Are you interested in 25$ Linux computer ..? [Archive]

asifnaz

January 1st, 2012, 06:15 PM

I am really excited about Raspberry Pi

http://www.raspberrypi.org

It was supposed to release in January 2012 but I have not seen it happening so far .

are you interested..?

Lucradia

January 1st, 2012, 06:42 PM

I have an android smartphone now, so no.

Also, this thread will likely be merged, since you probably didn't go searching a few pages in (Manually.)

BrokenKingpin

January 2nd, 2012, 06:01 PM

I have an android smartphone now, so no.

Also, this thread will likely be merged, since you probably didn't go searching a few pages in (Manually.)
?????

It is not a smart phone, it is more like a super tiny PC. It would be great to plug into a TV to use as media center front-end. Sure you could do something similar with a phone, but you would not want to leave it plugged in full time.

BeRoot ReBoot

January 2nd, 2012, 06:10 PM

?????

It is not a smart phone, it is more like a super tiny PC.

Which is exactly what a smartphone is.

Hell, mine even outputs to HDMI and accepts bluetooth mouse/keyboard input, so I'm using it as a media centre. I just don't see the use of this, other than the original intention of handing them out to school kids to get them interested in programming. The utility of not having to connect/disconnect a cable isn't worth $25 to me.

asifnaz

January 2nd, 2012, 06:35 PM

Which is exactly what a smartphone is.

Hell, mine even outputs to HDMI and accepts bluetooth mouse/keyboard input, so I'm using it as a media centre. I just don't see the use of this, other than the original intention of handing them out to school kids to get them interested in programming. The utility of not having to connect/disconnect a cable isn't worth $25 to me.

Acomputer is a computer and smarphone is a smarphone .Size does not matter and you can not install Linux on a smartphone (Android is not Linux per se) you can not make a normal call on a computer .

Orbetrexx

January 2nd, 2012, 06:44 PM

I have to agree that smart phones are tiny pcs... They have processors comparable to most pcs... RAM..... I guess I think that the ATRIX would have been the best idea ever if approached properly. Using your phones processor and other specs to boot a basically empty notebook. They should look to incorporate it more into this quickly budding technology

BrokenKingpin

January 2nd, 2012, 07:06 PM

The utility of not having to connect/disconnect a cable isn't worth $25 to me.
That is fine, but it is to a lot of people. Being able to have a dedicated media center front end for 25 bucks is just awesome. The 25 bucks is worth the price just to mess around with it, even if you have no use for it lol.

Lucradia

January 2nd, 2012, 07:35 PM

(Android is not Linux per se)

Yes, it is. Android uses the Linux Kernel, and thus, is a linux distribution. The kernel is what makes an OS what it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kernel_Layout.svg

Applications aren't the OS anyway. Applications are just mere extensions and whatnot written to handle that specific kernel.

Need more information?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29#Linux

Your Linux kernel doesn't need GNU to be Linux nor X.

BeRoot ReBoot

January 2nd, 2012, 07:40 PM

Yes, it is. Android uses the Linux Kernel, and thus, is a linux distribution. The kernel is what makes an OS what it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kernel_Layout.svg

Applications aren't the OS anyway. Applications are just mere extensions and whatnot written to handle that specific kernel.

Need more information?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29#Linux

Your Linux kernel doesn't need GNU to be Linux nor X.

That's true, but Android isn't GNU/Linux, which is what most people mean when they talk about "Linux" as an operating system.

Lucradia

January 2nd, 2012, 07:41 PM

But Android isn't GNU/Linux, which is what most people mean when they talk about "Linux" as an operating system.

Funny, when I talk about Linux, I talk about Linux; not GNU/Linux. Since GNU/Linux is GNU/Linux, not just Linux.

BeRoot ReBoot

January 2nd, 2012, 08:01 PM

Funny, when I talk about Linux, I talk about Linux; not GNU/Linux. Since GNU/Linux is GNU/Linux, not just Linux.

