[pvg]

The definition of 'systems programming' is certainly wooly (and predates all of your examples) but I don't think it's an iterative stochastic hairsplitting fractal, like you're proposing. You've basically argued your way to a corner in which varnish and apache are not 'systems programming'. That's not a sensible use of the term.

[coldtea]

If Apache is "systems programming" then why not one of the various web servers written in Lua or Python or whatever?

Are those then "systems programming languages" too?

[pvg]

Nope.

[danellis]

But is the activity of writing a web server in Lua or Python system programming?