Slightly unrelated to the OP but are there any e-ink displays today that are responsive enough to use for a basic command line Linux display? I really like the idea of having a device similar to think but with e-ink only to use as a minimal terminal - something like the MNT Pocket Reform but with e-ink...
If you're looking for a plug-and-play device, there are options from Waveshare, Boox and Dasung.
If you're willing to DIY, there's a great open source project called PaperTTY that works with almost any e-ink panel. Despite the name being terminal-focused, it also (optionally) supports VNC.