14 DAY TRIAL // Following the heated debate around the default init system that would be implemented in Debian, Mark Shuttleworth has announced that Ubuntu will be adopting systemd as well.
Debian will be using systemd as the default init system, which will be replacing Upstart, the project maintained by the Ubuntu developers.
This was the entire debate, and many people felt that it was actually a battle between Canonical and the “others,” although Upstart is not actually built officially by Canonical. Other people, supporters of systemd, are also known opponents of Canonical and Ubuntu, so everything seemed fishy.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. In the end, the committee that decided which init system to be used took a democratic vote after some melodrama, and systemd was pronounced the winner.
Ubuntu is based on Debian, which means that somehow they will have to integrate systemd instead of Upstart, which is the one currently used. Mark Shuttleworth himself has extended an olive branch and explained that Ubuntu will be making the switch, although not quite right away.
“Nevertheless, the decision is for systemd, and given that Ubuntu is quite centrally a member of the Debian family, that’s a decision we support. I will ask members of the Ubuntu community to help to implement this decision efficiently, bringing systemd into both Debian and Ubuntu safely and expeditiously.”
“It will no doubt take time to achieve the stability and coverage that we enjoy today and in 14.04 LTS with Upstart, but I will ask the Ubuntu tech board (many of whom do not work for Canonical) to review the position and map out appropriate transition plans,” said Mark Shuttleworth.
Now, what does it mean for the average user? Nothing. Just like the other heated debate, Mir versus Wayland, the regular users won't see anything different. Ubuntu will remain the same and if no one had said anything, people without some proper Linux knowledge couldn't have told the difference.
Beyond the drama and the pointless accusations, Mark Shuttleworth gave a great example of why the open source world is awesome.