Raspberry Pi Reviewed, With an Initial Setup Guide 188
jjslash writes "It has been six years in the making, with the original goal of the project intending to reignite computer programming in schools across the country. Despite those honorable intentions, the $35 ARM-based credit-card sized computer has captured the imagination of programmers, consumers and tinkerers alike, resulting in unprecedented demand for the product. Last month the first 10,000 credit-card sized computers were set to make their way to those who pre-ordered them back in February. TechSpot takes a look at the Pi Model B, covering the basic steps for setting up the computer, as well as basic post-installation tasks those first using it might encounter."
"Despite"? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:the $35 ARM-based credit-card sized computer (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Interesting (Score:5, Informative)
Now you can buy an entire computer for less than a license for the Windows operating system.
You've been able to do that since the turn of the century. Here's the sad part: Long after every computer that can run any of the windows operating systems to date have been put in landfills or as non-working museum exhibits, and everyone who reads this today is dead -- it'll still be illegal to give it to a friend.
Re:Alternatives? (Score:5, Informative)
Depending on your definition of "functional", I believe some of the Arduinos, BASIC Stamps, and the similar are in that range. Of course, these will require custom programming and don't just drop into a self-hosting Linux environment, and don't have video out, but they are fully self-contained computing & IO devices.
While the RPi is pretty weak compared to the current ARM offerings, it does trounce the microcontroller range in computational capability, but its IO would require extra hardware (it's not buffered, etc) to do some real interfacing.
Re:I don't get it (Score:5, Informative)
Do you know what the purpose of the Pi is? An educational computer for children (like the amiga or the atari back when we were young).
It has a TV out and an HDMI Port. I live in Europe, I don't know any family without a TV (well very few, but they don't have a TV by choice and not because they can't afford one, however they have a computer and therefore a computer display). RasPi is a UK Company. The European community is regulating cellphone chargers. They must use an USB Micro-B connector (with 800-1000 mA output). Guess what? This is also the sort of power supply the RasPi needs. Since most Europeans get a new cellphone every 1-2 years, these chargers are disposable (every new phone comes with a new charger even though the old one is still working perfectly).
So display available, check. Power supply available, check.
Now all we need is an SD card, a Keyboard and a mouse (USB). I live in one of the most expensive places in the world. But a cheap keyboard and a cheap mouse would not cost more than 15 us dollars. And if I were a smart kid, I'd ask family and friends if I could buy used ones (which I probably would get donated). NEarly all families already have a mac or windows pc (but might not want their children to break it while experimenting) mouse and keyboard could be used from the already available computer.
Well, now we have only one item left that is missing, the SD card. Many digital cameras are replaced here with smart phones. It's not the same but I see those aging cameras laying around in many house holds. Guess what, they often use SD cards. But since the SD card needs to be reformatted and somewhat inserted permanently into the device, it might be reasonable to buy a separate one.
This leaves us with one extra expense: a new SD card for $20-30, big deal!
I personally think the RasPi team has a very neat design there, don't you?
Cheers,
-S
Debian notes (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Interesting (Score:5, Informative)
You've been able to do that since the turn of the century. Here's the sad part: Long after every computer that can run any of the windows operating systems to date have been put in landfills or as non-working museum exhibits, and everyone who reads this today is dead -- it'll still be illegal to give it to a friend if you live in the USA .
In Finland, and most other countries in Europe (all countries in Europe?) when you buy software, you own it. You can resell it or give it away as a gift, and Microsoft can do fuck-all about it.
Re:Disappointed... (Score:2, Informative)
"some of the solder joints look to have been "reworked""
The ones associated with the ethernet socket, perhaps? Yes, that got "reworked" because the manufacturer substituted the specified sockets with cheaper ones that didn't contain "magnetics". The manufacturer had to take the boards back and fix that.....
As for the keyboard problem, its entirely possible that your USB PSU isn't as capable of putting out the 1A @ 5v it claims on the plate. If you go to the Pi forum, you will find a couple of threads from other early adopters describing this problem and the necessity to have a PSU that can actually consistently puts out about 800mA, otherwise the USB port malfunctions. I'd say the keyboards that don't work have a higher current draw than the ones that do.