OK, I have no words for this: https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/6237

If your username doesn't match what Poettering expects usernames to be (and doesn't seem to be documented anywhere, but `[a-zA-Z]+` is *probably* safe?), then systemd will happily run your user services as root.

Reply: not-a-bug, don't use “invalid usernames”...

Paging @KitRedgrave, @mwlucas and @phessler for hilarity.

@kellerfuchs @KitRedgrave@socially.constructed.space @mwlucas @phessler how would you recommend users avoid systemd? Switch to Devuan and be using even older software than Debian? Give up on GNU/Linux entirely and buy a Mac? Or should we just continue to watch in horror?

@fallerOfFalls Debian supports sysvinit perfectly fine ;)

Otherwise, there are a bunch of systemd-free distros (though I'm kinda suspicious of the ones whose only defining feature is “no systemd”), and there are also non-Linux alternatives!
(Most of my personal stuff runs FreeBSD, and I used to use OpenBSD a lot too)

@kellerfuchs thanks!
Huh, if Debian still fully supports sysvinit (and I can use e.g. Gnome as DE) then why does Devuan even exist?

I'm not what you'd call an advanced Linux user. For every non-mainstream choice, there is more complexity and bugs, and less support. Though I may gaze wistfully at it, BSD is even less mainstream than Linux and therefore not a good choice for me.