the issues.

    Even if there is a place for "system management" like this, based on the track record of those involved, they're the last people we'd want to be working on such a project.

    2) Boot system:
    It's supposed to handle system boot up, and a few related issues.

    If this is the goal, then for this kind of project, it should be fairly straight forward and rather stable. You should rarely be seeing any kind of updates. Having dozens of people working on it constantly is very disconcerting.

    Your concerns along the lines of Heartbleed and Shellshock are very well placed if this is supposed to be the intended goal of systemd.


    Returning to my first point, and how this project is viewed by other projects is crucial. If this is supposed to be a new intelligent way for all system daemons to be designed, which is supposedly sane, then it should be standardized by POSIX or similar, and developed in a portable fashion, as it has a broad portable goal.

    If this is supposed to be a special new major component of Linux based Operating Systems, then it should be viewed as such. Anything depending upon it should label itself as Linux-only.

    You can't have it both ways, either it's Linux only, as is everything depending upon it. Or it has broad applicable everywhere goals, in which case the design should be standardized so it can be implemented everywhere, or the application suite itself should be as portable as possible so it can be used everywhere.

    Right now, everything is up in the air. Aside from various propaganda, nothing is clear. Personally, unless the status quo changes, I'd define this as a new kind of virus, and one which is designed to trick inexperienced developers and system maintainers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. smihailaApril 28, 2015 at 6:48 PM

    Hi,

    Your asprintf() custom implementation may have a small bug: missing a basic validation on the strp arg. If the caller happens to pass NULL for that double char pointer, the line with

    else { *strp = 0; }

    will cause a 'null pointer dereferencing' situation.

    ReplyDelete
  6. insane coderJune 9, 2015 at 12:48 PM

    Hi smihaila,

    This is the wrong article to be making this comment.

    In regards to your point, checking the non nullness of the pointers passed is deliberate, as pretty much all the C string functions do not do such checks, except for those as part of Annex K. Annex K is viewed by most as mostly ridiculous, because a null check still won't tell you if it's safe to write to, because it could be pointing anywhere.

    In this case, it's also more than the failure condition, as the pointers from malloc would be assigned there as well. Proper usage for asprintf() should always follow the idiom of a local char * passed by address to the function.

    If for your own needs you agree with the design of Annex K, and want such checks, by all means, add an if around the entire body of the function to do nothing but return -1 on failure, and perhaps set errno to EINVAL.

    ReplyDelete
  7. TechLovrzJuly 21, 2019 at 3:00 AM

    Status4Everyone
    http://gaana.site
    Status4Everyone.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. SAP-courseJuly 27, 2019 at 2:53 AM

    SAP training course incorporates "Information by Experiments" procedure to get SAP training and performing continuous practices and ongoing adjustment. This additional conventional practices with live condition involvement in SAP Training confirms that you are prepared to apply your SAP-ERP learning in huge partnerships after the SAP training in Gurgaon finished.

    For More Info:- SAP SCM Training Center in Gurgaon

    ReplyDelete
  9. Saad AmirOctober 22, 2019 at 2:10 AM

    yES, usually its work for me at the time stuck. statuscaptions.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. SiddharthJune 4, 2020 at 10:14 PM

    This is very good information I like this blog keep it up

    Telegram Porn Channel uk whatsapp group link 2020 indian whatsapp group link 2020

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJune 12, 2020 at 3:22 AM

    python training in bangalore | python online training
    aws training in Bangalore | aws online training
    artificial intelligence training in bangalore | artificial intelligence online training
    machine learning training in bangalore | machine learning online training
    data science training in bangalore | data science online training



    ReplyDelete
  12. HindiflyAugust 11, 2020 at 11:42 PM

    Benificial for Ibps po, Clerk, SBI clerk, PO, RRB PO, Cler and Other Competitive Examination
    English Comprehension 2020

    ReplyDelete
  13. HindiflyAugust 17, 2020 at 11:01 AM

    What is NPA ( Non- Performing Assets )