When talking about the kernel, I absolutely agree. However, talking about Linux as an operating system is a bit ambiguous, since there are several operating systems which use the Linux kernel, such as GNU/Linux (of which Debian, Redhat, Ubuntu etc are distributions), Plan9 and Android.

ubunterooster

January 2nd, 2012, 08:03 PM

My interest is getting it to work for Google TV. :D

Lucradia

January 2nd, 2012, 08:05 PM

When talking about the kernel, I absolutely agree. However, talking about Linux as an operating system is a bit ambiguous, since there are several operating systems which use the Linux kernel, such as GNU/Linux (of which Debian, Redhat, Ubuntu etc are distributions), Plan9 and Android.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs#UNIX_compatibility

Last sentence shows that the Linux compatibility is still WIP. (Via an emulator) UNIX is not Linux, and Plan 9 is not Linux. BSD is not Linux.

JDShu

January 2nd, 2012, 08:12 PM

It's pretty hilarious that people are calling a smartphone a PC. In terms of computing power and the literal meaning of "personal computer", perhaps. But a smartphone requires a data plan, can make calls over a wireless phone network, and can be carried around with you. It's a fundamentally different device with a fundamentally different usage to the Raspberry Pi.

Lucradia

January 2nd, 2012, 08:13 PM

Paqman

January 2nd, 2012, 08:19 PM

That's true, but Android isn't GNU/Linux, which is what most people mean when they talk about "Linux" as an operating system.

"Most people" better get with the times then. Android is going to be the dominant form of Linux on a wide range of devices. Certainly it'll be the main one that the masses use. GNU/Linux will continue to beaver away invisibly powering servers and embedded devices as it does now, but I think it's starting to be pretty obvious that we've missed the boat when it comes to personal devices.

BeRoot ReBoot

January 2nd, 2012, 08:41 PM

But a smartphone requires a data plan
No.

can make calls over a wireless phone network
What does that have to do with the fact that it's capable of general-purpose computation?

and can be carried around with you
See above.

It's a fundamentally different device with a fundamentally different usage to the Raspberry Pi.

Yes, but it's still a personal computer.

JDShu

January 2nd, 2012, 08:52 PM

No.

What does that have to do with the fact that it's capable of general-purpose computation?

Yes, but it's still a personal computer.

You don't use a smartphone in the way that you use a PC. You can be as literal in your definition as you like, but how you use a device is just as important as what it is capable of. In addition, a smartphone is in fact capable of more than the raspberyy pi and happens to be more expensive. People don't buy a Raspberry Pi for the same reasons as a smartphone.

BrokenKingpin

January 2nd, 2012, 10:13 PM

You don't use a smartphone in the way that you use a PC. You can be as literal in your definition as you like, but how you use a device is just as important as what it is capable of. In addition, a smartphone is in fact capable of more than the raspberyy pi and happens to be more expensive. People don't buy a Raspberry Pi for the same reasons as a smartphone.
++

No one is trying to disputing the fact that an Android smart phone is a very capable device... but people still may want something other than a damn smart phone for a media center front end or any other computing needs.

For me the Raspberry Pi is a cheap device where I can use them for multiple front ends... I could not afford a smart phone for each TV in the house (as the family could be using more than one TV at a time).

Lucradia

January 2nd, 2012, 10:33 PM

No.

Android Smartphones?

Yes, if they aren't rooted or anything. Verizon, Sprint and ATT require data plans for all android phones, at least when you order them from the websites they do. Or if you spend the extra money to get the device raw with a normal voice contract. By default, android devices here have "Data Enabled" Checked.

BeRoot ReBoot

January 3rd, 2012, 09:58 AM

Android Smartphones?

Yes, if they aren't rooted or anything. Verizon, Sprint and ATT require data plans for all android phones, at least when you order them from the websites they do. Or if you spend the extra money to get the device raw with a normal voice contract. By default, android devices here have "Data Enabled" Checked.

