systemd unit files are a massive step up from the old way - they properly handle dependant services, running as a user, can handle restarts for you etc. And as

systemd unit files are a massive step up from the old way - they properly handle dependant services, running as a user, can handle restarts for you etc. And as you say, no more annoying boilerplate! Actually, unit files are possibly the only part of SystemD that I've knowingly interacted with - I know it does about a thousand things, but whatever those other things are, they are transparent to me as a user.