Memo to Ubuntu Devs: Make Separate Home Default

Twice a year, when it comes time to upgrade to the newest Ubuntu release, I’m reminded of how nice it is to have my /home directories on separate partitions from the system directories–except when they’re not, because I chose the default Ubuntu partitioning scheme instead of configuring it manually. Indeed, life would be much simpler if the Ubuntu installer gave /home a dedicated partition automatically. Here’s why.

One of the nicest features of modern Linux is its strict separation of user data from system files, which makes it easy to upgrade the operating system to a newer version without losing personal files and settings. By keeping /home on a dedicated partition, upgrading is trivially simple–users need only to run the Ubuntu installer, configure partitions manually so that / is wiped out while /home is not, and then boot into the new system without having to reconfigure any personal settings. Even the desktop wallpaper is left untouched.

Read more at Works With U