Rainus – ???? ??? for your information. I had stopped writing here earlier after another poster put words in my mouth and did other inappropriate things that according to the ???? in ???? ???? are the characteristics of a ????. In such a case, as Chazal say, ???? ??:? is invoked. Nevertheless, there may be an inyan to respond anyway at times, in case some readers may be confused.
Re preservation of minhogim – No place had all the minhogim exactly but some places had them preserved better than others. Just like if you go into different Shuls and botei medrash today you will see that some have things more in order than others. In some places there is a Rav, Shamas, tzibbur, baalei batim, that are makpid on things, in other places they take a more lackadaisical attitude. The same thing in the past.