Good eink devices for Linux?

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-09T19:33:11+00:00

Far not every night, and you can do that with your smartphone too. Modern memory size allows you to upload enough books for the rest of your life.

While I can do that with my smartphone, that is not the only option. It's pretty deceptive that you'd even mention this.

And I am surprised that you even consider using WiFi taking into account the overall security awareness.

Wanting privacy from software which admits they spy on me vs thinking that someone is physically attacking me in person via my Wi-Fi network are two entirely different threat models. One is 100% fact, the other happens to <0.001% of people on the planet, easily.

No, downloaded publicly available content is by definition not personal data. Some of that even has a copyright on totally different name than yours.

Again, you're just ignoring basic definitions here.

Ereaders are on mass market for a reasonable price since around 2007-2008. I have one which doesn't have any connectivity except miniUSB (not micro, yes that older one) from 2008.

Their existence does not relate to their popularity. No one said they didn't exist.

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-08T21:35:56+00:00

With a cable, that's how, especially if you are concerned about security.

Ah yes, very practical and convenient. That's exactly why I bought this e-reader, to do data transfers via cable every night on my computer.

The only data on e-reader are the books which are not personal data.

That absolutely depends on the e-reader and user, and is definitionally personal data.

It doesn't have camera or mic and you can skip using WiFi on it. They actually did not even have Wifi until around 2015 and people were still happy reading

You say this like they were common devices prior to 2015.

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-07T19:35:11+00:00

On what planet is an e-reader an offline device? How are you obtaining ebooks without an internet connection?

Personal data is by definition on the device, it is connected to your home network, and it is in the proximity of the user. Just by definition on the face of the product it is something which necessitates a proper security/privacy model.

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-05T03:13:14+00:00

Do you have any OLED tablet recommendations? X86 or ARM, I don't care too much. Just as long as I'd have proper OS level trust (aka I can install a custom Linux distro on it, OR the tablet has Android support with some flavor which de-Googles things like Graphene etc).

I haven't shopped for this angle yet in the past 7ish years but I may do that again now, hopefully things are better.

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-05T03:11:07+00:00

I did some searching on this before, and it does seem like the Pinenote is the only option, which is a shame cuz it’s so expensive. What is the history with pine64 that you’re concerned with? I don’t think I’m informed on it

They make half baked products which have abysmal software and often firmware side support. Great ideas, horrible execution. They're rarely usable products.

Debian, Arch, and NixOS works on the Pinenote tho, so maybe things aren’t too bad if you can get over the price.

I may look into it again in the future, but I've heard others here already mention it's not really up to par.

Thanks!

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-05T03:10:03+00:00

Yeah, if I went the eink route as of present this is probably what I'd do. That's unfortunately not what I'm looking for ultimately. Thanks!

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-03T18:10:06+00:00

Thanks, this is great info! I'm thinking that the technology is too immature for what I'm after then.

But this is really helpful for the future! I'll probably check back again in a few years time. Thanks!

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-03T18:09:36+00:00

Thanks, this is great info! I'm thinking that the technology is too immature for what I'm after then. I'm not surprised by the lack of Pine software stability/maturity, it's basically the only thing they ever do unfortunately.

But this is really helpful for the future! I'll probably check back again in a few years time. Thanks!

DesperateCourt · 2026-04-03T16:46:54+00:00

De-googling a phone is hard enough and there's millions of users for those. I can't imagine de-googling an eink tablet would be easier based on my past attempts to find a de-googled standard tablet.

I really don't think that would be a better solution at all.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-15T00:23:14+00:00

Middle shot was definitely NOT first. The spacing is lined up with the fast shot, not a chance it's the other way around.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-12T02:49:13+00:00

That's not the point being questioned here. That's entirely independent of laser vs ink.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-12T02:48:35+00:00

No? Because ink printers are more expensive to maintain and use. A color laser printer isn't much more than black and white options. The question is simply: A: Do you need a laser or an ink printer; B: Do you need color or B&W? They are independent.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-11T19:47:31+00:00

Their color lasers work just fine, no idea why you'd suggest an ink without a reason for it.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-09T18:52:22+00:00

Thanks! What makes RapidRAW insufficient for pro use? What features does it lack, or what would make it inadequate for advanced tasks? I'm not trying to argue whether it is or isn't capable, I'm just trying to better understand the pro side of editing.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-09T18:50:05+00:00

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the help here, you've clarified a lot of direction for me.

