Who needs an init system anyway

init=/bin/sh

Put everything you need to run automatically at startup in /etc/profile or one of the other autoexec files, and you won't have to deal with a mess of init scripts or the horrors of systemd. It's like AUTOEXEC.BAT for *nix, easy and simple. If you want a GUI just put startx in there...

>>2
The shell has &, you know.
>>3

How should logging/monitoring be handled?

Pipe the output to a file if you want. It's not needed most of the time.

Speaking of networking (or other high latency services), do you really wanna stall the entire boot process just because of these? Which brings up: How to deal with asynchronous/parallel startup? In particular with combination of above - parallel + dependencies.

Use &, as mentioned above.

And I'd argue that if you find managing services so complex that you need an entire fucking bloated system to do it, you have too many services.

>>12,14
You don't even have to login. It boots directly to a shell. If you want SSH access then just put a line in that script to run the sshd. To all the "OMG BUT IT'S r00t!!111" whiners: I've been using DOS (and early Windows) for over a decade and that's exactly what it is, with full control full access no-DRM no-"security" bullshit.

>>13

!= NULL

FAIL

>>19
Poettering. He manages to somehow turn technical issues into retarded pseudo-SJW "muh feelings" bullshit. "Accept systemd or you're a *ist bully" seems to be his way of getting his shit into production.