Adafruit Releases Educational Linux Distro For Raspberry Pi

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Adafruit Releases Educational Linux Distro For Raspberry Pi

Posted by Soulskill on Friday August 3, 2012 @08:46AM from the mix-of-good-things dept.

ptorrone writes "Open-source hardware company Adafruit has released a Linux Raspberry Pi distro for hardware hacking and teaching electronics. This distro comes with SPI, I2C, & OneWire WiFi. It also has some things to make overall hacking easier, such as sshd on startup (with key generation on first boot) and Bonjour (so you can simply ssh raspberrypi.local from any computer on the local network). The distro is called Occidentalis v0.1. Rubus occidentalis (the black raspberry) is derived from Raspbian Wheezy, and is available for download here."

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Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Geoffrey.landis · 2012-08-03 08:53 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Who would have thought it?

--
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
1. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Desler · 2012-08-03 08:54 · Score: 0
  
  At least they stopped posting buttcoin stories.
2. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Dwedit · 2012-08-03 08:58 · Score: 0
  
  Why not go over to Betanews where there are 13 stories about the Samsung Galaxy series posted every day?
3. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Bomazi · 2012-08-03 09:04 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Wait until they post about my beowulf cluster of bitcoin mining raspberry pi made with an arduino-controlled 3d-printer.
4. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Threni · 2012-08-03 09:06 · Score: -1, Offtopic
  
  This must mean they will be available for purchase soon.*
  *By purchase I mean `go online and order one for delivery in the next few days`, not select from a couple of different companies who have different prices for exactly the same goods and 'register an interest' in the hope that I'll get one in the next few months.
  I was interested in one, once, but you can get a much more powerful Android phone for the same price as a Pi+ delivery+the other stuff you need to make it sensible (wifi, for instance). (Not sure how a Pi is a better choice for a budding programmer than an Android phone.)
5. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Urza9814 · 2012-08-03 09:17 · Score: 2
  
  It was my understanding that the Pi was more of a hobbyist/educational market -- it's not for people who want a cheap computer (which is what your android device is) but for people who want a REALLY POWERFUL Arduino. Find me an Android device with SPI/I2C/OneWire. Or with GPI/O pins in general. I know there are devices to do that, but what kind of cost is that adding to your Android phone. Plus your phone seems cheaper because it's contract-free -- but that's only a benefit if you plan to use it in a way that it can still be your phone. I was considering a Pi for a barbot (though I'll probably just use my old laptop and an MSP430 for I/O) -- I'm certainly not building my phone into my bar...
6. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Tarlus · 2012-08-03 09:18 · Score: 1
  
  Hopefully before Apple sues you for it.
  
  --
  /* No Comment */
7. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by wonkey_monkey · 2012-08-03 09:20 · Score: 2
  
  (Not sure how a Pi is a better choice for a budding programmer than an Android phone.)
  How many Android phones can you quickly and easily plug a keyboard into? And a mouse, and power the phone at the same time? And get a decent resolution on a monitor? Can you put your text editor up on one side of an Android screen and your terminal on the other? Just how much programming is actually possible using only an Android phone (on which you probably won't have root without jumping though hoops) anyway?
  
  I was interested in one, once, but you can get a much more powerful Android phone for the same price as a Pi
  Really? Without a contract? I wouldn't mind a link to one.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
8. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-03 09:34 · Score: 1
  
  The RPi can run full Debian, not a crippled phone OS. If you want to do phone development fine, but it's probably better to learn skills that will transfer when the app bubble collapses.
9. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Nadaka · 2012-08-03 09:46 · Score: 1
  
  My old epic 4g comes with a keyboard.
  It has an undocumented feature of video out as well.
  There are a number of compilers and IDE available for various languages on android.
  For your other features, you will need to go with a tablet.
  My infinity with the keyboard dock accepts a USB mouse, and likely accepts a bluetooth mouse even without the keyboard dock (don't have a bluetooth mouse to try with).
  Multiple apps on screen: http://www.themobileindian.com/news/940_View-multiple-apps-on-one-Android-screen
  I don't really have an opinion on which platform makes a better toy/experimental development platform, but neither is completely incompetent at the task.
10. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Goth+Biker+Babe · 2012-08-03 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  There's absolutely no reason why you can't run debian on a phone. Okay it will be pretty useless as a phone but if you just want to use an old phone you have lying around then it will run it. Even aged smart phones are more powerful than a lot of devices I put linux on now as part of my day job. The lowest spec I ran desktop linux on was an 30Mhz ARM-6 with 128MB of RAM. I had full X running on that with fvwm2 window manager. This was back in 1998.
11. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Ziggitz · 2012-08-03 10:44 · Score: 1
  
  The raspberry pi is an actual low cost computing device. Most phones are way more expensive but the cost is hidden because it is subsidized by the price of your multi-year contract. There is no way an android phone of comparable computing power and with the same out of the box compatibility with peripherals. Sure if you have an old phone lying around that can be powered, output HDMI and accept a keyboard and mouse all at once you can do that. The raspberry pi was designed as a low cost educational computer, something needed in bulk by schools. Also handy for those of us who want low power network devices and don't have old phones to recycle.
  
