From that repo:
reply> Exact version pinning — specifying precise versions (1.0.0, ==1.0.0, =1.0.0, = 5.31.0) rather than ranges (^, ~>, >=) in package manifests. Ranges allow any version satisfying the constraint to be resolved at install time; exact pins mean only one version is ever valid.
My understanding is that pinning the dependency within the manifest isn't the mechanism that prevents the version from changing across installs -- it's the lockfile that accomplishes this.
In most cases yes, but really depends on which package manager and what command, if you use npm ci, it uses the package-lock.json values, if you use npm install, it can use any levels of freedom in the package.json. So if you lock package.json you remove that degree of freedom. But sometimes you do want to be able to "recreate the lock file" since it does fix a CVE. Just with a lockdown, you'll get the legitimate patch vs an accidental malicious takeover.
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