    ReplyDelete
  14. HindiflyAugust 21, 2020 at 11:40 PM

    Thanks for shairing this information
    Statutory and Regulatory Provisions

    ReplyDelete
  15. sammer markAugust 23, 2020 at 7:52 PM

    Thanks for the post.
    Get steps for Setup Hp Smart Tank Plus 651 Wireless All in one
    Steps to Reset and Configure D-Link Wireless Router

    ReplyDelete
  16. SwariOctober 24, 2020 at 12:37 AM

    Yes, usually its work for me from few monthss at the time stuck Short Christmas Wishes

    ReplyDelete
  17. Scott StayrisNovember 2, 2020 at 1:30 AM

    You have shared very valuable information and knowledge that people should recognize. Thanks for sharing this article with us.Quickbooks For mac

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sarah SadieApril 1, 2021 at 7:44 AM

    Good post thanks for share the information.

    Pest control services
    Rat control london

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousApril 8, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    When you setup or connect your HP printer with your PC framework, the extremely essential thing you need is the unaffected HP printer driver to hard with the printing procedure. Like the vast majority of the minimal gadgets or machines, HP printer likewise requires reasonable drivers first to introduce inside your framework so as to perform. Be that as it may, you can without much of a stretch download and introduce printer driver from 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  20. AnonymousApril 8, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    When you setup or connect your HP printer with your PC framework, the extremely essential thing you need is the unaffected HP printer driver to hard with the printing procedure. Like the vast majority of the minimal gadgets or machines, HP printer likewise requires reasonable drivers first to introduce inside your framework so as to perform 토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousApril 8, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    When you setup or connect your HP printer with your PC framework, the extremely essential thing you need is the unaffected HP printer driver to hard with the printing procedure. Like the vast majority of the minimal gadgets or machines, HP printer likewise requires reasonable drivers first to 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousApril 8, 2021 at 10:59 PM

    HP printer with your PC framework, the extremely essential thing you need is the unaffected HP printer driver to hard with the printing procedure. Like the vast majority of the minimal gadgets or machines, HP printer likewise requires reasonable drivers first to 스포츠사이트

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnonymousApril 18, 2021 at 11:27 PM

    When you setup or connect your HP printer with your PC framework, the extremely essential thing you need is the unaffected HP printer driver to hard with the printing procedure. Like the vast majority of the minimal gadgets or machines, HP printer likewise requires reasonable drivers first to introduce inside your framework so as to perform 토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousApril 18, 2021 at 11:31 PM

    I don t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. thanks for a great site 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousApril 18, 2021 at 11:34 PM

    I don t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. 파워볼사이트

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousApril 18, 2021 at 11:37 PM

    This is a very good site! great content, and thanks for sharing! 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousMay 10, 2021 at 6:36 AM

    I don t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. I will be back in a day or two. nba중계

    ReplyDelete
  28. AnonymousMay 10, 2021 at 6:41 AM

    I don t have the time at the moment to fully read your site but I have bookmarked it and also add your RSS feeds. 온라인카지노

    ReplyDelete
  29. AnonymousMay 10, 2021 at 6:45 AM

    This is a very good site! great content, and thanks for sharing! 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  30. oncadaySeptember 2, 2021 at 6:07 PM


    Just want to say your article is as astounding. The clearness in your post
    is simply excellent and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject.
    Fine with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post.

    바카라사이트


    (IVY)

    ReplyDelete
  31. unknownSeptember 12, 2021 at 11:24 PM

    That's a really impressive new idea! 메이저토토사이트추천 It touched me a lot. I would love to hear your opinion on my site. Please come to the site I run once and leave a comment. Thank you.


