Got me a piece of pi
Remember when I said that I didn’t need a new computer “right now”; not exactly true. Although I’m willing to stay with my current laptop, life with only one comanputer is incomplete. Today, the UPS guy stopped by, and now, I’ve got me a piece of Raspberry Pi.
Not a typo. The gang of forward thinkers in the UK have decided that kids need something (anything?) to inspire learning about information technologies in the next generation. At a price point that won’t bankrupt the treasury. And with that thought in mind, a small prototype has become the next big thing. Raspberry Pi (at a current Canadian price of $35).
When the bulletin came through that memory onboard had just doubled without hiking the sticker, I was sold. Looked around on the web, found someone who claimed they would deliver in a matter of day, and ordered. Took three different browsers to find one that worked in their idiosyncratic online store, but that’s a detail.
The case came last week, the computer this one. Stretch the anticipation out. And with supper out of the way, I dug out a spare 4 GB SDHC card, downloaded and transferred the Raspbian Wheezy distro and then got into plugging wires.
This is a bare bones computer. I had to supply the keyboard, mouse, Ethernet feed, power supply and HDMI-capable monitor. Plug and pray. And there you go. A big red raspberry, a scrolling Linux load screen and a prompt. Log in, startx and play. It works!
Remember, the plan is to experiment and learn. This is not a machine to run the local office (although a web server is possible). I’ve put the toys away for another evening, but my Pi is ready to serve.
