[Archived] Raspberry Pi

[Biddy]

As we have a few geeks on here, I was wondering if anyone had a Raspberry Pi ( I know Glenn has one) or was going to get one and if so, what are you actually planning on doing with it?

I'm interested at the price but without a case or infrared, I'm kind of put off as I can only really think of running XBMC on it.

I've also found another very similar product, the cubox (cube box) site which looks pretty cool. Already in a case with built in IR receiver. The only down side of this is its £103 including shipping (and also on pre-order only basis)

The reasons of low power and the fact it runs linux doesn't really bother me as I have 2 HP microserver's running Debian and Solaris 11 and a spare PC which I can also hack around with so what else could I do with a Pi? People must have come up with other uses as they are like golddust and go for stupid prices on ebay.

[Glenn]

As we have a few geeks on here, I was wondering if anyone had a Raspberry Pi ( I know Glenn has one) or was going to get one and if so, what are you actually planning on doing with it?

I'm interested at the price but without a case or infrared, I'm kind of put off as I can only really think of running XBMC on it.

I've also found another very similar product, the cubox (cube box) site which looks pretty cool. Already in a case with built in IR receiver. The only down side of this is its £103 including shipping (and also on pre-order only basis)

The reasons of low power and the fact it runs linux doesn't really bother me as I have 2 HP microserver's running Debian and Solaris 11 and a spare PC which I can also hack around with so what else could I do with a Pi? People must have come up with other uses as they are like golddust and go for stupid prices on ebay.

Well, mine currently sat behind the TV running as a low power zero noise Media Centre (so yep, xbmc) next challenge is to get sdlmame running on it.

I'm in a similar boat to you, two dedicated debian servers and all my desktops and laptops dual boot into either ubuntu or mint, so the whole "explore linux" angle is a little wasted (though I was forced recompile a kernal from source (on the PI) for the first time since the mid 90s and I've now realised apt has made me very very lazy).

I keep toying with the idea of making it the heart on an in-car ice system for my next project though. Especially if I can do on-the-fly ECU reprogramming from it too.

[Paul]

OK question time? I've read what you both wrote and cannot comprehend a word, might as well be in Russian. Please don't worry about explaining as I'm sure even if I understood life can continue without the knowledge!

The RP is produced by a charity with the original intention of offering a cheap "computer" to encourage and stimulate interest in computer science in schools. Or so I believe.

Why then has it rapidly become sort after by the more technically minded, alright geeks, as the intended use appears to be at a more basic level?

Secondly I'm posting this on a £600 phone, why can't we all have $25 credit card sized computers? Plug it into the TV, add a keyboard and bingo. Or have I missed something.

Replies in English please! Everyday English that is.

[Biddy]

The RP is produced by a charity with the original intention of offering a cheap "computer" to encourage and stimulate interest in computer science in schools. Or so I believe.

Why then has it rapidly become sort after by the more technically minded, alright geeks, as the intended use appears to be at a more basic level?

Because it's a cheap, tiny computer.

But your question is basically where I was coming from with my original post. Being a geek I really want one, as it appears does every other geek on the planet. However, how many have stopped to think what they are actually going to do with it?

As you say, it was intended for educational purposes as its at a price point schools etc can afford. However the Pi is sold to anyone and everyone which is probably a good thing as bulk orders reduce prices and the more they can sell the better the business model. From the geeks playing with the kit they are also getting more ideas to enhance the device like PoE (Power over Ethernet) which makes it even more attractive if you don't even need to plug it in (I digress into technical again, sorry).

In the end the more they sell the cheaper the components can be bought for which in the end should mean the overall intended market might get them even cheaper.

Secondly I'm posting this on a £600 phone, why can't we all have $25 credit card sized computers? Plug it into the TV, add a keyboard and bingo. Or have I missed something.

What's the phone part got to do with the second part of your question?

The 2nd part is essentially why lots of people, myself included want to buy one (or an alternative like the cubox as I put in my post). You can indeed buy the $25 device hook it up to the TV via HDMI and have a fully fledged computer (all be it linux only) that you can use as a media center. Low cost, no noise, perfect.

