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C.H.I.P. vs Pi Zero: Which Sub-$10 Computer Is Better? (makezine.com)
Make Magazine weighs in on an issue that's suddenly relevant in a world where less than $10 can buy a new, (nominally) complete computer. Which one makes most sense? Both the $9 C.H.I.P and the newest, stripped-down Raspberry Pi model have pluses and minuses, but to make either one actually useful takes some additional hardware; at their low prices, it's not surprising that neither one comes with so much as a case. The two make different trade-offs, despite being just a few dollars apart in ticket price. C.H.I.P. comes with built-in storage that rPi lacks, for instance, but the newest Pi, like its forebears, has built in HDMI output. Make's upshot?
The cost of owning either a C.H.I.P. or a Pi is a bit more money than the retail cost of the boards. Peripherals such as a power cable, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are necessary to accomplish any computer task on either of the devices. But it turns out the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero costs significantly more to operate than the Next Thing Co. C.H.I.P.
While it is extremely impressive that one could do so(given that such power for such price was unheard of until very recently), it seems rather pointless to compare these two boards on the basis that you are planning on plugging in enough peripherals to use them as your next desktop. Aside from the plummeting cost and wide availability of ludicrously overqualified x86s; the most stripped down ARM SBC is obviously going to require costlier and uglier peripheral tangles than the less stripped down ones(the CHIP has no 'sibling' designs; but is similar to Allwinner-based boards from others; the rPi zero has otherwise-identical models that add the USB hub and ethernet for you, or slightly punchier options).
The only reason to go with either of these is because you have some more constrained purpose for which the low cost and small size make the difference. So, do you want HDMI support; at the cost of bringing your own NIC; or do you want the NIC; but HDMI as an optional extra? Depends on whether you are building a headless project or not.
The other matter is the software support; which is as yet an unknown. The rPi has some Broadcom blobs that are very, very, unlikely to go away; but benefits from a known, solid, supporting ecosystem. The Allwinner A8 is a bit of an unknown quantity: the project claims to be aggressively mainlining everything(which would be extremely attractive); but Allwinner's GPL compliance has been...haphazard...at best in the past; and the MALI-400 is ARM's toy, not theirs, so they have limited control over that. If the CHIP's aspirations bear out, then it will have the distinct advantage of working with mainline kernel and u-boot. If they don't, or do only in part, then the question becomes one of 'which slightly oddball BSP is better?'
Perhaps it's just me, but most of the use cases that I can think of for a small embedded device like the Raspberry Pi Zero require either Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity (preferably Wi-Fi for a mobile applications) to remotely access and administer it.
Since the CHIP has built in Wi-Fi, it just seems more useful for an embedded IoT type application. You could add Wi-Fi pretty easily to the old Raspberry Pi's with a USB Wi-Fi adapter, but even that is more difficult on the Zero because it doesn't have full size USB ports anymore.
I think that I'll pass on this one, and wait for a rev with Wi-Fi.
I see this "Where does this bullshit keep coming from?" all the time from you Millennial/Hipster types.
Everything is a problem for Millennial/Hipster types, especially the ones in college. What a bunch of whiny, brainless pussies they are. They want college to be a "safe space", which is exactly what college should not be.
College should be a place where your core beliefs are mercilessly challenged, not a group-think sandbox filled with pussified drones who get "triggered" by a word or a picture or a new idea. College should be a place where you find and experience new things, not an extension of the crib you had when you were 2 years old.
Millennial/Hipster types are walking, talking jokes who are terrified to call someone on the phone. They'll send you 100 texts rather than have an actual conversation. It's no wonder they're so fucked up.
I know guys in maximum security prisons who have more social interaction than your average Millennial. It's fucking hilarious to watch them wander around like zombies, glued to their fucking phones wondering why their lives are so pathetically empty and devoid of any meaning.
I have a stack of model b pis that I use for various projects. What I love about them is that all I need is an Ethernet cable to use them. No keyboard, mouse, display - just a standard Ethernet cable and an ssh terminal. You know, that cable that hasn't changed in decades and that I have spares of in spades?
For the zero, I would need to invest in a collection of peripherals just to start it up. It's been years since I've had a USB mouse or keyboard (Bluetooth for all).
This was a big miss.
-Chris