Is it a good idea to move my home directory to a separate drive when distro hopping?
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TechQuest45
I'm itching to switch distros after seven months, and I'm considering installing my /home directory on my SSD instead of my NVMe drive. I want to know what kind of complications this could bring, especially when I switch distros in the future. It would be awesome to have all my personal folders—like downloads, pictures, and music—ready to go on a fresh install. But I'm concerned that keeping the .var directory with config files from an old install might create issues. Would the configs just be irrelevant when I switch distros? Or should I just manually move my personal data folders to the SSD and set them up after installing? What are your thoughts?
Answers
Honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here. It really depends on how you like to manage things. For example, I have a Debian and a Mint install on separate drives, and I keep most of my work in the Mint home directory. I just mount that drive when I need it in Debian and go to town. I regularly back up both home directories using rsync, and it’s worked out fine for me. Just remember that mixing configs between different distros or software versions can cause hiccups, so that’s something to think about!
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TechQuest45: Good point! I might write a script to link my personal directories instead of putting /home on a separate drive. Thanks for the sanity check!