Weekly merge from pre-update-release to main (wk3)

[NightHawkATL]

Intent:
Prepare for the v0.1.4 release by merging all stability, workflow, and security improvements from pre-update-release into main.

What:

• Fixed GPS polling stability: Increased timeout, improved partial-output parsing, and ensured polling window is robust for both local and remote modes.

• Dockerfile improvements: Added all required build dependencies for Alpine (build-base, libffi-dev, openssl-dev, python3-dev) to ensure reliable builds and resolve cffi/cryptography install issues.

  • Security workflow updates:
    • Updated GitHub Actions to force Node.js 24 for all actions (including actions/download-artifact@v5) due to Node.js 20 deprecation.
    • Validated grype scan integration; confirmed critical CVEs (notably CVE-2025-67268 in gpspipe) are non-fixable and mitigated by default build settings.
  • General stability:
    • Confirmed no regressions in local or remote polling, dashboard tab switching, or client listing.
    • All PRs merged and validated with multiple successful workflow runs.

Why:

• To address user-reported GPS polling dropouts and ensure the dashboard remains stable across all supported deployment modes.
• To maintain security compliance and CI/CD reliability as GitHub Actions deprecate Node.js 20.
• To ensure the Docker image builds cleanly and securely on all supported platforms.

Scope:

• All backend (app.py), Dockerfile, and workflow changes since last release.
• No breaking changes to API or UI; all updates are backward compatible and validated in both local and remote modes.

[Copilot]

Copilot wasn't able to review any files in this pull request.

---

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.