[pcl]

Firmware updates blow away any customizations. So you need to bootstrap things again after each update.

Updates can be deferred, so the process isn’t too disruptive.

Edit: oh, yeah I see what you’re getting at. That direction could work, and I used to do that years ago, as it turns out, but these days I am frequently not on a familiar WiFi network when I’m using the tablet, so cabling has been more practical.

[tjoff]

Ah, if I'm on the go I think I'd hotspot on my phone and sync via termux, but that is great to hear!

[pcl]

IME IP addresses handed out by my phone’s tethering mode aren’t stable, so it’s sorta more of a hassle than just fishing out the little cable and letting my script run. (The device assigns itself a stable IP address on the USB interface.)

Although I haven’t looked at those addresses in some time; perhaps they are more stable now than they used to be.

[tjoff]

Good point, I've resorted to nmap in desperation in similar cases but would hope there is a more elegant solution.

[pcl]

It’s easier than that with the remarkable tablet — the device documents its current ipv4 and ipv6 addresses. But it’s several taps away, and then typing on the laptop keyboard, whereas USB is just a connector away. Plus, you need to charge anyways.