The Ubuntu Experiment

[Steve Lamb]

Derek Broughton wrote:
> That's still merely a matter of time, and you're naive to think otherwise. 
> The "fixed" portions of an OS are to all purposes, unimportant.  Even on
> Windows you can restore those simply.  It's the user data that matters.  

    Except there is no separation of user from system data.  Restore the
system and you lose the ability to run pretty much any program the user has.
Reinstalling does not mean going back to where you were since they lose all
settings; including little things like the location of custom save files.
Most times its easier and faster to just start from scratch.

    Conversely if the user data appears safe and you just reinstall the OS
since there's no separation you cannot be assured that your OS will remain
safe.  Sure, as a practical matter we neo-luddites who have the gumption to
stick with Linux can be 95% sure that nothing's going to happen as long as we
don't do x, y or z with the user data before doing a, b, and c to check it.
However, without the complete separation that is present on every other modern
OS is widespread use on the planet we cannot be 100% sure.

    So no, there is no restoring it simply.  No, it isn't just user data that
matters.  User data without a system to access and manipulate it is worthless.
 System data which, when replaced, makes user data worthless is also
worthless.  The fact some of the above items are from personal experience
found out through *UPGRADING* should stress how intertwide and clusterfucked
it all is.  :P

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