You both made good points. I've been around a while, so I'll just speak my
mind. If that bothers anyone, please "plug your ears."


I've used Unix before Linux existed, and after. I've seen ideas come and
go. Systemd is absolutely nothing new, nor is the community reaction to it
even surprising. Linux thrives on confrontation because everyone (their
granny, their aunt, and their uncle) can have a stake in it and that is just
"honkey-dory" as the euphemism goes. The problem with Linux is that younger
programmers tend to dominate the more vocal discussions. They are usually
lacking in practical experience, and coming from long exposure to non-Unix
cultures. Because Linux lives on confrontation more than cooperation, their
views come to be seen as the view of the whole.

Mr. Poettering is a classic example of the "new Linux." I'm not just
talking about systemd, but that virtually the entire Linux community has
bought into this idea that Linux is more important than open standards such
as POSIX, and code portability should be abandoned - effectively developing
Linux as an isolated community. This is, quite bluntly: egregiously *stupid*
even in the most indirect sense. I won't waste time with a laundry list of
"whys" unless someone asks for it.

Thankfully, at present, their *dementia* is still somewhat contained. They
do not see that they are making the same mistakes that Microsoft made 15-20
years ago. Microsoft was an original signatory to the POSIX standard, but
then abandoned it in 2000 with the release of Windows 2000. They kept just
enough of POSIX to meet government requirements as I recall. They later
dropped even that as they become the dominant player. Linux is doing
exactly the same, much to my disappointment. I call it for what it is:
arrogance - arrogance and stupidity. Microsoft did not gain from abandoning
POSIX or open standards over the long term. It came back to bite them in
the ass, and now they are actually reversing that under Satya Nadella,
albeit very slowly.



Microsoft's self-imposed isolation was killing it, and now we see Linux
making the same error. I've pretty much adopted a perspective of "stupid is
as stupid does" in regard to Linux. It is a much lower regard than I used
to have because Linux has let success "go to their heads". POSIX deserves
much of the credit. Linux owes POSIX a lot, and after it manages to excise
it completely, I see Linux losing stature to someone else who is more
willing to work cooperatively.