At least have a dedicated /home partition. This way if you want to upgrade the OS, change distribution, heck even migrate to a totally different OS your actual data is safe. Also if you need to do a backup, "just" backup /home which is probably going to be significantly faster and convenient than the entire OS. It also avoid using e.g dd and get a rather opaque file.
TL;DR: yes /home keeps your data safe
What's the benefit of dd-ing a home partition over rsync-a-ing a home directory's contents?
Well it'd result in a single file which if you have to copy on a microSD or USD stick might be easier. To also counter my own argument the result of dd can be mounted thus getting a rather useful directory quickly
But anyway my point was rather the opposite, that indeed in most cases rsync, rdiff-backup, even scp (whatever one is most familiar with) to a local NAS, remote server, etc is usually better, at least more understandable for somebody who isn't used to the process.
You cannot forget some rsync flag and lose part of metadata about files.
At least have a dedicated /home partition. This way if you want to upgrade the OS, change distribution, heck even migrate to a totally different OS your actual data is safe. Also if you need to do a backup, "just" backup /home which is probably going to be significantly faster and convenient than the entire OS. It also avoid using e.g
ddand get a rather opaque file.TL;DR: yes /home keeps your data safe
What's the benefit of dd-ing a home partition over rsync-a-ing a home directory's contents?
Well it'd result in a single file which if you have to copy on a microSD or USD stick might be easier. To also counter my own argument the result of
ddcan be mounted thus getting a rather useful directory quicklyBut anyway my point was rather the opposite, that indeed in most cases
rsync,rdiff-backup, evenscp(whatever one is most familiar with) to a local NAS, remote server, etc is usually better, at least more understandable for somebody who isn't used to the process.You cannot forget some rsync flag and lose part of metadata about files.