[GRLUG] another Raspberry Pi article

[Bob Kline]

On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 11:55 AM, John-Thomas Richards <jtr at jrichards.org>wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 08:34:09AM -0500, Bob Kline wrote:
> > > On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 8:11 AM, John-Thomas Richards
> > > <jtr at jrichards.org>wrote:
> > >> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 11:30:26PM -0500, Mike Williams wrote:
> > >> > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/28/raspberry_pi/
> > >> >
> > >> > I want at least one of these critters.
> > >> >
> > >> > From the article, " Users can run Debian, Fedora and ArchLinux
> > >> > ARM GNU/Linux distributions on the Pi, although not Ubuntu at
> > >> > this
> > >>
> > >> I am amazed that it can decode 1080p video.  This thing is amazing.
> > >> I want one to put next to the television with a large USB drive
> > >> attached.
> > >>
> > >> I read somewhere that the $25 price tag (though this article says
> > >> $35) is for the board itself.  Even with a case this thing can't be
> > >> more than $40 or so.  Even for $50 that's a great price for what it
> > >> can do.
> > >>
> [snip]
> > Re $25 and $35, and earlier item here said there are two versions -
> > the differences escape me just now.
> >
> > Just playing devil's advocate, I'll ask where's the beef?  By the time
> > you hang enough stuff on the board to do anything with it there won't
> > be any cost saving to speak of.  One can get any number of great
> > motherboards for under $100 today.
> >
> > Just asking.....
>
> As Michael posted, this thing is designed for an HTPC.  It is true that
> one can purchase a decent motherboard for under $100, but this thing is
> $25 (or $35).  With this as the primary hardware, the *hard drive*
> becomes the most expensive component.  One could build the *entire* HTPC
> for under $100 (a proper case, a wireless keyboard/mouse combo and an
> HDMI cable is all you need—particularly if your movies, etc., are stored
> on an existing network server).
>
>

To split hairs a bit, and play the other
side for a little while longer,  you'll need
the $35 spread to do what you're suggesting,
or maybe a wireless connection.

As long as you stay in the hobby realm, where
you can assume people will put up with a lot,
put in endless time on something just out of
enjoyment, have the missing parts, do loose
accounting, and have a set of somewhat out
of the mainstream applications in mind, this
can work.  You're suggesting that people
might have a server sitting around too, making
the applications all that much more specialized.
As I mentioned, special purpose
Linux boxes in LJ ads, for example, go for
$200 to $300 each, for something that to me
looks very similar. So in that restricted sense,
this thing is a bargain.  But only if you
have a use for it.  It won't teach you much
about Linux that any other PC can't.  Buy a
junker, open it up, and play with the hardware,
and that will get to the core of the single
board appeal.

Big players get things like 100K piece discounts
on parts.  Real volume.  Little people buy used
stuff, or pay single piece prices.  That's what
starts to make things non-economic very quickly.
A new hard drive just now might be expensive
because of the flooding in Singapore, but will
be expensive anyway for the reasons above.

I can see the "small is beautiful" appeal of
something like this. Apple has long had a
brick PC that runs the latest version of
its OS, is fanless, and has a DVD unit
built in.  Being Apple, it's $600 or so.  And
then you need a display, etc.

But again, everything from a dedicated
app using embedded Linux to Google,
which might have a PC farm of a million
PCs - they don't say exactly - and uses
Linux, indicates a broad range of Linux
applications.  The differences have much
to do with packaging and prices.

What I mostly see here is something
compact and fanless, which could meet
some needs.  For a hobbyist even the
needs are more likely to fringe rather
than anything with a broad appeal.

I have a few Internet "radios" around.
I don't know it for a fact, but they could
well be Linux based.  Ethernet or wireless
access, a database that is automatically
refreshed, and of course digital tuning.
Nothing a PC can't do.  But the unit is
packaged like a traditional radio.  The
power supply and speakers are built in.
A radio-like case with a digital display.
It's a matter of packaging, convenience,
and cosmetics.  One could build
something like this, and it would look
home made.  Since a PC already does
this, where's the educational value in it?
For $125, where's the added value in
building it yourself?  Or you could consider
building your own laptop and wasting a
ton of time and money.

Hey, I said I was playing the other side.
For perspective, I built my first "terminal"
from a kit, and wire-wrapped many
single board computers over the years.
The technology was new then.  Oh, and
if wire wrapping makes you scratch your
head, you haven't been around long enough.

    -- Bob

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