[rendaw]

Ah, thanks for the link! So it has an interesting point, which is socket/device activation. And services that aren't started immediately could also have dependencies you don't want to start immediately.

I can see that being important for a desktop, where you're plugging/unplugging stuff and want startup to be fast.

> You can certainly still do things that way if you want

I think you're putting words in my mouth.

[xylophile]

Sorry, I didn't mean you specifically. I meant, if someone values simplicity above all else, they can choose an init that matches those values (like the one you described). Your approach is perfectly valid given that set of values.

Debian and other distros asked their userbase which values to prioritize, and the users chose what systemd provides. Hope that helps explain "why does systemd exist / why have most distros chosen it?"