I feel sorry for you. I'm not sure where you live, but in the civilised world, smartphones can be bought from a hardware vendor, hardware-only, and used with a carrier of your choice, or without a carrier if you don't need the 3g/voice/text functions. You're wrong.

ssam

January 3rd, 2012, 11:53 AM

if your smart phone is an openmoko (http://projects.goldelico.com/p/gta04-main/) then you can install any linux distro (with an arm port) to it :-)

back to the point, the raspberrypi is pretty cool. like a cheaper, smaller version of the beagleboard.

Grenage

January 3rd, 2012, 12:06 PM

thatguruguy

January 3rd, 2012, 01:36 PM

The Raspberry is as much a computer an a smartphone is, but it's semantics - obviously.

While I am intrigued by the range of cheap and tiny boards coming out, I am highly sceptical as to how well they can handle modern media. I can't imagine them hosting a modern media centre.

It seems like even the sub-$200 tablets can handle 1080p output through HDMI nowadays, and most of the cost for those units is tied into the display rather than the cpu and gpu. Apparently, that's the one thing they are truly optimized for.

3rdalbum

January 3rd, 2012, 01:40 PM

I don't believe that the Raspberry Pi can play 1080p video; not flawlessly.

However, I'd love one. They don't come in a case yet, but I'd be quite happy to make my own little wooden case for it. I have no woodworking skills but the cost of materials would be so low that I could afford to make some mistakes.

Such cheap computing power is enticing. As long as 256MiB of RAM is enough to run a desktop environment.

Grenage

January 3rd, 2012, 01:41 PM

Apparently so! I've not had a tablet to play with, so I've never personally been able to play a high-quality file on one. By high-quality, I'm talking about a bare minimum of 25Mb/s.

ubiquitin.jf

January 3rd, 2012, 02:56 PM

matt_symes

January 3rd, 2012, 03:13 PM

I can't wait to get my hands on a RaspPi

And me. This little device has a ton of uses that i can think of.

solitaire

January 3rd, 2012, 03:32 PM

I don't believe that the Raspberry Pi can play 1080p video; not flawlessly...

Looks near enough flawless with the Star Trek Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=te8jt-jUkm8

BeRoot ReBoot

January 3rd, 2012, 04:44 PM

Good lord, people. Most smartphones don't have HDMI out and it would cost more than $25 to upgrade to one which does. I can't wait to get my hands on a RaspPi, my own little Debian box I can carry around in an Altoids tin!

But given that yours does, and you also have a computer running GNU/Linux, the RasPi is entirely redundant.

BrokenKingpin

January 3rd, 2012, 05:37 PM

I don't believe that the Raspberry Pi can play 1080p video; not flawlessly.

It does according to some of the videos and information on their website.

Apparently the XBMC is playing around with them, so maybe we will see that running on it in the near future, which would just be awesome.

hkgonra

January 3rd, 2012, 09:13 PM

It does according to some of the videos and information on their website.

Apparently the XBMC is playing around with them, so maybe we will see that running on it in the near future, which would just be awesome.

I find that hard to believe considering I have yet to see a netbook that was play 720p without being jumpy.

t0p

January 3rd, 2012, 10:54 PM

The Raspberry Pi looks like a very interesting gadget, and $25 is a trivial price. I'd like one just to play with, to see what I could make it do.

Incidentally, I have an Android smartphone and as far as I'm concerned it is a computer. Sure, I use it mostly for SMS and phone calls - but I've also installed a heap of apps (abbreviation for applications, just like we use on our bigger, more conventional computers) which use the phone's computing capabilities to do stuff that has nothing to do with telephony. It is a versatile gadget, and to deny its status as a computer is just rude. As is the suggestion that Android isn't a Linux OS.

But that has nothing to do with the Raspberry Pi. I'll watch it with interest.

Paqman

January 4th, 2012, 10:18 AM

the RasPi is entirely redundant.

It's designed as an inexpensive device for schools to give to kids, so they can get into programming the same way people used to bash away at their Spectrums and Commodore 64s. I think you're somewhat missing the point here.