systemd-homed coming to a Linux near you soon.

[dos2unix]

The article below is from a Fedora website, bit I know at least 12 distro's are leaning towards doing this. I don't know how I feel about this yet.
There are are some pros, but some cons as well.

Unlocking the Future of User Management - Fedora Magazine

As Fedora continues to lead the way in Linux innovation, the integration of systemd-homed marks a significant step toward modernizing user management.

fedoramagazine.org

What is systemd-homed?​

At its core, systemd-homed is a component of the systemd suite that focuses on user home directory management. Traditional Linux systems treat user accounts and their associated data in a fairly static way with home directories typically stored in /home. In contrast, systemd-homed abstracts home directory management into a more dynamic and portable system.

systemd-homed allows user home directory storage in various formats and locations—whether on local disks, networked storage, or even in containers. This flexibility opens up new possibilities for user data management and enhances the user experience significantly.

Key Features and Benefits​

1. Portable Home Directories​

One of the standout features of systemd-homed is the ability to create portable home directories. Users can easily move their home directories across different machines without losing any settings or data. This is especially beneficial for those who frequently switch between Workstations or Atomic desktops.

2. Secure and Encrypted by Default​

Security is paramount in today’s digital age. Encryption is an integral part of the user home directory in systemd-homed. Each home directory can be encrypted using LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup). This ensures that sensitive data remains protected, regardless of where it resides.

3. Easier User Management​

System administrators will appreciate the simplified user management that comes with systemd-homed. The homectl command allows easy creation, modification, and deletion of user accounts. Administrative tasks are streamlined and the complexity often associated with traditional user management methods is reduced.

4. Dynamic User Sessions​

systemd-homed introduces a new way to handle user sessions. With dynamic user sessions, the system can create a tailored environment based on the user’s specific needs and configurations. This adaptability ensures that users always have a consistent and optimized experience, regardless of the machine they log into.

 

[KGIII]

Historically, well fairly 'recent' history that is, I've used distros that have systemd in them.

The best way to describe my view of the various bits is, "I don't mind." There are even some bits that I'd say, "I like that." So, I'm somewhere between indifferent and a fan.

So, I'll practice my usual process which is, "I'll wait and see - and be optimistic."

 

[Condobloke]

That is a fascinating article. I will follow that with great interest.

The security aspect, in particular, has my attention

 

[Trenix25]

I'm fine with what I already use. I'll stick with that. I don't think I'll be letting the system manage that stuff for me. I prefer to do my own job myself.

Signed,

Matthew Campbell

 

[Fanboi]

My initial reaction: "Now I really am switching to Devuan" because this'll trickle into Arch, then Debian... That said I have to admit, I don't completely hate systemd. It does have a few good points but they're double-edged. I didn't jump ship in the end, largely because I thought Devuan would fail to get a large enough community. And I'm glad I didn't bail because all the horror I expected was a minor learning curve and a slower shutdown time (most people only talk about startup, well systemd can hang you for ages shutting down waiting for a job to finish -- well, register that it's finished -- but that's not all bad if it, say a sync being resolved).

As for home being "managed", thanks but no thanks. I'm also in the "it's my home" camp. That's one thing I don't need. I have .local set up to be a system unto itself. I have cloud backup (Megasync -- the cheapest) and that's for all machines. Each machine has its own structure under a parent for settings, AppImages, etc. Shared data, like screen shots are synced across machines, as is Workspace (and the subdir Jobspace/<my-current-employer> is the only part synced with my work machine). And I like it that way.

So long as homed can be disabled or it minds its own business, then we're good. If not, well, there's Devuan (I may even explore the Void again). It's only gonna trickle down to Debian about 4 years from now by my guess, as adoption of new things is slow our side. So I got plenty of time to not worry.

 

[MikeWalsh]

All I can say is "Thank God Puppy doesn't bother with systemd".....and leave it at that. The damn thing would spend all its time nagging us for being daft enough to "run-as-root"....and segué into "encouraging" us to move to a (heavily-infested) mainstream distro where systemd has FULL control of everything.

Uh-uh. No thanks. I definitely don't need my OS telling me what I CAN and can't do..... Mind you, I think the way I do things with my Pups would give the thing the screaming heebie-jeebies and push it into dying of apoplexy and a massive heart-attack! THAT might be fun to watch, y'know? Software meltdown...... Yeah!


Mike.

 

[Condobloke]

Just to 'hang a tangent'....I downloaded a Fedora 'spin'.....nothing too out there.....Fedora Cinnamon live

Made it bootable on usb....booted to it.

First on the screen

An error

Related to

homed

did i take screenshots....No

The presence of an immediate error was enough

 

[Aristarchus]

systemd-tmpfiles tool can delete good portion of home directory. I wonder what systemd-homed can do.

I don't think that systemd-homed provides anything interesting/innovative for home user but for corporate environment this may be a different story. Ad 1, ad 3, ad4.
Security (ad2) ? I doubt it

 

[MikeWalsh]

Reading the Fedora blog about this, I love the way they're going on about this stuff as though it's summat NEW, and "special"! The stuff about making the /home directory 'portable', so it can be 'shared' between machines is 'old hat' so far as I'm concerned.......I've been doing similar stuff to this with my Puppies for years.

People love pooh-poohing Puppy as though it's little better than a toy.....when all along, it's one of the Linux world's least-explored and truly "hidden" gems. The stuff we do, and the tricks we get up to with Puppy would blow many people's minds.....

Nothing to see here. Moving on.....!


Mike.

 

[kc1di]

I use systemd on most of my installs, simply because I'm too lazy now a days to do the work myself
Debian uses systemd - It has it good points and bad. But works out of the box for me.
It must be remembered though that Redhad/Fedora were the original pushers of systemd and the developer that created it worked for them. What was surprising to many of us was how fast it was adopted by different distros.
I think that systemd is getting invasive. I don't really see a need for it to control my home directory. and If debian or others start using it I'll find a distro that does not. Maybe puppy Mike