    ReplyDelete
  32. UnKnownSeptember 16, 2021 at 12:43 AM

    What a post I've been looking for! I'm very happy to finally read this post. 토토사이트 Thank you very much. Can I refer to your post on my website? Your post touched me a lot and helped me a lot. If you have any questions, please visit my site and read what kind of posts I am posting. I am sure it will be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  33. MBBS in PhilippinesSeptember 22, 2021 at 4:03 AM

    Wisdom Overseasis authorized India's Exclusive Partner of Southwestern University PHINMA, the Philippines established its strong trust in the minds of all the Indian medical aspirants and their parents. Under the excellent leadership of the founder Director Mr. Thummala Ravikanth, Wisdom meritoriously won the hearts of thousands of future doctors and was praised as the “Top Medical Career Growth Specialists" among Overseas Medical Education Consultants in India.

    Southwestern University PHINMAglobally recognized university in Cebu City, the Philippines facilitating educational service from 1946. With the sole aim of serving the world by providing an accessible, affordable, and high-quality education to all the local and foreign students. SWU PHINMA is undergoing continuous changes and shaping itself as the best leader with major improvements in academics, technology, and infrastructure also in improving the quality of student life.

    ReplyDelete
  34. ElesiaSeptember 25, 2021 at 1:02 AM

    Here we gives you opportunity to show T20 World Cup 2021 Live Streaming

    ReplyDelete
  35. unknowOctober 11, 2021 at 1:37 AM

    It's excellent. You will certainly really feel that your writing is unbelievable even if you consider it. I mored than happy to see your writing and also my sensations are still remaining. I wish you will certainly be impressed much like me when you see my writing. Would certainly you such as ahead and also see my blog post? click through the up coming website

    ReplyDelete
  36. luckybet964October 18, 2021 at 3:43 AM

    This really is such a awesome write-up. I’ve been looking for this information for quite a while now and then finally stumbled upon your internet site. Thanks so much for posting this, this has helped me out tremendously. By the way I love the style of the blog, looks good, did you create it all by yourself?



    토토
    스포츠토토

    ReplyDelete
  37. luckybet964October 18, 2021 at 3:51 AM

    Education is the key to every kind of success, and therefore seeing that students in doctorate of philosophy are increasing it clearly shows that people have indeed put much more effort in studying.


    토토사이트
    토토

    ReplyDelete
  38. luckybet964October 18, 2021 at 3:53 AM

    Hi Dear, are you actually visiting this website daily, if so after that you will without doubt take fastidious knowledge.


    온라인카지노
    카지노

    ReplyDelete
  39. luckybet964October 18, 2021 at 4:06 AM

    Terrific work! This is the type of info that are meant to
    be shared across the web. Shame on Google for not
    positioning this publish higher! Come on over and talk over with my site .



    카지노사이트
    바카라사이트

    ReplyDelete
  40. Easy Loan MartDecember 8, 2021 at 10:39 PM

    Hi.....
    The real anger against systemd is that it's inflexible by design because it wants to combat fragmentation, it wants to exist in the same way everywhere to do that. ... The truth of the matter is that it barely changes anything because systemd has only been adopted by systems who never catered to those people anyway.
    You are also read more Instant Loan Online

    ReplyDelete
  41. NTDecember 9, 2021 at 2:22 AM

    I've been looking for photos and articles on this topic over the past few days due to a school assignment, 우리카지노 and I'm really happy to find a post with the material I was looking for! I bookmark and will come often! Thanks :D


    ReplyDelete
  42. Chirs MarcJanuary 3, 2022 at 11:28 PM

    To check the free programs Click here

    ReplyDelete
  43. yadongbizzFebruary 4, 2022 at 1:54 AM

    Very good blog post about plastering a one bed flat. I am very happy to see this post and interested to find another good post in coming days. Thanks for it 한국야동닷컴

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    국산야동
    한국야동닷컴

    ReplyDelete
  44. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2022 at 3:29 AM

    Why is there so much good information? l keep that in mind. 메이저사이트

    ReplyDelete
  45. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2022 at 3:30 AM

    I ve known about this place for a while and I ve been visiting. There are still only good words and they are helpful. 먹튀검증업체

    ReplyDelete
  46. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2022 at 6:25 AM

    I appreciate your information in this article. It’s smart, well-written and easy to understand. You have my attention on this subject. I will be back 토토

    ReplyDelete
  47. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2022 at 6:26 AM

    It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. 안전사이트

    ReplyDelete
  48. CaptionsFebruary 27, 2022 at 9:55 PM

    We really like what is wrong with your system. And we've learned a lot. Which we did not know before. We're really glad we got it right. Thank you very much

    ReplyDelete
  49. m̶g̶m̶카̶지̶노̶March 17, 2022 at 9:20 PM

    I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality..




