thanks, ended up (for now) with  a Beowulf install (since Mac wouldn't let me easily eject already burned Beowulf installer)

but now there seem new problems;

Beowulf is in legacy BIOS mode (Mac 2010 model and think has not yet proper UEFI mode)

kernel is 4.19.-27

Linux devuan 4.19.0-27-amd64

however there are no correspondent linux-headers available in the repo

linux-headers-4.19.0-20-all          linux-headers-4.19.0-21-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-all-amd64    linux-headers-4.19.0-21-cloud-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-amd64        linux-headers-4.19.0-21-common
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-cloud-amd64  linux-headers-4.19.0-21-common-rt
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-common       linux-headers-4.19.0-21-rt-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-common-rt    linux-headers-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-20-rt-amd64     linux-headers-cloud-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-21-all          linux-headers-rt-amd64
linux-headers-4.19.0-21-all-amd64    

such that the install of nvidia-legacy-340xx-driver is probably botched since i am getting error during boot

could not insert nvidia ...not permitted

probably this can be bettered by using a kernel from backports?
is it possible to use devuan backports on the archives for Beowulf?

But even if have it up and running, would still probably need to upgrade to Devuan 4.0 atleast, since for connecting to university i need newer Cisco package for the VPN sometimes (although they seem now accepting also openconnect as alternative).

EDIT: upgrading to Chimaera Devuan.4.0 yielded the following:

Setting up linux-image-5.10.0-35-amd64 (5.10.237-1) ...
I: /vmlinuz.old is now a symlink to boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-32-amd64
I: /initrd.img.old is now a symlink to boot/initrd.img-5.10.0-32-amd64
I: /vmlinuz is now a symlink to boot/vmlinuz-5.10.0-35-amd64
I: /initrd.img is now a symlink to boot/initrd.img-5.10.0-35-amd64
/etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms:
dkms: running auto installation service for kernel 5.10.0-35-amd64:
Kernel preparation unnecessary for this kernel.  Skipping...

Building module:
cleaning build area...
unset ARCH; env NV_VERBOSE=1 make -j2 modules KERNEL_UNAME=5.10.0-35-amd64; env CCACHE_DI
SABLE=1 NV_VERBOSE=1 make -C uvm modules KERNEL_UNAME=5.10.0-35-amd64 KBUILD_EXTMOD=/var/
lib/dkms/nvidia-legacy-340xx/340.108/build/uvm.............(bad exit status: 2)
Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 5.10.0-35-amd64 (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/nvidia-legacy-340xx/340.108/build/make.log for more information.

/etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools:
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.10.0-35-amd64
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3_tso5.bin for module tg3
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3_tso.bin for module tg3
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/tigon/tg357766.bin for module tg3
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3.bin for module tg3
/etc/kernel/postinst.d/zz-update-grub:
Generating grub configuration file ...

and after reboot during bootup the following error (but it bould into desktop)

Hello ,

is this Nvidia-legacy 340 still available for Devuan 4.0 or will i have to install Devuan Beowulf to get it running.

Just installed Devuan 4.0 on an older Mac but it seem not finding anything related to Nvidia-legacy-340.

Thanks.

thanks, this software gave me all sorts of errors from the get-go.

took literally down my  whole network at times (on a ADSL connection)
such that i had to reboot the router.

it may  be useful to some, but i tend to avoid;

dont know what systemd does,
but experienced the passage from debian 7 to 8 and had such many problems and issues, that i tend to dislike it very much and ascribe the issues had to the software systemd, practically ruining a nearperfect linux experience (at the time).

to install yt-dlp manually:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

curl -L https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -o ~/.local/bin/yt-dlp

chmod a+rx ~/.local/bin/yt-dlp  # Make executable

export PATH="${HOME}/.local/bin:${PATH}"

now you can update yt-dlp with command

it is recommended to uninstall yt-dlp from repositories since it is not up to date.

if it should arrive it could have specs like those; DAC-Train is that i got unlucky with a Creative PCIe Soundcard  was hoping to use (but that card (AE-5 series) issues on warm-boot into Windows 11, making really strange noises; functioned however fine in Linux)

there is a newer edition of this DAC, but it has Bluetooth, and cannot be disabled entirely;

-------------------------------------------
Technical specification

Digital to analogue converters

Dual Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs

Digital filter

Analog Devices ADSP21261 DSP; upsampling to 24-bit/384kHz

Analogue filter

2-Pole Dual Differential Bessel Double Virtual Earth Balanced

Frequency response

20Hz to 20kHz (±0.1dB)*

Thd @ 1khz 0dbfs

<0.001% 24-bit

Thd @ 1khz -10dbfs

<0.001%

Thd @ 20khz 0dbfs

<0.002%

Signal to noise ratio

-112dBr

Total correlated jitter

<130pS

Crosstalk @ 1khz

< -130dB

Crosstalk @ 20khz

< -112dB

Output impedance

<50 Ohms

Max. output level (unbalanced)

2.1V rms

Max. output level (balanced)

4.2V rms (2.1V per phase)

Digital input word widths supported

16-24bit

Digital input sampling frequencies supported

32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz**, 192kHz

Audio output upsampling

Fixed 24-bit/384kHz

Max power consumption

12W

Colour

Black or silver

Dimensions (hxwxd)

52 x 215 x 191mm; (2.0 x 8.6 x 7.6”)

Weight

1.2kg/2.6lbs

Headphone output

Thd

at 1kHz 0dBFS 24-bit signal with 22kHz low pass filter = 0.001% at 20khz 0dBFS 24-bit signal with 80kHz low pass filter = 0.003%