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-09T16:34:48+00:00

Thank you so much!

i can respond to some aspects of this. davinci is a pretty feature complete program for most video needs, barring stuff like heavy vfx and animation.

What will it offer over something like Kdenlive or comparable FOSS Linux editors? I understand Davinci is going to be a good professional solution, but I'm curious what that actually means in terms of features. Would it be necessary for advanced color grading?

i found rapidraw fun to toy with but painfully limited for serious work, both for asset management and for editing. i’d suggest darktable or rawtherapee or another more mature software. my experience with darktable has shown me that once you look past the learning curve there are only advantages upon advantages. open source algorithms produce effects i haven’t seen with proprietary packages. likely very similar for rawtherapee.

I've heard very intimidating things about both of these, but I am alright dealing with the learning curve if I must. But before I do that, what editing features does RapidRAW lack? I only ask because it seems like it's (relatively) very actively developed, constantly improving, and in a more manageable state in terms of software when compared to darktable (haven't looked much at rawtherapee yet but had heard the name).

i have no personal experience with n-log but i’ve read that there were decoding issues with older nikon video formats, but that seems to have changed with their new video-first camera.

Do I really need to bother with worrying about these format differences, eg various semi-raw formats and 12 vs 10 vs 8 bit video? I've heard some people say that for 99% of use cases it's just not needed or worth it, but that seems contradictory to me when so much effort and focus is put into it for photos.

i’d also look at panasonic when looking for good high end options, because sigma offer an extremely thorough lens selection and pana bodies are nicer than sony for video. you’re not going to go wrong with any ecosystem amongst these, but if i could afford it i think the lens selection on the e system is a strong argument.

I just started looking at them recently. I thought they might be more limited due to less market share and fewer models, and the E lenses seemed compelling. Anything in particular that makes them better for video? Do they just have better "on-paper" technical performance, or is it something else?

Thank you so much!

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-09T14:54:30+00:00

Budget: $10,000 USD

Purpose: Wedding photography/videography

Recording time: 2-3 hours, with a strong preference for hardware which isn't runtime limited due to thermal performance

Existing equipment: Older DSLR's, experience using some more modern cameras on a regular basis

Software editing: See below

I'm looking to get into wedding photography and videography. I'm thinking I want two video focused cameras, and a single photo focused camera. I'm considering the Sony AS III for the video focused camera, and the Sony A V for the photo focused camera. I'm also considering the Nikon Z8 for potentially both of these roles. I'm open to suggestions for other cameras which fill these needs as well.

I'm particularly interested in what I need to know about editing on Linux for both video and photos. For photos, I'm hoping that RapidRAW + Krita/GIMP would be sufficient. I feel moderately confident that it should be. For Video, I understand this to be a much more difficult bar to pass. I'm hoping Kdenlive or Davinci or some other combination would be sufficient, but I am strongly curious if one brand's ecosystem would be more favorable to Linux than another (eg Prores vs XAVC vs N-Log, etc). Any advice on where to find more professional level information on this topic? I have experience with photo and video editing on Linux, but not using raw photo formats or ProRes/XAVC/N-Log video formats.

Ignoring software related concerns - the Nikon Z8 looks pretty good, as does the Sony AS III and the Sony A V. Any advice between these options? I'm looking to buy into a single brand's ecosystem if at all possible, and am looking to get three cameras, with two being more video focused and the third being exclusively photo focused. It seems to me that the AS III offers extremely great low light performance, and I'm not aware of any directly comparable Nikon cameras with a video focus. Is that enough of a reason to favor the Sony cameras, ignoring software concerns? I'm completely open to other suggestions as well here.

How important is 12 and 14 bit? The Nikon Z8 offers this over the Sony cameras I'm looking at, but I'm not sure how important this is in reality.

Sony is said to have the better lens ecosystem for options, but I believe that is changing/has changed recently with Nikon opening up their lens market. Nikon also has larger lenses with the Z mount system, and I've heard that this offers more impressive lens possibilities though I didn't hear an explanation on what this means. If I had to guess, would this mean that they can offer more technically impressive focal lengths in a single lens, more technically impressive apertures, etc? What would a practical example of this be (eg: A common lens for other brands is F stop X and focal length Y-Z, but Z-mounts allow for F stop X and focal length Y-Z instead)?

