I’d say it’s best to only buy routing devices supporting openwrt. Some Ubiquity devices seem compatible, so maybe you are in luck. In my opinion it’s just best to stay away from preinstalled commercial software and just install Linux. You get away from the whole process of enshitification, gain long term support and an incredible set of features commercial software will never provide (at a reasonable price) imho.

Could you explain why you wouldn’t use it?

I’ve been using it for a couple of years and am happy with it, it grants an extra layer of security I think, if you can wipe the device when lost/stolen. Also very handy if you misplaced the phone and its set to not ring, as with this it will ring at full volume. You don’t need to use their server for the app to function, if that is your concern. I use a secondary device from my household. You can send a text message to your phone to let it ring even when its set to silent mode/get its location/or even wipe it remotely.

Ok, yeah, you’ve got a point I think. But one could argue if microg is enabled by default, at least some info might leak to google as their push servers are contacted and a device id is created (even if the data is anonymized to some extend.). (Depending on if these settings are enabled by default in microg which I am not sure of).

Here’s some info from the divestOS faq (cmp.: https://divestos.org/pages/faq):

"Anything important I should know about microG?¶

The 'Google device registration' and 'Google SafetyNet' options WILL make microG connect to Google servers.
The 'Cloud Messaging' option WILL make microG maintain a persistent connection to Google servers.
The 'Cloud Messaging' option does NOT require a Google account.
The 'Google SafetyNet' option WILL download and execute proprietary obfuscated code from Google and is strongly NOT recommended.
While microG itself is open source, any apps talking to it will do so using the proprietary Google Play Services library."

It goes on to provide some guidelines if you want to use microg:

How should I configure microG?¶

"Depending on the apps you want to use there are a few different ways you can use microG.

Some apps don't need microG but check that they were installed via Play, in this case you only need microG Companion/FakeStore and to install the app via `Aurora Store` (via session installer) or `Obtainium`. This mechanism only works on 18.1+ currently, adb workaround still necessary on older versions.
Some apps will work with microG simply installed without any Google connections, in this case it is strongly recommended to revoke Network permission from the microG app.
Some apps need push notifications via Google, for them you must let microG maintain a persistent identifiable connection to Google. Enable 'Google device registration' and 'Cloud Messaging' in microG.
Some apps require a captcha to be performed by the user, for them you can enable the 'Google SafetyNet' option.
Some apps require SafetyNet to work, while the option to enable it currently exists it will not work in the unprivileged mode that DivestOS uses and will be removed in a future update."

So depending on your thread model, you still would want to disable some of the options in microg to have absolutely no leakage of data to google. For example I am not comfortable any more with using push notifications since it was revealed that state actors use this info to tail users communications.

Here is a thorough analysis of /os’s security and privacy.

https://www.kuketz-blog.de/e-datenschutzfreundlich-bedeutet-nicht-zwangslaeufig-sicher-custom-roms-teil6/

Tldnr: it’s alright but but grapheme, divestos or calyxos should be preferred if those are available on your device.

Problematic seems the unique device id /e os generates and sends on every update and also security updates for the integrated webview browser have been severely out of date in the past.

You don’t really need the sever at all if you have another phone in your family that can send a text message. Now that I think of it it might not be a bad idea to set up a sever as backup. But the public sever from the developer should be fairly safe to use as well…

Another option would be to install an im server that is low on resources and not eating your sdcard. I think xmpp would work a lot better on a pi. Prosody, ejabberd or snikket should work nicely.

I always loved the Song of Ice and Fire books by George Martin, be aware that the series is not finished, though. I am a big fan of Stephen King as well, he writes great characters. It, Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Tower… Thuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is very emotional, I could not even finish it. Deadhouse Gates by Stephen Erikson. The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb just to name a few…

I am into emotional storytelling as well, I think what gets you involved most are well drawn characters.

I would recommend planescape torment for an epic adventure full of stories, characters and heartbreak.

Really good stories/characters are few and far between in computer games but “The longest journey” comes to mind and even the first Witcher game.

Unavowed comes to mind as well as a rather affecting story.

And a couple of dozen books, but that’s not what you asked for…

They look great! Is there a already an Autoeq profile that headset?

No, but openwrt seems to be available for some of their models if that is your question.

I think it’s best to only buy routers supporting openwrt in the first place and switch firmware to openwrt asap. Openwrt or Opnsense or anything open source and well maintained will guarantee security updates years and years beyond the original manufactures firmware.

Sounds kind of cool. Does is support Rockbox, yet?

Ditto.

There is no need fire up a dedicated machine to do this. Use your router/ap running openwrt and connect a hdd via usb. The machine needs at least 128 Mb RAM (256 mb would be better). Install the transmission package, set it up, add a gig of swap space on the hdd and you are good to go. The AP runs 24/7 anyways so there will be very few extra power consumption. Vpns often don’t allow port forwarding (mullvad has stopped support recently if I remember correctly). You can just be a passive node and not often ports, that should work good enough. Consider seeding parts of sci-hub. it’s a project worth supporting imho.

You can just download once of the parts below with less than 12 seeds and set it to host without ratio:

https://phillm.net/torrent-health-frontend/stats-filtered-table.php?propname[]=seeders&comp[]=<&value[]=12&propname[]=type&comp[]===&value[]=scimag

Maybe try the searxng matrix support chat, I think there might be a few developers around that could point you in right direction:

https://matrix.to/#/#searxng:matrix.org

They also have a Mirc support channel is that is more your cup of tea.

I had this problem around ten years ago where I wanted to be able to disable the esp (which prevents powerslides) in my VW Caddy. I found a hardware/software kit on aliexpress that went for around 30$. Maybe have a look there, I don’t know how new your car is and what model it is, but if somebody made an aftermarket kit for your car, there might be a cheap copy of that available from china.

Mine worked fine, I could disable the annoying option where the car always gives 3 consecutive turning signals, no matter how short you move the lever. Also daytime lights could be enabled, and whatnot.

Turning off the esp was not even an option with this board computer unfortunately so I had to interrupt the power line of a sensor with a switch to archive that, which I found out on an obscure German forum thread years later…

Is there a website that lists extensions you might need to install in winetricks for any given game?

I feel it would help a lot to have a source like that at hand…

Maybe, but a wouldn’t it be way better to rely on a service every cellphone can receive by default, namely cell broadcast?

They even implemented this in Germany a few years ago after it has been available for twenty odd years.

I would try to find something a bit newer. Core 2 Duos are really power hungry. Find one with an i5 processor and a T at the end of the number, like i5 3450T or something. This will be a little less performant but run at 30 watt max compared to the core 2 duos 150 watt. Fujitsu esprimo are also a good cheap option and both lenovo and Fujitsu offer rather tiny pcs that work excellent for severs.

Disco elysium is considered one of the best crpgs ever made. Be aware though, it’s devoid of combat and more in the vain of planescape torment (another great crpg that is focused on telling a story first and foremost). Disco Elysium should be worth 15 euro on its own in my opinion.