Ubuntu 17.04: how to rename a USB network interface based on Path? (NOT based on MAC)

So I finally figured out myself what really is happening.

Alas, the problem I'm seeing that renaming USB-based network interfaces doesn't work is actually caused by the udev rule /lib/udev/rules.d/73-usb-net-by-mac.rules on Ubuntu/Debian (and thus also Raspbian). The culprit in it is here:

ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="net", SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", NAME=="", \
  ATTR{address}=="?[014589cd]:*", \
  TEST!="/etc/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules", \
  TEST!="/etc/systemd/network/99-default.link", \
    IMPORT{builtin}="net_id", NAME="$env{ID_NET_NAME_MAC}"

Notice how this specific rule checks for /etc/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules to be present; if it's not, then NAME will be set to a MAC48-based name, and the later default install rule /lib/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules will never get a chance to assign NAME. Now that's sad. Again.

In order to enable the ability to assign user-defined names to USB network interfaces, we need to have /etc/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules, as this is the rule set 73-usb-net-by-mac.rules checks against before assigning NAME.

This means that simply linking from /etc/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules to /lib/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules is needed in order to avoid that user-assigned network interface names get ignored any longer.

sudo ln -s /lib/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules

Reboot. Done.

Please note that a side-effect of the way 73-usb-net-by-mac.rules is set up, this causes all USB-based network interfaces to assume "old" naming eth0, et cetera, unless explicitly named in a .link file.

I don't know why the rules have been written as they are, as it would be fine to have MAC-based naming for all USB network adapters not explicitly named. On a second thought ... no, using MAC48-based names does not make any sense, unless you happen to label all your USB network dongles and constantly swap them around; but maybe the MAC-based names are used with docking stations, where it actually would make sense...?

As per this thread and especially this paragraph:

Custom net interface naming ... The name of the rules file needs to have a prefix smaller than "80" so that it runs before /lib/udev/rules.d/80-net-setup-link.rules, and should have a prefix bigger than "75" so that it runs after 75-net-description.rules and thus you can use matches on ID_VENDOR and similar properties. ...

I did create this file : /etc/udev/rules.d/76-netnames.rules

with this content

# USB device by path
# get ID_PATH if not present yet
ENV{ID_PATH}=="", IMPORT{builtin}="path_id"
SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ENV{ID_PATH}=="*-usb-0:1.*", NAME="eth%n"

it is working fine, without the workaround you provided.

I created this file in a debian preseed.cfg to set my target network configuration in a Debian fully automated installation.
Doing this on an Intel NUC, my internal NIC is now named eno1 by Debian 9.5 (stretch)