it does feel ambiguous though as even what you outlined misses a 4th case. if null means delete, how do I update it to set the field to null?

it’s not about using all 100 IP addresses for every atom

it’s about having large enough ranges to allocate them in ways that make sense instead of arbitrarily allocating them by availability

It depends on the package really. Sometimes you’re better off without the fixes that occurred in the last 2 years if it means avoiding the new bugs in the last 2 years.

IMO the more you try to stick to the latest releases, the more important it is to continue to stay updated. but every upgrade is a chance for new bugs or just breaking changes, so for new users starting with a stable distro is a good choice.

… except for browsers, where you both need the newest features but REALLY need the newest fixes.

In the US that is not legal per the GINA act. Note that that is specific to health insurance. Life insurance can legally use that data. And laws can be broken often with less penalty than the profit made from violating them. And data can be retained much longer than laws exist so the GINA act could be repealed or updated at some point allowing companies to legally use the data already acquired.