    토토
    프로토
    안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  50. m̶g̶m̶카̶지̶노̶March 17, 2022 at 9:21 PM


    스포츠중계
    스포츠토토티비
    토토사이트

    Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article.I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post

    ReplyDelete
  51. m̶g̶m̶카̶지̶노̶March 17, 2022 at 9:23 PM

    토토
    배트맨토토
    먹튀검증

    Appreciate this post. Let me try it out.Feel free to visit my site

    ReplyDelete
  52. Bella SwanMarch 24, 2022 at 4:28 AM

    Hi....
    Most arguments against systemd are that it suffers from mission creep and bloat. Subsequent criticism also affects other software (such as the GNOME desktop) adding dependencies on systemd—complicating compatibility with other Unix-like operating systems, and making it hard to move away from systemd.
    You are also read more Derivatives Trading Crypto

    ReplyDelete
  53. solococo daudomauApril 26, 2022 at 2:03 AM

    It has a good meaning. If you always live positively, someday good things will happen. 메이저사이트Let's believe in the power of positivity. Have a nice day.


    ReplyDelete
  54. badugisitenetApril 30, 2022 at 9:59 AM

    Wonderful website. I got a lot of good information here.바둑이사이트넷

    ReplyDelete
  55. keonhacaiMay 5, 2022 at 11:44 PM

    oncainven

    ReplyDelete
  56. slotmachine777.siteMay 14, 2022 at 1:43 PM

    I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. 슬롯머신777사이트

    ReplyDelete
  57. texasholdemsite.infoMay 14, 2022 at 2:02 PM

    Hard to ignore such an amazing article like this. 텍사스홀덤

    ReplyDelete
  58. casinosite24.comMay 16, 2022 at 7:27 AM

    This is really helpful post and very informative there is no doubt about it. 카지노사이트

    ReplyDelete
  59. baccaratsite.topMay 16, 2022 at 7:28 AM

    Thanks for such a valuable post. I am waiting for your next post, I have enjoyed a lot reading this post keep it up. 바카라사이트

    ReplyDelete
  60. casinositezone.comMay 16, 2022 at 7:28 AM

    Appreciate the effort and information you have given in writing this article . 안전카지노사이트

    ReplyDelete
  61. baccaratsite.bizMay 16, 2022 at 7:29 AM

    You must continue your writing. I’m sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already! want to learn more?카지노사이트

    ReplyDelete
  62. AnityaJuly 28, 2022 at 3:24 AM

    Janam TV live

    ReplyDelete
  63. ZugurwanSeptember 1, 2022 at 7:13 AM

    Legend of Hou Yi hero

    As for the story of Legend of Hou Yi, the game's creators have taken the story of the legendary Chinese archer named "Hou Yi" and created an interesting slot game. pgslot เว็บตรง

    ReplyDelete
  64. slot gacorJanuary 12, 2023 at 7:49 AM

    The failure of judi online is obtained through the Cambodian server which increases wins, this high chance of winning has a very big impact because it has been clearly proven.

