It is a question I’ve spent a lot of time trying to work out. Can’t speak to docker.

Some of the specifics of Keeps and Dontkeeps depend on details of your system. You have to find out where the distro, DM and other apps keep the following:

Dontkeeps:

• trashes
• temp files
• file indexes … IMHO these dont backup properly if you leave them in and will prevent you from completing the task
• device files

Keeps:

• list of installed packages — explicit and deps separate if possible
• config files: /etc, ~/.config, ~/.* on a case by case basis… I say remove the obvious large temp dirs and keep the rest by default for simplicity
  • for the system configs I’ve had a tool called etckeeper running for a while because it was highly recommended but I’ve never actually restored from it…
• personal documents and other files such as typically kept in the home directory
• /root occasionally has something you need

Ways to investigate:

• use a disk usage utility to find out where your storage is being used up … It’ll help you find large Dontkeeps
• watch for recently modified files
• dirs and files that are modified all the time are usually temp dirs. But sometimes they have something useful like your firefox profile.

Most backup solutions are ONE of the following:

1. User files
2. System files

Don’t spend too much time crying about needing two solutions. Just make your backup today and reach perfection later.

Remember: sync isn’t backup. Test your backup if you can (but its not as easy as it sounds). Off site your most precious files.

I have also been confounded by the situation.

It is even worse when you are on the secondary market. The company’s product pages are broken. Trying to compare across different release years is way harder.

I assumed the reason for this had to do with the production systems and supply chains. They can get a certain number of x parts at y price from a factory located in a given location. You get enough parts in proximity to each other and you make it a model.

Its one thing for a small company to have enough components to have only a few models but with the volume dell or HP moves, they would need to really invest in suppliers or actually make the components themselves.

I dont imagine the marketing people have come up with all the options, they’re just the ones who have to try to sell want they’re given.