Bare bones Raspberry Pi PC gets ready to launch

[Tinderbox (UK)]

EDIT : For Sale from Today

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ard-mouse.html

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BBC News - Bare bones Raspberry Pi PC gets ready to launch

Video Link

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.

Mr Braben got his start in games thanks to the BBC Micro on which he, and school friend Ian Bell, created pioneering computer game Elite.

Raspberry Pi is being developed in Cambridgeshire and every update has been watched closely by those keen to get working with the gadget. Raspberry Pi took to its blog on 23 December to report that the first finished circuit boards had arrived.

The batch of bare bones circuit boards are the first to be populated with all the components making up the finished device. The batch is undergoing electrical, software and hardware testing to ensure all is well in the production process.

"Once we're happy that this test run is fine, we'll be pushing the button immediately on full-scale manufacture in more than one factory," wrote Liz Upton on the blog.

The finished device will be sold in two configurations. A Model A for $25 (£16) which lacks a network connector and a Model B for $35 (£22) which does have an Ethernet socket.

Ms Upton said if the tests go well the first batch of 10 boards will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Raspberry Pi initially intended to finish its machine by the end of 2011. However, it said, delays in development meant it was now about three weeks behind schedule.

Despite this, it anticipates that people will be able to place orders for the gadgets in early January. No pre-orders have been taken because the organisation said it did not want to take anyone's cash without having something to hand over in return.

Our technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones previewed the Raspberry Pi in May and posted a video of the device at his blog.

[PopLap]

i have been waiting for this thing for a bit now, cant wait till i can get my hands on it!

[Tinderbox (UK)]

I was expecting more interest in this thread, maybe i should have posted in the programming section.

Originally Posted by PopLap

i have been waiting for this thing for a bit now, cant wait till i can get my hands on it!

[S.Prime]

sneeky has a video talking about it here

[pcm]

Yes, this thread is a little quiet.

Originally Posted by S.Prime

sneeky has a video talking about it here

Thanks for the link there. Nice little introduction if someone hasn't heard about this. (At least it's been featured on BBC News for those in the UK.)

I'm definitely going to pick up a few (one for me and a couple of belated Christmas gifts for some friends). For £16, why not?

What do people think about the prospects for this helping to jump-start computer-science education in the UK?

[debguy]

Originally Posted by Tinderbox (UK)

I was expecting more interest in this thread, maybe i should have posted in the programming section.

It comes with an ARMv6 and 256MB of RAM. So the 99% of users at NBR that don't use Linux aren't interested in the first place. 99% of the rest only run Ubuntu and derivatives which requires at least an ARMv7 CPU. The few people that are still left realize that every 3 year old smartphone will easily outperform the Raspberry PI.
And you expected more interest?

I'll get one asap nevertheless (but the slightly more expensive model B).

Originally Posted by pcm

What do people think about the prospects for this helping to jump-start computer-science education in the UK?

I'd expect nothing at all when it comes to "computer-science education". It doesn't run MS Office, there won't be an app store and you can't even use it to spy on students under the shower. So I think you won't ever encounter one of these devices in a western world's lecture room or computer cabinet.

[pcm]

Originally Posted by debguy

I'd expect nothing at all when it comes to "computer-science education". It doesn't run MS Office, there won't be an app store and you can't even use it to spy on students under the shower. So I think you won't ever encounter one of these devices in a western world's lecture room or computer cabinet.

Are you just being cynical here?

Or do you think there are limitations to the device will prevent it from fulfilling its stated goal to be 'used by kids all over the world to learn programming'. [Source: FAQ on the official site.]

Clearly not running MS Office is a feature of the design rather than a mistake. So what is it? Insufficiently many teachers with the right skills to make it work in the classroom? Misrepresentation of the true cost of one (reliance on external display/peripherals)? Or something else?

[debguy]

Originally Posted by pcm

Are you just being cynical here?

Guilty as charged!

Originally Posted by pcm

Insufficiently many teachers with the right skills to make it work in the classroom?

You nailed it!
When I was a student in high school our IT courses were nothing more than MS Office training courses. Our teachers wouldn't even have known where to begin using a device that doesn't run Windows.
That's well over a decade ago but I know from reliable sources that the situation in my school hasn't changed and that many others made the same experiences in their schools.

[PopLap]

At one of my high schools ya they would never had that (the history teacher was teaching web dev and was learning from me while i was in his class )

but at another they have courses for Computer science, programing, database engineering, etc, end endless list of courses i would have taken all of them if i had been there for the full 4 years and not just 2.

But you never know schools may not add it as a class but after school activity would not be that hard to reach.

[Sphinx]

Sounds cool for a simple node on a network for very basic stuff, but Id rather just get a zino/mini type desktop thats slightly larger and alot more functional.