Egregoros

A quick anti-FUD FAQ to debunk "the KDE is forcing systemd!" hoax—a thread 🧵

Q: Does the Plasma Login Manager require systemd to work?

A: Yes.

Q: So you ARE forcing Plasma users to use systemd!!?!?!

A: No. The Plasma Login Manager is one of probably half a dozen Login Managers (or more) that can boot Plasma. We made PLM because it will give distro creators a cool piece of kit that can (not "must", not "should": *can*) be tacked onto a system to boot into Plasma.

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Q: So I don't have to use PLM?

A: No! You can completely ignore PLM! Please be our guest and use any of the other non-systemd dependent LMs that will work and continue to work just fine, now and in the future.

Q: Is KDE planning on making *any* of Plasma's core components dependent on systemd?

A: No.

Q: So Plasma does not and will not require systemd to work now or in the future?

A: That is correct.

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@feld @gianmarcogg03

What do you mean by "real desktop experience"? What would constitute a "fake" one?

By the way, you can get the Plasma desktop experience by typing

startplasma-wayland

or

startplasma-x11

from the command line.

No login manager of any description required—except your fingers.

@feld @gianmarcogg03

Here is a presentation you may find interesting:

https://hosted-files.sched.co/osselcna2026/10/What%20Running%20FreeBSD%20on%20a%20Modern%20Laptop%20Taught%20Me.pptx.pdf

It is about the stuff that "just worked" for someone trying to use FreeBSD, an OS with no systemd in sight, as an end user. It is by Deb Goodkin, Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation.

Check out slide 9.