Right now, the installed Home Assistant package for Raspberry Pi requires downloading dependencies etc after it is installed. Which is not a convenient way of arranging the install. It should be able to be up and running after the image is written to the sd card, since an internet connection may not always be available.
Reason for this request:
I needed to reinstall but my internet-connection was down for almost 2 full and it would last for an additional 2. I could not re-install Home Assistant, because it needs an internet connection right after installing. Since it is running automation and security it is a vital piece that needs to be up and running asap in case of an issue.
Due to the power-outage and lack of internet the system was running 2 days behind with the time way off, so evening lights would switch on during the day etc. Snapshot reinstallation was not possible due to the corrupt Home Assistant files).
I think the installer downloading the current version simplifies the release process so a new image release is not needed for every major or patch release of HA.
The developers are likely busy with work of higher value to a larger majority of users.
Being that HA OS is utilizing over half a dozen different containers, all of which are being continually updated, it would be a constant task to provide an up to date image, something that is highly unlikely to happen.
I would suggest using an SSD as that is far less likely to get corrupted by a power outage. The lack or RTC as already mentioned is going to cause problems either way.