Couple dumb questions about manual transmission

When i park my car and switch the engine off I have a habit of leaving the gearbox in neutral but I have seen other people leave it in 1st gear. When you start the engine, does it make any difference to the longevity of the transmission whether you are in neutral or in 1st with the clutch depressed? Many thanks.

I wouldn't imagine it to do any harm on the transmission, the only thing that it could possibly effect would probably be wear on the clutch, but I doubt it would have little effect on it at that.

people do that so that if the e-brake fails, that the car won't roll away as fast because the engine will be slowing it down. the worst thing about it is you might accidentally try to start your car in gear (thats why people who drove before shifter interlocks were invented tend not to leave the car in gear).

My car doesn't start in gear, and it's a manual. If I leave the car in gear, it doesn't start unless the clutch is pressed in. Plus my car is an older car, a 91 CRX, so I would imagine that all the new cars would have this feature

ya, most cars made after the early 80's won't start in gear.

people do that so that if the e-brake fails, that the car won't roll away as fast because the engine will be slowing it down.

The engine pretty much won't let the car move at all.

ya, really, try getting the car up to 5mph then puching the clutch in to the floor shut the car off and, in 1st, drop the clutch, wheels will lock more than likely. lets say it it takes 30ft/lbs to turn your engine over. if, in first gear, the ratio is 3:1 and yo uahve a rear differential of 3:1 the final is 6 turns of the engine for every 1 turn of the wheels. so in order for the wheels to turn the engine they have to supply 180ft/lbs of torque. and 30ft/lbs if very VERY conservative. thats what it takes to turn say a 5hp briggs with a 5:1 compression. even a 4cyl will take as much as or more then 150ft/lbs to turn once any piston reaches TDC. thats 900 ft/lbs