The "removing systemd" experiment

Conclusion and Other Resources

  • Replacing the systemd startup from a systemd-controlled distribution by SysVinit or something else is comparably easy if dependencies are kept in place.
  • Removing systemd-introduced dependencies causes side effects on session management that need to be resolved with some manual configuration work.
  • The effort needed for maintaining a non-systemd-controlled distribution may increase with systemd's development progress (i.e., "it will never be finished").

Several HOWTOs are available for removing systemd partially or completely [3]-[5], recompiling packages without systemd dependencies, or simply choosing a GNU/Linux distro alternative that uses a different system to manage software [6]. The "pinning" of packages, especially, seems to be a good idea to prevent semiautomatic upgrades from "updating" a new systemd version over the no-systemd package and thereby causing conflicts.

Infos

  1. Systemd: https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/
  2. Actually, systemd-logind will cause more trouble than systemd itself later.
  3. Removing systemd from Debian: http://lkcl.net/reports/removing_systemd_from_debian/
  4. Removing systemd from Ubuntu 16.04 and preventing its usage: https://askubuntu.com/questions/779640/how-to-remove-systemd-from-ubuntu-16-04-and-prevent-its-usage
  5. Removing systemd from a Debian jessie/sid installation: http://without-systemd.org/wiki/index.php/How_to_remove_systemd_from_a_Debian_jessie/sid_installation
  6. Systemd and alternatives: http://without-systemd.org

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