  --
  There is no memory shortage. yes I have heard of XFCE. Go away.
12. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-03 10:59 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly this.
  Since it can run Debian GNU/Linux, that freedom alone makes it infitinetly more user-empowering than running Android Dalvik/Linux.
13. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by RabidReindeer · 2012-08-03 11:06 · Score: 2
  
  Hopefully before Apple sues you for it.
  Well. avoid rounded corners, then!
14. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by RabidReindeer · 2012-08-03 11:14 · Score: 2
  
  It was my understanding that the Pi was more of a hobbyist/educational market -- it's not for people who want a cheap computer (which is what your android device is) but for people who want a REALLY POWERFUL Arduino. Find me an Android device with SPI/I2C/OneWire. Or with GPI/O pins in general. I know there are devices to do that, but what kind of cost is that adding to your Android phone. Plus your phone seems cheaper because it's contract-free -- but that's only a benefit if you plan to use it in a way that it can still be your phone. I was considering a Pi for a barbot (though I'll probably just use my old laptop and an MSP430 for I/O) -- I'm certainly not building my phone into my bar...
  I'm afraid I can't agree on that. Firstly, because I believe that the stated goals of the RPi's developers was quite explicitly a "cheap computer to facilitate learning" and secondly because the RPi isn't nearly as well suited for primitive hardware hacking as the Arduino.
  I have designed Arduino circuits to serve as solar charge controllers, scan punched cards and operate home automation systems. I have run a Raspberry VM (don't have the hardware yet) that emulates an IBM System/370 mainframe computer (via Project Hercules) and acts as a direct replacement for one of my older webservers running Apache/PHP and MySQL database client.
  Actually, I'm seriously thinking of using a Raspberry Pi as a scheduler and smart control interface to an Arduino X-10 automation controller.
15. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by JoeMerchant · 2012-08-03 12:15 · Score: 1
  
  What Pi has that supports the "super cheap PC" idea is analog video out... in the US at least, analog televisions are basically free to pick up. That's something that Arduino really doesn't have.
  Plus, if you're an uber style conscious hacker, you can do your Arduino development on your Pi...
16. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by kat_skan · 2012-08-03 12:47 · Score: 2
  
  I was interested in one, once, but you can get a much more powerful Android phone for the same price as a Pi
  
  Really? Without a contract? I wouldn't mind a link to one.
  
  I was curious about this as well and his claim actually isn't as far off as you might think. Amazon's got prepaid phones that support HDMI output starting around $220. Personally I've got about $90 into my Pi, counting the SD Card and case. If you also want WiFi that's another twenty bucks, plus another $13 for a powered USB hub since the Pi itself can't put out enough juice. A phone's still more expensive, but isn't too much more when you consider it'd also have a built-in display, battery, and GSM or CDMA radio.
17. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by dns_server · 2012-08-03 17:39 · Score: 1
  
  There are shields for video output http://www.wayneandlayne.com/projects/video-game-shield/
18. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Belial6 · 2012-08-03 20:40 · Score: 1
  
  The video output shield is $22.50. This puts it only $12.50 less than the Pi. It also limits you to black and white, and does not have HDMI. Since the cheapest I have seen the arduino for is $11.50, I am thinking that once you decide you need video, it is time to move up from the arduino to the Pi.
19. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by JoeMerchant · 2012-08-04 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  Not to mention: can it run Linux?
20. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by RabidReindeer · 2012-08-04 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  Not to mention: can it run Linux?
  Which? The Pi or the Arduino. The Pi is targeted specifically towards Linux. The Arduino's standard OS is a real-time process controller, and I'm not sure how much external beefing up (RAM, etc.) it would take to make a Linux machine out of it.
  For most of us, I think it would be less work - and probably cheaper - to leave them to their separate specialties.
21. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Em+Adespoton · 2012-08-04 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  Wait until they post about my beowulf cluster of bitcoin mining raspberry pi made with an arduino-controlled 3d-printer.
  Is the cluster controlled by an Android botnet?
22. Re:Wow, a story about Raspberry Pi by Goth+Biker+Babe · 2012-08-05 00:15 · Score: 1
  
  I'm very aware what the Pi is and why it exists. I was merely pointing out that there's no reason why you couldn't run Debian on a phone if you happen to have one. Personally for me the HDMI out and keyboard is not really that important to me. I tend to develop on my Pi either by cross-compilation or ssh-ing from my Mac.
x0xb0x by LizardKing · 2012-08-03 09:29 · Score: 3, Interesting

Adafruit are great. They produced an enhanced clone of the legendary Roland TB-303 bass synth and sequencer, then open sourced the circuit diagrams. Unlike the dozens of prevous 303 clones, they actually cloned the sequencer which was as essential to the appeal of the machine as the synth section.
1. Re:x0xb0x by Eil · 2012-08-04 14:43 · Score: 1
  
  Adafruit are great. They produced an enhanced clone of the legendary Roland TB-303 bass synth and sequencer, then open sourced the circuit diagrams.
  Right on! I built three x0xb0xes. Sold two, kept one. Need to get that thing out and work on some more choons...
  