If you are wondering why all our super expensive smart phones aren't only $25 then that's more to do with the extra technology in the devices like touch screens, GPS, Radio, faster processor (mine has 4x1.5Ghz compared to the Pi's 700mhz), more memory (1gb vs 256mb), battery, fully configured and supported OS integration. The list goes on but there's far more technology in a phone than a Pi (and they are smaller!).

[Paul]

What's the phone part got to do with the second part of your question?

I was wondering to myself why it's possible to have a tiny computer for $25 and a phone for £600 and thinking perhaps the phones are a touch over-priced?

The 2nd part is essentially why lots of people, myself included want to buy one (or an alternative like the cubox as I put in my post). You can indeed buy the $25 device hook it up to the TV via HDMI and have a fully fledged computer (all be it linux only) that you can use as a media center. Low cost, no noise, perfect.

If you are wondering why all our super expensive smart phones aren't only $25 then that's more to do with the extra technology in the devices like touch screens, GPS, Radio, faster processor (mine has 4x1.5Ghz compared to the Pi's 700mhz), more memory (1gb vs 256mb), battery, fully configured and supported OS integration. The list goes on but there's far more technology in a phone than a Pi (and they are smaller!).

Thanks for all this Biddy, it's interesting. From my POV I couldn't even begin to hook it up to a TV and as for a media centre, no chance! This I think is the difference between people like me who like technology which works and yourself who like technology which both works and you can play with. Those of us who want, or perhaps need, out of the box technology probably keep a lot of other people in work.

[Glenn]

Part of the logic of the Pi Foundation is this first wave of hardcore geeks (the likes of Biddy and I) will actually be responsible for beating into shape the vast array of free open source software that people may want to run on it, so by the time it's ready for education, it's a completed article. Currently it's a circuit board, some connectors and a bunch of software that "almost" works. But they are saving millions on software design, R&D and QA by letting the geek community do it for them.

I'm using mine as a home theatre set up. To buy a professional set up to achieve this is probably well into 3 if not 4 figures. However if I'd paid that much, I'd expect it to work, where as currently bits do and bits don't because the software wasn't designed to run on it, so every day volunteers are rewriting and reconfiguring it to get it working better. In 12 months time you'll probably be able to buy a pi in a case badged as a home theatre with a manual and all the cables for £30 and it'll work. Currently if you're expecting something ready for every day use, you'll be disappointed.

... as for the cost vs phone, the "system on a chip" at the heart of the Pi is actually from the last generation of mobile phones! But a lot of the cost of what you're paying for (on none android phones) is the development time behind the software.

Anyway, cool things to do with your pi ......

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/european-technology/10-coolest-uses-for-the-raspberry-pi/505

http://gizmodo.com/5889245/five-things-you-can-do-with-the-new-raspberry-pi

[Biddy]

hmm, so the first item on those lists in to make it a Media Center which I'm not convinced it's cut out to be. The reason I say this is because you don't really want a circuit board under the TV. Plus, even if you did get a case eventually, the positioning of the inputs means you have cables coming out of ever orifice which again, doesn't look good.

Plus there are already media streamers that do a great job of playing things starting at £15 fully cased and out the box. They get more expensive finding one with an ethernet port but they are around and wit remote controls etc. The only advantage for the Raspberry is that you can put XBMC on (which is actually what I want).

Kind of interested in the ICE (In Car Entertainment) but hacking my car is beyond me.

[Dan]

hmm, so the first item on those lists in to make it a Media Center which I'm not convinced it's cut out to be. The reason I say this is because you don't really want a circuit board under the TV. Plus, even if you did get a case eventually, the positioning of the inputs means you have cables coming out of ever orifice which again, doesn't look good.

Plus there are already media streamers that do a great job of playing things starting at £15 fully cased and out the box. They get more expensive finding one with an ethernet port but they are around and wit remote controls etc. The only advantage for the Raspberry is that you can put XBMC on (which is actually what I want).

Kind of interested in the ICE (In Car Entertainment) but hacking my car is beyond me.

Maybe an Apple TV would suit your needs better? They are quite a bit more at £99, but XBMC works well on it and it looks nice by the tv

[Biddy]

Wash your mouth out. I'm not going to infect my home with an Apple product