Yes, here's the announcement: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2014/05/msg00...
This is the blog of the person who did it, which features detailed development logs: https://teythoon.cryptobitch.de/
I started to think: if dmd was revived in 2013, how could Debian/Hurd have started the effort to switch away from it in the same year?
This post talks of Debian/Hurd having "relied on its own init and rc system": http://osdir.com/ml/general/2014-01/msg61628.html
Yes, here's the announcement: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2014/05/msg00...
This is the blog of the person who did it, which features detailed development logs: https://teythoon.cryptobitch.de/