/etc/init.d $ for I in * ; do printf "%s %s \n" $(cat $I | grep -v -e '#' | wc -l) $I; done | sort -n | grep -v net.e | tail 142 mysql 142 sysfs 157 kexe

/etc/init.d $ for I in * ; do printf "%s %s \n" $(cat $I | grep -v -e '#' | wc -l) $I; done | sort -n | grep -v net.e | tail 142 mysql 142 sysfs 157 kexec 172 udev 172 xdm 182 apache2 195 bootmisc 232 named 297 dmcrypt 736 net.lo This is on an OpenRC Gentoo system. There's very little duplicated code in the init scripts. You might well complain that many these init scripts are substantially longer than the equivalent systemd unit files. Your complaint would be valid. Thing is, many of these init scripts do so much more than the equivalent systemd unit files. Ferinstance, the postgres and mysql unit files that I've seen permit no user configuration (like, such as, altering daemon listen port, config file location, and the like). [0] They also don't do any sort of housekeeping such as verification of the validity of the service's configuration file, checking and repairing mode and ownership of the same, and verifying the existence of the service's data directory. I understand that OpenRC wasn't being considered for Debian Jessie, but it does a lot of things right, and is (IMO) head-and-shoulders above SysV init. (But then, isn't even bringing up SysV init kind of beating on a dead horse? We all agree that it really needs improvement.) If you're interested, Gentoo's apache2 init script is here: http://pastebin.ca/2845519 http://pastebin.ca/2845519 . For reference, the apache2 systemd service file is here: http://sources.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/gentoo-x86/www-servers/apache/files/apache2.2.service?revision=1.1&view=markup http://sources.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/gentoo-x86/www-... . For a look at a simpler init script, check out the script for dnsmasq: http://pastebin.ca/2845520 http://pastebin.ca/2845520 . Looks pretty simple, no? At least as simple as the systemd service files we've been seeing, yes? The config file for dnsmasq is a single line: DNSMASQ_OPTS="--user=dnsmasq --group=dnsmasq" . OpenRC provides complexity when you need it, and gets out of your way when you don't. [0] I don't have systemd installed, so I might be missing the user configuration facilities. If they exist, and the configuration files have any appreciable complexity, then their line count must be counted against the unit file's line length.