From: ldo@nz.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 17:29:27 -0800, Mike Easter wrote:   
      
   > Your 'original' install would be considerably more 'battered' by   
   > your usage and changes over the years.   
      
   There is usually a clear separation between code and data. The code   
   (and read-only data) comes from distro packages, and can be verified   
   against them at any time. User-writable data (documents, preferences   
   etc) is controlled by the user, and is typically the only part that   
   they need to fiddle with.   
      
   So there is no opportunity for the read-only components to get   
   “battered” in any way -- not without this being easily noticed.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)