Does that mean systemd is the ideal replacement? No. Systemd has these
overreaching tendrils in places it's got no business sticking tendrils.
Why does it have its own ntp daemon? Why does it implement file system
automount behavior? These things already exist as userspace processes.
Mature, trusted userspace processes, sometimes with multiple competing
alternatives already.
But then on the other hand, what else would you use instead of systemd?
Nobody has proposed a superior alternative yet, that I've seen.
So, IMHO, the best thing to do is to use systemd, but don't use any of
its optional intrusive tendrils. Other people have other opinions, and
that's awesome. A healthy, vigorous competitive environment benefits
all of us.