    ReplyDelete
  65. animasiJanuary 21, 2023 at 8:39 AM

    Disney is the best film and animation company in the world. there are thousands of types of films and animations produced by disney one of which is aniamsi remy from ratatouille

    ReplyDelete
  66. Bokep di bawahJanuary 27, 2023 at 10:25 AM

    the various games offered by slot88 one of which is a game that offers bigger wins and bonuses, which are very profitable when playing slot online,

    ReplyDelete
  67. mizasalsaJanuary 29, 2023 at 9:53 AM

    Our site is a well-known online gambling stall that offers you the best online gambling games from well-known providers who will bring you to the top of victory slot online terpercaya

    ReplyDelete
  68. slot gacorFebruary 5, 2023 at 1:25 PM

    Play online gambling by looking for the highest RTP slot, then make a deposit at Slot88 so that you are sure of your victory, so play the slot now and get the win slot777

    ReplyDelete
  69. situs gacorFebruary 25, 2023 at 9:51 AM

    site akun pro kamboja is the best online bookie in Indonesia will bring you to the peak of victory in playing online slot games will give you big profits in playing online slot games

    ReplyDelete
  70. gacor maxwinMarch 12, 2023 at 10:02 AM

    Play mix parlay which is very exciting in the sportsbook ball game because you can play with a relaxed feeling here. Win or lose, you are paid, the more teams you lose and your wins, the more your winning pulses. situs slot mudah menang

    ReplyDelete
  71. situs gacorMarch 21, 2023 at 8:25 AM

    Online gambling games have become one of the most interesting games in the world. click https://akdizayn.net and join our site which has the highest winrate giving you big advantages in playing online gambling games

    ReplyDelete
  72. jane robertApril 12, 2023 at 6:10 AM

    Your writing is exceptional, and I believe you already have a substantial readership. I strongly encourage you to continue writing and sharing your knowledge with the world. I am personally eager to learn more from you
    Separation Agreement in Virginia

    ReplyDelete
  73. botolminumApril 18, 2023 at 8:41 AM

    The most reliable gaco slot game already comes with a very attractive winning license and gives crazy wins with a very high winning percentage slot online

    ReplyDelete
  74. casinositewiki 카지노사이트April 18, 2023 at 9:19 PM

    I really appreciate all the hard work you put into this great site

    ReplyDelete
  75. casinositetop 카지노사이트April 18, 2023 at 9:21 PM

    Pay a quick visit this website, it includes valuable Information here. Goodluck!

    ReplyDelete
  76. casinositeking 카지노사이트April 18, 2023 at 9:22 PM

    Great initiative taken as it makes researchers explore new ideas, thanks this blog.!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Janda PRofesional Main Slot 777April 22, 2023 at 1:03 PM

    the chance to win is big at this time, because the Cambodian server really really raises the dutunk level of embarrassment, let's play right now on the gacor dewa gacir site raja slot 777

    ReplyDelete
  78. gostopsite 고스톱사이트April 22, 2023 at 9:41 PM

    This is my first time i visit here.

    ReplyDelete
  79. 19guide03 19가이드03April 22, 2023 at 9:42 PM

    So wonderful to discover somebody with some original thoughts on this topic.

    ReplyDelete
  80. sportstotozone 스포츠토토존April 22, 2023 at 9:46 PM

    Nice and informative post. I have subscribed to your posts and feed.

    ReplyDelete
  81. AlghubaibaMay 11, 2023 at 3:51 AM

    someone who has been following the financial markets for quite some time now, I must say that having the right platform for traders can make a world of difference. Whether you're a seasoned trader or just starting out, having a platform that is easy to use, reliable, and offers a wide range of tools and features can really help you stay ahead of the curve.

    ReplyDelete
  82. AlghubaibaJuly 14, 2023 at 12:42 AM

    Transforming your backyard into a beautiful and functional oasis has never been easier with Lowes Fence Installation. I can confidently say that investing in a quality fence not only adds privacy and security but also enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of your outdoor space.

    ReplyDelete
  83. CMOLDS Mobile App Development Company in DubaiJune 7, 2024 at 5:14 AM

    Discover unparalleled expertise in app development with CMOLDS, home to the industry's top app development companies. From innovative design to seamless functionality, trust us to bring your vision to life with precision and creativity.

    ReplyDelete