Dynamic local routing

[jjoubert]

A couple of threads recommend the use of http://alm.za.net/ip/localroutes4.txt as input to setting up routing for local traffic.

(References:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=71477
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=81315
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=64649
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=131928)

I am using this at the moment, and although it seems to be working fine (mostly), I have a couple of questions:

1. Sometimes localroutes4.txt is an empty file. I see there is also a localroutes5.txt in the same directory (http://alm.za.net/ip/localroutes5.txt), which is also zero bytes sometimes. What is the policy on the update of these files? Are they any different?

2. More specifically on the routes being added by these scripts.. I might be misunderstanding the finer details, but take for example these 3 routes in the script:

route add -net 196.14.0.0/16 $LOCAL
route add -net 196.14.8.0/24 $LOCAL
route add -net 196.14.118.0/24 $LOCAL

Does the first one not basically override the second two?
I understand that they differ in network / host portions because of the mask, but does this make a difference when I'm using these routes for the purpose of local internet routing only? In other words, if I'm accessing an IP like 196.14.8.55 (hypothetically speaking..), there is no concept of a mask, so which of these two routes will then apply?

route add -net 196.14.0.0/16 $LOCAL
route add -net 196.14.8.0/24 $LOCAL

I am basically hinting at reducing the number of routes being added for the purpose of splitting international and local bandwidth in a home internet access setup.