I find systemd a great deal easier to deal with than sysvint/upstart.
I made a systemd unit file the other day for a local service and it
took me about 30 seconds. A sysvinit file would have taken copying a
bunch of biolerplate and would have taken a good deal longer.
Does systemd have bugs or issues? sure.
Does it sometimes expand into areas that perhaps it shouldn't? sure.
Is it an improvement over upstart/sysvinit? I would say absolutely so.
kevin