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Raspberry Pi $25 PC Goes Into Alpha Production
An anonymous reader writes "Game developer David Braben caused geeks to get excited back in May when he announced plans to develop and release a $25 PC. It is called the Raspberry Pi and takes the form of a USB stick that can be plugged into the HDMI port of a display ready to act as a fully-functional PC. Two months on and the spec of the PCB layout has been finalized and an alpha release has been sent to manufacture. Any doubts this PC wasn't going to happen should now disappear as this alpha board is expected to be almost the same as the final production unit. Although we don't know a release date as of yet, the Raspeberry Pi Foundation is promising images of the alpha boards in a couple of weeks."
I realize in your haste to try for first post you neglected to glance at TFA, so here you go:
You're thinking Arduino. If performance is a concern you can try the Arduino-compatible ChipKIT 32 from Digilent, which is an Arduino-compatible device using a more powerful PIC microcontroller.
FTA, there's a rad $35 model in development that will have more RAM by a hair, an extra USB, and ethernet. will probably get a few myself.
No screen so you attach it to HDMI port. No input device unless you attach it via USB. No internet unless you attach it via USB, no storage unless you attach it via USB, you also have to connect the power cord (can it even run off battery pack?), etc, etc.
Remind me again why this isn't just something to be used as a garage door opener or sprinkler timer? Sure it's only $25, and would be fun for hobbyists, but by the time you add all the rest of the needs for basic programming and interaction I don't see it fulfilling their grand vision of a "computer" in ever students hand. It's only slightly more useful than the Linux liveCD that runs off a USB flash drive. It also stretches the definition of "computer" if you have to add all those things to make it useful. Seems an old pentium or x386 would be more useful in their current state and cheaper as well (free). I'm not discrediting the whole idea but I think their grandiose vision is a bit off.
a month ago they were saying they could not get the boards from china fab and that it didnt matter cause they had somehow rotted away and yes people are still waiting on pre orders
I have somewhat kept track of these guys cause when it was new I was kind of excited, but there is nothing but a endless string of overly hopeful statements backed up by thin air and excuses of why everyone in the universe is screwing up production except the team in charge
Or you can go the Apple route and deliver it for $100 with the same specs but double the magic. Who needs specs when you have magic!
Very sensible. You'll notice we're not taking pre-orders for these boards until we have them in *our* hands. Eben Upton Director, Raspberry Pi Foundation
I agree with you on the HDMI since theres not a lot of TV or monitors with that available in developing nations where this device would be actually useful. I'd say (taking numbers our of my ass) that the share of conventional ctr/hdmi TVs is 60/40. BUT, it does have composite video out.
So - I'm just stating my personal opinion of the device. I could never foresee any desire to connect it to a TV and use it as a desktop. I could see a HUGE opportunity for a tiny, $25, "full" Linux machine (none of this flakey uCLinux crap), in an embedded space.
Try plug computers/servers from sheeva and marvell, they have more grunt and additional things like WIFI and BT, even homeautomation interfaces.
After reading bits of www.raspberrypi.org I found that the focus is in education of computer science, it has support for C and Python.
It's funny since the FAQ from that page would null 80% of the missunderstandings in this whole discussion.
When will the device be available to purchase?
We anticipate the device will be available to the general public later in 2011.
How do I connect a mouse and keyboard?
Mice, keyboards, network adapters and external storage connect via a USB hub
Does the device support networking?
The Model B version of the device includes 10/100 wired Ethernet. Wi-Fi will be available via a standard USB dongle.
What are the power requirements?
The device is powered by an external AC adapter, and consumes around 1W at full load.
Will there be a buy-one-give-one program?
Yes. We plan to implement a program of this sort.
Will the device be available internationally, or just in the UK?
We intend to ship worldwide from launch. We may establish a distribution network in due course.
Will there be a minimum order quantity?
The minimum order quantity will be one unit.
Are you accepting pre-orders?
No. We are adequately funded, and don’t want to take your money until we have finished hardware.
---------- Provisional SPEC --------------
Provisional specification
700MHz ARM11
128MB or 256MB of SDRAM
OpenGL ES 2.0
1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode
Composite and HDMI video output
USB 2.0
SD/MMC/SDIO memory card slot
General-purpose I/O
Optional integrated 2-port USB hub and 10/100 Ethernet controller
Open software (Ubuntu, Iceweasel, KOffice, Python)
I will always wonder if the submissions on /. are intentionally poor because otherwise, nobody will discuss anything. Lets call it SOURCE!BAIT