Re: If Linux Is About Choice, Why Then ...

[Catherine Gramze]

Sent from my iPad
> On Apr 1, 2017, at 7:30 PM, Patrick Bartek <nemomm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Never came across those during my research before posting my initial
> query here.  And I read a lot of articles.  Still have found nothing
> stating exactly why Linux distros don't offer a choice of inits during
> install, even in "expert" mode.  You can choose just about
> everything else.  I doubt that particular option was even considered.
> 
The Debian page: https://wiki.debian.org/Debate/initsystem/systemd
does a pretty good job of explaining the reasons for the switch.

My best guess as to the lack of an init system choice would be the huge
ripple effect on documentation, making it harder to document Debian when 
the user may be using either a sysvinit shell script or a systemd utility. Not
to mention the added developer time of maintaining two init systems. 

Choices in things like appearance, aptitude vs. Synaptic, Blackbox vs. Gnome
do not effect how the system itself operates, but the init system does.

YMMV

Cathy