Debian TC vote on init system coupling

I think this is a conspiracy theory. Linus is trying to make Linux the best operating system it can be. Linus does not "fight for the ability of the user to choose to move away from Linux". Linus does not work on BSD, Solaris, OS X, or Windows, simply so Linux users can have alternatives to Linux. These exist because other people actively prefer them to Linux, to the point where it is worthwhile for them to go to the trouble of keeping them around. If Microsoft suddenly decided to base future versions of Windows on the Linux kernel, Linus would for sure not try to convince them otherwise just to keep Linux users' options open.

And exactly how does Lennart, by doing for systemd exactly what Linus does for Linux, namely trying to make it the best init system for Linux it can be, take away your option to stick with System V init, inetd, cron, syslogd, etc. for as long as you like, if you actively prefer them? How are distribution makers coerced to jump onto the systemd bandwagon against their better judgment? How are developers of background services forcibly brainwashed into believing that systemd's features may make their software simpler, more secure, and more efficient? Isn't systemd just as much of an open-source program as the Linux kernel, such that people can decide at some point that Lennart has gone off his rocker and they don't trust him any more, and take further development into their own hands?

It's not the fault of Lennart and his colleagues (other than by doing good work on systemd) if systemd is so convincing that most mainstream Linux distributions have decided they want to make it their default init system. If anything it is SysV init etc.'s fault for sucking so much in comparison that many people (and especially people in charge of distributions, who are the ones who matter most in this game) believe systemd is the better long-term option. Lennart does not have magical powers to make everybody bend to his will; if systemd is becoming the new standard it is on its technical merits and not through conspiracy. The Debian TC vote only emphasises this.