Systemd 259 is just around the corner, and the recently released RC1 gives us a clear look at what to expect in the final version of this Linux’s most widely used init system and service manager.

One of the most significant steps is the final deprecation of System V init script support. The SysV generators, rc-local generator, and sysv-install helpers are all marked for removal in the next 260 version, with maintainers urging distributions and software authors to provide native unit files.

A notable behavioral change appears in the default journal configuration. Systemd now defaults to persistent storage rather than switching automatically based on the presence of /var/log/journal.