Its the PC's luck that determines the die roll. my PC's just won't be quiet(xecpt for a couple) about their crappy die rolls and not letting them roll on the computer. the computer is an easy way to get high die rolls.
I say everything is important, but only use what you need. almost all of my players basically know some magic, I got the Complete Arcane and Tome and Blood manuals with all the other good stuff (PH, DMH, MM).
time tells
as the dm, i wish (sometimes) to speed up time. sometimes i only have a cuople days to play D&D, so instead of waiting 5 days for the repair of a handcart, just speed it up. i changed countless other things too.
If you really wanted to be a druid, cleric, and/or wizard you should put the 17 on WIS and 16 on INT. If you wanted to to close attacks, you'd be smart to put the 16 on strength.