> It has nothing to do with desktop or server software.
But it has to do with desktop/server deployments. Embedded systems with
a fixed set of hardware can often still be built with all the drivers
built-in, a fixed /dev containing the correct nodes, and no need for
early userspace or udev or probably most of the daemons you had in mind.
There is plenty that can be done with a bare kernel and a minimal
userpsace to push config. into it, just not in the desktop space.