There are external GPU cases that might work with your laptop, but at least on older models these were relatively bandwidth limited which doesn’t matter that much for gaming, but I guess it might cause more problems with AI workloads? On the other hand, maybe not if the model fits completely into the vRAM of the m40?

SimpleX is not suitable for larger group chats.

XMPP has a few quite popular privacy related public channels: https://search.jabber.network/search?q=privacy

(For those unaware: xmpp participant counts are actively connected users, not like Matrix or Discord that counts who ever joined the room years ago and never came back).

You can always encrypt the backups you upload there.

Depending on the specs of the shared webspace it is possible to install some php based webdav software to easily sync files with it. KaraDAV for example.

Have you consider using a note taking app with server sync instead of abusing a chat service for the same thing?

Hmm, that doesn’t sound like my issue. As soon as I turn on SteamVR the sound goes haywire. I can still use other headphones fine without any issue, but the built in ones have distorted sound with SteamVR running (but not when I turn that off).

No problems with the built in headphones? I can’t get them to sound right… there seems to be some sort of samplerate shift as soon as I start SteamVR with my HTC Vive Pro.

Ah, I was hoping to hear about experiences with the PSVR2 on Linux. Too bad it doesn’t fully work yet. But that it is only a problem with the app might mean Monado support is possible.

Yeah, Occulus and Linux are not the best friends. There are some work arounds to make it somewhat work with SteamVR, but don’t expect too much.

My recommendation would be to look for a second hand Valve Index or HTC Vive if using it on Linux is your priority.

Or wait for the rumored new standalone headset from Valve, but that will ptobably not happen before end of 2025 if at all.

Any pc with two network ports and Ipfire will do. Easy to set up and configure.

Glinet makes travel routers with OpenWrt on them and internal microSD slots as well as external USB ports. Pretty easy to turn those into a media server as well.

The audio is very quiet, it’s probably a microphone or post processing issue.

Castropod is cool, maybe you can try to figure out why it doesn’t properly federate with Lemmy and file some issues on both sides?

Pcie slots also allow adding more nvme ssd drives, although sadly most mainboards do not support pcie bifurcation, so you will be limited to a single nvme ssd per slot.

Up to RPi4 the power efficiency was a lot better, but performance wise you really struggled due to lack of options to connect faster storage. With the RPi5 becoming more power hungry (but also more performant) it is less clear cut, and price wise a refurbished x86 pc isn’t really more expensive either.

All in all I would say the benefits of using standard x86 outweigh the slightly higher power use these days. RPis are still good if you need the specific hardware GPIO etc. that is has though. But for self-hosting go for x86 and be mindful of peak loads (these CPUs become much more power hungry on higher clock-speeds, especially turbo-boost).

Look of a refurbished thinclient with a 6th or 7th gen Intel CPU with the “T” at the end (for example i5 6500T). Those are basically power optimized mobile CPUs for desktop PCs. Those are currently best value for money IMHO.

Alternatively use an old laptop, which is great for beginners, but storage extension will be very limited.

If all you want is Nextcloud, you are probably better off getting a managed service like this: https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

https://snikket.org/

It’s just an easy to setup XMPP server, so you get full federation out of the box.

It would be ok, but a bit lonely, no?

Better look into Snikket.

You can use https://webxdc.org/ apps with XMPP or Deltachat and shared grocery or task lists are a common use-case.

There are some clients that support the latest version of OMEMO, but yes, since the most popular ones do not, you end up using the older version most of the time. That said, the older version is not generally unsafe, it basically is the same as WhatsApp or Signal are using. The newer version is just somewhat better as it includes some lessons learned from earlier attempts.

E2ee is not everything, as most of the privacy sensitive metadata can still be collected. Sure it is nice to have, but even more important is that you can chose a trustworthy server operator or run your own. XMPP allows doing that, but it has some weaknesses with client implementations and so on.

I am a bit biased and would say all in all XMPP is probably the best option right now, but it depends on your specific priorities. It certainly has some rough edges though.