S/n

-111dBrA

Frequency response

10Hz - 100kHz

Recommend headphone impedance

32 Ohm to 600 Ohm

*

Steep filter disabled

**

Digital 1 & 2 Inputs only

frequency response of Headphone output is also good, so i am hoping well for this unit;
yes, mac settings were probably left unchanged, but the smaller unit does not do upsampling;

https://ibb.co/1Sgf4kC

thank you, i am still learning to avoid "pulse", but since am operating on several computer, it is not quite straightforward and so easy at times;

my question: if i use a DAC over SPIDF/ with Devuan out of the Box, is then this pulseaudio/pipewire still involved, or will DAC take care of things with Alsa directly?=

hello ,
thanks for the help, it seems connected with this "systemd" thing, which i find odd, if this package has been function since "etch".

tried now with 3 distro, and two of them failed to achieve task (devuan (system-d-free), max-linux(ships with system-d "disabled", but present for better "compatibiliy") (on linux mint the task is achieved).

maybe there is another package that can fulfill the task?

iscsiadm --mode discovery --type sendtargets --portal 192.168.178.100
sh: 1: /bin/systemctl: not found
iscsiadm: can not connect to iSCSI daemon (111)!
iscsiadm: Could not make dir /etc/iscsi/send_targets/192.168.0.100,3260 err 13
iscsiadm: Could not open /etc/iscsi/send_targets/192.168.0.100,3260: Permission denied
iscsiadm: Could not add new discovery record.
rich@devuan:~$ sudo iscsiadm --mode discovery --type sendtargets --portal 192.168.178.100
[sudo] password for rich: 
sh: 1: /bin/systemctl: not found
iscsiadm: can not connect to iSCSI daemon (111)!
iscsiadm: Could not scan /sys/class/iscsi_transport.
sh: 1: /bin/systemctl: not found
iscsiadm: can not connect to iSCSI daemon (111)!
iscsiadm: Cannot perform discovery. Initiatorname
 required.
iscsiadm: Could not perform SendTargets discovery: could not connect to iscsid

uname -a
Linux devuan 6.1.0-33-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.133-1 (2025-04-10) x86_64 GNU/Linux

apt list | grep -i installed | grep -i open-iscsi

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

open-iscsi/stable,now 2.1.8-1 amd64 [installed]

thanks for the @elucidation, now this seems to have fixed it,
have a couple of other laptop that can be @restored to alsa0only

now i dont know alot of things, and with alsa, never had to anything, besides configuration when i wanted to use an usb-soundcard instead of the internal. see, my usecase are very limited, not that i expect everything to magically work, but some time things are better expected.

also, since started on linux journey, found it very strange to say the least , that when wanting to @uninstall say a driver like pulseaudio, this couldwould render the laptop completely broke, like uninstalling the whole desktop, unless one know how to fix via reroute. but this is the wrong place to post this, so ill turn volume down.

now i have this older laptop which functioned beautifully with debian wheezy and alsa-only;

since switched to devuan (not really a choicethere)
had several other experience

but now had on this "reference" laptop switched on daedalus (and since there to pipewire) and now excalibur to pipewire/wireplumber
but sound was amiss and tried several configuration from your suggestion and it was just hit&miss and would somehow not function properly.

now maybe i have set it wrong, but since removed the configuration files like .xsessionrc or 98-pipewire or so;
also removed pulseaudio and pipewire/wireplumber packages.

isuee is that sound is very low, even with vlc 200% it is probably 1/4 of original strength, and all relevant faderin amixer is set 100%.

there is some error on boot with alsa which i will hand overlater.

what could be error?

there is probably one package left from pulseaudio?

since i removed only "pulseaudio", there is another libpulse0?
is this also needed for removal?
thanks.

https://ibb.co/fdnJV9D
https://ibb.co/9YrKMCX
https://ibb.co/bvv48hw
https://ibb.co/m6Ch6ZH

yep it worked for some days only, today yesterday i had to switch to the your linked .xsessionrc

# Added when  startx to start pipewire on login to desktop
# https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=5867

# kill any existing pipewire instance to restore sound
pkill -u "$USER" -fx /usr/bin/pipewire-pulse 1>/dev/null 2>&1
pkill -u "$USER" -fx /usr/bin/wireplumber 1>/dev/null 2>&1
pkill -u "$USER" -fx /usr/bin/pipewire 1>/dev/null 2>&1

exec /usr/bin/pipewire &

# wait for pipewire to start before attempting to start related daemons
while [ "$(pgrep -f /usr/bin/pipewire)" = "" ] ; do
   sleep 1
done

exec /usr/bin/wireplumber &

exec /usr/bin/pipewire-pulse &

don't know what triggered the change, got a knew kernel probably, and the simpler .xsessionrc would produce a dummy output.

the Daedalus has according to "pactl info" the pulseaudio only;

after installing "pipewire" according to Debian wiki for 12

In its most basic form, PipeWire can be installed simply by installing the pipewire package. 
For Debian 12 and newer, pipewire-audio-client-libraries is replaced by pipewire-alsa and pipewire-jack. It is recommended to install the metapackage pipewire-audio which depends on wireplumber (the recommended session manager), pipewire-pulse (to replace PulseAudio), pipewire-alsa (ALSA) and libspa-0.2-bluetooth (for Bluetooth support). Moreover, installing this metapackage will remove pulseaudio to prevent any conflicts between both sound server. 

afterwards, alsamixer does not find any audio anymore ("host is down")

the step here by StopAi gives the pipewire on Devuan 5.0 ago

https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=5867

now the pipewire seems function better, just first impression, hopefullly the step to alsa-only will also be doable.

thanks.