Even systems that use text logs, compress logs using logrotate and you have to uncompress before you can read them. Also since the compressed tar.gz logs are a bunch of separate files, if you don’t have an exact date of what you’re looking for, you have to uncompress and search through all of them. I much prefer just using journalctl
But then you aren’t just using a text editor anymore. If you’re willing to use programs like zless and zgrep, then you can just as easily use journalctl. And I’ve never lost a logfile before, over many years, so not to discredit your experience but at least in my experience journald has been an upgrade
What systemd binary is the worst offender, in your opinion?
Logind. Right after udev.
Not sure what’s annoying about logind, but udev was introduced eight years before systemd was a thing.
It’s not the binary. It’s that the logs it writes are in binary so can’t be read without a program.
Even systems that use text logs, compress logs using logrotate and you have to uncompress before you can read them. Also since the compressed tar.gz logs are a bunch of separate files, if you don’t have an exact date of what you’re looking for, you have to uncompress and search through all of them. I much prefer just using journalctl
I mean… zless and zgrep have been a thing since forever ago. And some distros ship with lessopen(?) preinstalled, so it’s seemless.
There are only so many times I’m willing to put up with lost logfile due to a crash. Logrotate wouldn’t do this.
You can read systemd logs with
stringsprogram (part of binutils). Even if the file itself corrupted due to a crash.But then you aren’t just using a text editor anymore. If you’re willing to use programs like zless and zgrep, then you can just as easily use journalctl. And I’ve never lost a logfile before, over many years, so not to discredit your experience but at least in my experience journald has been an upgrade
Why would I ever use a text editor? I think our approaches to viewing logs are fundamentally different.
Well the original comment I responded to said
Of course, a text editor is also a “program”, but I assumed they were saying they preferred plain text logs.
If you aren’t agreeing with them then you need to state your position more clearly when you hop in.
You can’t read a text file without a program either.