Linux

Windows user folders are nearly unusable in my opinion, too many programs throw in random folders and files everywhere. Especially the Documents folder, too many games putting incoherent stuff in there

I remember doing this in macOS, when I got my first SSD. I installed it and kept the os on the SSD and mapped my user directory to my hdd. It made upgrades and re-installs much easier, which was a plus because it was actually a hackintosh.

I'm pretty sure you can just mount a volume to C:\Users.

I definitely wouldn't recommend changing the userdir paths in the system. Many of the office computers I work with are set up that way and it's always a pain in the ass when an application expects the home path to be located on C:.

First of all you can check distrobox.it which can basically run Neon inside your distribution however you better set a different virtual home for neon in that case.

I would first tar the .steam to be on the safe side but steam is different, it is some kind of Ubuntu stable itself residing in that directory. Not a big time gamer but people laughed at Ubuntu for shipping its snap because of it.

Long story short I don't think steam would have issues. I meant not to expect KDE guys to revert upgraded preferences back to KDE5 etc. You know they do such things and blame Linux/KDE etc.

I've created a specific partition for steam games so I can use games across distro without reinstalling them. You can tell Steam to go look in your partition for your games

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.

I guess it depends on how you're running things... and you should have backups anyways.

My previous point was that once you get your data across multiple machines your life becomes way better and things are easier to deal with. Even your “server” dies you'll still have more real time copies of the data in your laptop, desktop etc. and eventually a long term offsite backup that gets updated from time to time. Having backups is important as real time sync won't save you from you deleting files by mistake.

A quick way to do things would be to have an SSD drive (so no noise) on the "server" for your real time sync and OS and a mechanical hard drive (usually spin down) that gets a copy of the data via rsync every day. Then you do a monthly or weekly backup of the data to a remote location ove the internet or some USB hard drive that you physically move to other site.

If you're using on an SBC you may run your OS on a SD card + 2.5" SSD drive for real time data + 3.5" for daily backup. And some other remote / offsite backup solution.

Why do you say you've to be rich in order to do that?

People usually go about and suggest partitioning their disks because they might require to reinstall the system and that way your home directory “will be safe” from whatever mess forced them into a reinstall. In reality this will just introduce unnecessary complexity and it is as likely to fail as single partition system. I would rather consider a BRTFS sub-volume for home with regular snapshots is way more interesting and manageable than just dumb partitions.

Ahahaha nice comment. I never said I didn't have backups, the thing is that once you get your data across multiple machines with something like Synching your life becomes way better and things are easier to deal with. Even if my "server" dies I still have three more real time copies of the data (or at least one actually real time and two others a bit behind because those machines aren't always turned on) and the "server" backups to another local drive a long term offsite backup that gets updated from time to time.

I’m not sure what your comment has to do with partitioning, though.

People usually go about and suggest partitioning their disks because they might require to reinstall the system and that way your home directory "will be safe" from whatever mess forced them into a reinstall. In reality this will just introduce unnecessary complexity and it is as likely to fail as single partition system. To be fair I would rather consider a BRTFS sub-volume for home with regular snapshots is way more interesting and manageable than just dumb partitions.