this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I am a Linux user, but I don't really know how most things work, even after years of casual use on my Main, I just started getting into Devuan and wondered then, what exacly does systemd do that most distros have it? What even is init freedom? And why should I care?

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[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 18 points 1 year ago

In a very basic description, systemd is your system schedule agent. It's the component that kicks things off in order so all the vital parts start in order so they have the other parts in place before they load.

It's reputation is muddy because it's doing more than a single task and old fashioned thinking is that system components should only do one thing. It's easier to configure but harder to understand than the older init