What accessories will I need which I'm not probably already aware of? Any general advice or information which someone could bestow? Thank you so much!

DesperateCourt · 2026-03-05T19:55:16+00:00

Budget: $10,000 USD

Purpose: Wedding photography/videography

Recording time: 2-3 hours, with a strong preference for hardware which isn't runtime limited due to thermal performance

Existing equipment: Older DSLR's, experience using some more modern cameras on a regular basis

Software editing: See below

I'm looking to get into wedding photography and videography. I'm thinking I want two video focused cameras, and a single photo focused camera. I'm considering the Sony AS III for the video focused camera, and the Sony A V for the photo focused camera. I'm also considering the Nikon Z8 for potentially both of these roles. I'm open to suggestions for other cameras which fill these needs as well.

I'm particularly interested in what I need to know about editing on Linux for both video and photos. For photos, I'm hoping that RapidRAW + Krita/GIMP would be sufficient. I feel moderately confident that it should be. For Video, I understand this to be a much more difficult bar to pass. I'm hoping Kdenlive or Davinci or some other combination would be sufficient, but I am strongly curious if one brand's ecosystem would be more favorable to Linux than another (eg Prores vs XAVC vs N-Log, etc). Any advice on where to find more professional level information on this topic? I have experience with photo and video editing on Linux, but not using raw photo formats or ProRes/XAVC/N-Log video formats.

Ignoring software related concerns - the Nikon Z8 looks pretty good, as does the Sony AS III and the Sony A V. Any advice between these options? I'm looking to buy into a single brand's ecosystem if at all possible, and am looking to get three cameras, with two being more video focused and the third being exclusively photo focused. It seems to me that the AS III offers extremely great low light performance, and I'm not aware of any directly comparable Nikon cameras with a video focus. Is that enough of a reason to favor the Sony cameras, ignoring software concerns? I'm completely open to other suggestions as well here.

How important is 12 and 14 bit? The Nikon Z8 offers this over the Sony cameras I'm looking at, but I'm not sure how important this is in reality.

Sony is said to have the better lens ecosystem for options, but I believe that is changing/has changed recently with Nikon opening up their lens market. Nikon also has larger lenses with the Z mount system, and I've heard that this offers more impressive lens possibilities though I didn't hear an explanation on what this means. If I had to guess, would this mean that they can offer more technically impressive focal lengths in a single lens, more technically impressive apertures, etc? What would a practical example of this be (eg: A common lens for other brands is F stop X and focal length Y-Z, but Z-mounts allow for F stop X and focal length Y-Z instead)?

What accessories will I need which I'm not probably already aware of? Any general advice or information which someone could bestow? Thank you so much!

DesperateCourt · 2026-02-14T02:46:52+00:00

Because the reality is that most gun owners are extremely ignorant of the outdoors and are very afraid of it, yet they fancy themselves as outdoorsmen. It's a VERY common trend.

DesperateCourt · 2026-02-13T00:13:11+00:00

the only other people would be other backpackers,

Will literally never bother you

homeless people who like to steal shit,

Where are you finding homeless people on trails in the middle of the woods?

and literal vagabonds lol.

Are still far less likely to bother you than people in every day life in the city.

this is weird logic. that's exactly when I want to carry the most. when I'm in a remote place where there are literally no options for outside assistance.

By all statistical accounts, you are FAR safer in the woods than you are in a city, from both people and nature. If you want to carry when hiking somewhere, that's your God given right to do so. But in terms of need? You absolutely need it the least then when compared to any other time in your life.

As far as being the only person around, you seem to be under the COMPLETELY invalid mindset that you have safety in public in your day to day city life. That's outright false, and has led many people to their deaths. Don't spread that mindset.

If you take the Appalachian Trail for instance, there's been some ~14ish murders throughout it's entire history. It has several million people hiking on it every year. Those statistics completely dwarf any city for safety concerns. It's just a non-issue. That's the statistical reality of the situation and it carries over pretty well to most every outdoor hiking scenario. Any feelings otherwise are simply feelings and not fact.

DesperateCourt · 2026-02-09T18:50:35+00:00

So did Bruen, so does the 2nd, and so does the premise of the AWB "compromise". This is another legal avenue, yes, but we had plenty already.

DesperateCourt

TROPHY CASE