Hi Peter

Under normal circumstances an admin does not have to get in touch with the
init system or start-up mechanisms too much: If the job by the package
maintainer is done, it works as intended. In case of non-packaged software,
when a startup-script is missing, it might be a little bit easier to write a
unit file than an init script, but not that much, that it really counts. So
under normal circumstances, it just does not matter.

A decent admin works every day on the command line and thus shell scripts are
a natural match. They can be understood easily, changed and worked with
without problems. So systems which are based on shell scripts are mostly more
understandable by the admins. And this counts, when things go wrong.

I can't tell how hard it is to handle a broken systemd based sytsem, how messy
binary logs look like, when the box crashes during a log write or debug boot
problems on them, because I don't use systemd. I switched once to Linux
servers, because I hated to tell my users when I solved a problem on a Windows
box: "It works again, but I can't tell why." I want to understand what I'm
doing and why I'm doing it, and that's why I stay away from black magic
monsters like systemd, launchd or Windows.

If your management fears not to find staff who has the skills to work with an
open and well structured system like Devuan, they should fear to find no one
usable at all in frst place. A decent admin can handle Devuan as good or bad
as Debian. If a Linux admin is not able to work on the command line, she/he is
not up to the job. If she/he can, he has no problems to work with a non
systemd system.

One more thing: A management how decides on products their IT has to work
with, is like a team manager who tells a coach which player to send on the ice
during a hockey game. A no-go. Technical decisions are IT decisions, financial
and functional decisions are made by the management towards their IT. They
just don't know the technical finesses, hurdles and dependencies. They should
know about money and what is needed by the company.

If a management manages to create a sustainable working environment, they
don't need to find anyone new so soon. They get longstanding IT workers who
care for "their" systems and lead the ones that step in, to get them
integrated to the team and the system that's in place. If the management
doesn't do it's job, they have to fear what they say, but then I'm also sure
the IT department lacks time, documentation and team spirit already today.

Regards, Adrian.


In der Nachricht vom Friday, 19 November 2021 12:29:32 CET steht:
> I've recently been asked to recommend an upgrade route for a number of
> linux servers, and I proposed going to devuan. In response, I've had a
> concern raised which took me by surprise. It was suggested that in the
> future, it may not be possible to find staff who have the skills to
> administer and manage servers running non-systemd or pre-systemd
> distros/releases.
>
> I've tried to give reassurance - but I'm still wondering if this could
> be a valid concern. I'd always taken the view that it's primarily the
> linux sysadmin community which is trying to stop the onslaught of the
> systemd juggernaut - but obviously, the greater the proportion of
> servers running systemd-based distros/releases, the less staff get
> exposed to non-systemd management techniques and tools.
>
> I'd be grateful for thoughts and comments.