Bare bones Raspberry Pi PC gets ready to launch (BBC) {$25 Linux hobbyist PC}

[eppur_se_muova]

The eagerly anticipated Raspberry Pi home computer is about to go into production.

The $25 (£16) machine is being created in the hope that it will inspire a new generation of technology whizz kids.

The Pi uses an Arm chip similar to that found in mobile phones and is intended to run a version of the Linux open source operating system.

Test versions of finished devices are being checked and if all is well volume production will start in January.

The idea for Raspberry Pi came from video game veteran David Braben who was searching for a way to inspire young people to start a career in technology.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16316439

http://www.raspberrypi.org/ (I like the instruction, "click to embiggen"!)

ETA: diagram below



ETA2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_7810 ID-1 is standard credit card size, and matches the dimensions of the PCB above

[hobbit709]

1. Looks similar to the Beagleboard and Beaglebone

[originalpckelly]

4. Yep, and pandaboard.

However, it is a lot cheaper. Only about a fourth of the price, and it means that eventually these technologies could be used for normal people at slightly higher price points and you could make a net top even cheaper.

[tridim]

2. Nifty board, dead-end OS IMO.

Get back to me when Linux can run standard software, as promised 15 years ago.

[originalpckelly]

3. What?

I don't like it, simply because it is way too complicated for normal people to use, but it runs standard software.

I actually can't understand WTF you mean here. Could you explain more?

And the pi is just one of a few boards, it's the cheapest, which are going to start another revolution in computers.

[tridim]

5. Photoshop for instance.

I have a 10 year old micro PC that is just a little bigger than the Raspberry.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Gimp is better. n/t

[originalpckelly]

9. No, I've used both, GIMP is not better.

It is too messy in its UI to be useful. But it is better than nothing and it is free, while photoshop is way too fucking expensive.

Then again, I'm more of a vector graphics person.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Beats the hell out of Photoshop in terms of price performance

But clearly Photoshop is cleaner.

[Poll_Blind]

17. BRING OUT THE GIIIIIIIIMP!

I love Gimp!

PB

[hobbit709]

7. Photoshop is vastly overrated and overpriced.

There are several open source alternatives that don't cost $500.

[toddwv]

14. Can it decode hd video?

Did it cost $25.00?

No?

Your posts make absolutely no sense. What do you mean by "standard software"? The application base for Linux is solid and robust. Can it run Windows-only programs? Well, no, just like Windows can't run Linux or Mac apps.

I can't wait for the release. This board has ALOT of potential. I'm going to pickup one to play with as soon as they come out.

[tridim]

16. If I remember correctly it cost $49.

Pretty good considering how fast PC's dropped in cost over the last decade.

BTW, I'm not dissing the MB. I think it's great!

The ONLY beef I have with Linux is the lack of ported, standard software. If I needed a server I'd run Linux.

[toddwv]

20. Ported standard software like what?

Just curious because rather or software gets ported is the decision of the software maker. There are a number of alternatives that do pretty good jobs and won't set you back $500.00.

[Aerows]

11. It can

Haven't you ever heard of Wine?

[tridim]

15. Yes, and it is slow enough to be unusable.

I like Linux and used it for years, but stopped because the promise of ported software never materialized. The user base is just too small.

It certainly makes a great server, which I'm guessing is the primary purpose of these MB's.

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. I love this.

I've been looking for a tiny low power embedded device to run a voip server, for instance.

But I'd rather have wi-fi than rca video out.

[originalpckelly]

10. I guarantee you that if it is possible...

someone will come up with a board for that. They did with the other project boards out there.

If you can do that with the Pi, it will happen.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Amazing stuff. Really amazing.

The tricky part will be the software. Getting all of the devices drivers right in Linux is a big undertaking. Since most peripherals seem to be embedded in the Broadcom processor, hopefully Broadcom is doing this work.

ARM11 @ 700 MHz isn't exactly a desktop-grade processor (probably 10%-25% as powerful as what's shipping in high-end smartphones these days, but it should be good for lots of simple stuff.

And... 25 bucks!

[dembotoz]

18. sounds cool

low cost tech is generally a good thing.

[Poll_Blind]

19. I can finally live the dream: An FTP server up my ass.

Seriously, sounds like a lot of fun. I've installed everyone here (and even some kids who come over) with Ubuntu. I still use XP on one machine, but the rest are *nix. Lots of fun and great for learning.

PB