  Unlike the dozens of prevous 303 clones, they actually cloned the sequencer which was as essential to the appeal of the machine as the synth section.
  It's not fair to call the sequencer a clone. Although similar to the 303's sequencer, the x0xb0x sequencer is more flexible, easier to use, and superior in almost every way. I often see DJs and musicians on YouTube use the x0xb0x as a stand-alone MIDI sequencer for other gear.
sshd?! Tell me more! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-03 10:05 · Score: 1

I wish they would just recommend the ArchARM image already; the whole Arch philosophy syncs up so well with the Pi. What could they possibly offer that isn't easily "hackable" into a fresh install of just about any distro anyway? They recommend it as a learning tool when the true learning tool is being left with absolutely nothing at install. What teaches you more than leaving your partition table in shambles or getting a little too comfortable with sudo and mixing up the arguments to dd? In the end it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but ArchARM has the ssh daemon running at startup (and doesn't the Debian image as well?): this isn't a feature.
Download link is down by friend+function · 2012-08-03 10:06 · Score: 2

Looks nice, but it seems the download link (Amazon S3 mirror) isn't working. I keep getting HTTP 403 Forbidden. Try back later I guess.
1. Re:Download link is down by ptorrone · 2012-08-03 10:51 · Score: 2
  
  you need to download it directly from this page and click the download link:
  http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-raspberry-pi-educational-linux-distro/occidentalis-v0-dot-1
OneWire Wifi? by Timmmm · 2012-08-03 10:11 · Score: 4, Informative

I was wondering what this is. Turns out slashdot/the submitter didn't understand "one wire, and wifi".
1. Re:OneWire Wifi? by kwerle · 2012-08-03 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks. I googled for it and was lost.
So its a slightly modified distribution! by Goth+Biker+Babe · 2012-08-03 10:11 · Score: 2

I love Adafruit. I love my Pi. But how is this news. Its just a slightly modified distro with a couple of extra kernel drivers compiled up. If they'd built them as DEBs then they could have just been dpkged in to wheezy anyway.
1. Re:So its a slightly modified distribution! by JoeMerchant · 2012-08-03 12:17 · Score: 2
  
  I actually appreciate it... I have a Pi, but I really don't have the time to sniff out every new distro as it comes along. This one sounds worthy of loading up and trying.
Only thing I'm excited for... by adosch · 2012-08-03 10:19 · Score: 2

...is support for SPI and I2C. I'm hoping they've also applied (and tested) some of the latest kernel patches for GPIO interrupt support for the Pi. Only thing that makes this news for me is that I don't have waste the time side-building my own distro to get all this working (not to mention having a friendly ARM cross compiler, although crosstool helps with that immensely). I've grown really lazy as my years in Linux usage increase. Let the development begin.
1. Re:Only thing I'm excited for... by UnresolvedExternal · 2012-08-03 14:15 · Score: 1
  
  haha I echo your sentiment sir! I have grown damn lazy over the years and a green fields like the pi has got me cracking my knuckles again.
let me know by codepunk · 2012-08-03 10:47 · Score: 1

Let me know when I can have one of these delivered next day via amazon, until then I don't care about the PI.

--

Got Code?
1. Re:let me know by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-03 11:42 · Score: 1
  
  I'll be sure to check that out for you and let you know as soon as that happens. No really. I deparately want you to care. It's important to me and given your level of involvement I can't wait to see what you accomplish with the pi when you do get it. I bet it will be pretty special!
2. Re:let me know by hazem · 2012-08-03 14:27 · Score: 1
  
  I'd be happy I could get one at all. One of the "suppliers" listed doesn't show "US" on "where are you from". The other, while it shows it can ship to the US, and even says they have them available* at the top of the page, it only shows availability: 0 next to to the "buy" button.
  I suspect when I'm finally able to get one, it will come with Duke Nukem' Forever on the SD card.
3. Re:let me know by SilenceBE · 2012-08-03 16:30 · Score: 1
  
  To be honest It bugs me that there is so much spam on slashdot for the rpi but in all honesty I ordered one 3 days ago with farnell and even if it states that they ship within 5 weeks, I got a mail yesterday that it has been shipped.
  
  While it is not the same as next day delivery it is certainly not the same situation where you need to wait weeks to get your order delivered.