One Program Controls How 90% of Linux Machines Boot

Fifteen distributions. Zero systemd.

That number surprised me when I counted last month. Fifteen actively maintained Linux distributions still ship without systemd in 2026. After a decade of predictions that alternatives would die out, they are still here.

When you power on a Linux machine, the very first program that runs is called the init system. It starts every service your computer needs: networking, logging, your desktop environment, everything. For decades, the Linux community has been debating which init system should handle this job. One side says systemd, a massive all-in-one tool that now runs on over 90% of Linux installations. The other side says it does too much, violates the Unix principle of “do one thing well,” and prefers smaller alternatives like OpenRC, runit, or Dinit. This article is about that fight.

The init system debate generates more heat than any other Linux controversy. More than Wayland vs X11. More than the kernel’s Rust adoption. And after watching this fight for so long, I think both sides are partly right and mostly stubborn.

Here is what actually happened, where things stand today, and why this fight will never truly end.