I had similar experiences few years ago as well. I realized (after the fact though) that patience has its own rewards. The next time something similar happened i.e. either data corruption (which grub and others come into), and borked/broken package update. In both the cases I asked around foras, pored over web-pages and had 4-5 different solutions to the problem. With Debian, it always pays to be like calm water instead of being turbulent water.

Backups though important are tedious and only helpful if something goes wrong. If you are going to make a habit of it, then go for incremental backup solutions.

shirishag75 at 2017-04-28T01:03:01Z

I received this comment by mail, from "Pablo":

> Your latest post Underestimating Debian made me think because I also run a lot of old hardware

> with Debian and I have backups but they are not very well organized.

> My recipe to cope with the dangers of probable failures of old hardware

> is **more old hardware**! :) I recently could take an old desktop

> computer from work, installed Debian on it and it is pretty fast. So

> besides my 7 year old 10" netbook I have now another "production" machine

> ready. A loss of my netbook would still be painful but I now know I

> could continue. I use "Unison" to synchronize my important files between

> the two machines and it works bidirectional. Another option is to use

> embedded arm devices for backups and as a spare machine if everything

> breaks...

Laura Arjona Reina at 2017-04-29T10:27:27Z

der.hans likes this.

7 years old is "old"?

not acceptable

almost everything here is that old or older

I fear "updates" because more often than not they break things and sometimes the breakage is even fatal (as in the hardware becomes unusable - but not a problem unique to any one os though as far as I can see though)

I refuse to buy new hardware until such time as there is safe, blob free hardware available locally -

meaning safe payment methods are possible - as in no giving away of bank credentials to strangers or need to enter them using unsafe web browsers (ie spyware)

I would need to be sure

.. I'm not going to take risks with money!

and given that my router gets attacked merely for typing a post saying a bit of common sense about user education about default settings in routers and other small devices as a more sensible approach than that clearly corrupt fidoalliance misinformation campaign - that is yet more evidince that I am right to be suspicious of it.

and that happened while typing - as in before anything was posted so that is why I suspect those web browsers to be spyware.

and that is not the first evidence seen .. I will not buy from any company who's logos appear in that misinformtion campaign and I suggest everyone also avoid giving any of them any money.

Michael at 2017-04-30T01:22:10Z