Raspberry Pi. For those who can't afford a laptop or desktop

[Nayab Basha Sayed]

The Raspberry Pi is a single board computer, credit card sized installed with Raspbian (based on Debian) Linux OS. Costs less than $30. Especially useful for students. Check here.
Raspberry Pi for Every Student and Hobbiest (http://linuxosandme.blogspot.in/2014/02/its-raspberry-pi-every-student-hobbiest.html)

[aromo2]

I have one. Total cost comes more in the $100-$150 range (without purchasing keyboard, mouse or monitor). It is ok for learning Linux or for a specific use (real-time control), but for general use I'm considering re-formatting my old battery-less laptop.

That's my opinion.

[SeijiSensei]

I bought a Raspberry Pi from Amazon a while back. aromo2 is correct that you're looking at $100 or so if you include a power supply ($10), wireless adapter ($10), a memory card ($10), a USB drive ($20), and a box to enclose the circuit board ($15). That's without a keyboard or mouse. A good Logitech wireless combo like the MK520 is another $30.

[Don_Stahl]

I looked into RP, and BeagleBone and Cubieboard, and pretty much decided that a reconditioned laptop would be as cheap, and usually faster. Plus you get the flexibility of installing many kinds of OS besides Android and Raspian. But those little micro-boards are very interesting, all right.

[fugu2]

I looked into RP, and BeagleBone and Cubieboard, and pretty much decided that a reconditioned laptop would be as cheap, and usually faster. Plus you get the flexibility of installing many kinds of OS besides Android and Raspian. But those little micro-boards are very interesting, all right.

One thing to note: An old laptop i think requires about 45-65 Watts of power to run, if you need it to run all the time it's more cost effictive to run the 5W raspberry pi.

[Bucky Ball]

Thanks for sharing, but sort of old news around here. ;)

Lots of us are using them already and have been for some time. I use one as a media server. No way would I ever consider using one as my everyday computer, but then I am in circumstances where I don't need to. If things were different and that was the only option I'd be doing what I could to make it happen!

PS: and yes, total cost is more like AU$100. Performance is greatly improved by using a powered USB hub and installing the OS using the SD card and a USB (extremely easy with RaspBMC). There are cables, keyboard and mouse, a Flirc USB dongle if you want to go that far. It all adds up.

There's also OpenElec as an OS option and probably others.

[CharlesA]

One thing to note: An old laptop i think requires about 45-65 Watts of power to run, if you need it to run all the time it's more cost effictive to run the 5W raspberry pi.

It also depends on what applications you want to run. There are some things that don't want to run on a ARM processor.

I've looked into getting one of those "all in one" bundles for a Raspberry Pi to play around with Bind on but it would run around 80 bucks or so. It would be easier and cost less just to run a VM on a desktop or server.

[mastablasta]

might be better for desktop use to get older mashcines and install LXDE or some other easy to use DE on it. but for somethign that should be on all the time and quiet Rpi is the way to go. the energy consumption is really low. perfect for media center, file server etc...

[ssam]

They are just about usable as a basic desktop. I use one with many terminals open ssh'ed into remote machines. It also manages email fine. Many webpages are so full of javascript and animations that they feel very slow.

There have been improvements to graphics driver in the past few months, so if you have not tried it for a while, it maybe worth a retry. Also there is a lot of work to get wayland running on it, taking full advantage of the GPU. So it could be quite smooth for desktop stuff soon.

pricewise, it depends if you have spare SDcards, keyboard, etc already. Its worth looking for bundles. There are other more powerful ARM boards if you are willing to pay a little more
* BeagleBone http://beagleboard.org/
* ODROID http://www.hardkernel.com
* Improv http://makeplaylive.com
and many more

[Warpnow]

No way should it cost you $100 to get your pi running without kb/mouse.

Preassembled kit on amazong for $63, you could do it cheaper buying the parts yourself, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Complete-Starter-Kit-Model/dp/B00GGM0Y66/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1392834548&sr=8-11&keywords=raspberry+pi

[lykwydchykyn]

No way should it cost you $100 to get your pi running without kb/mouse.

Preassembled kit on amazong for $63, you could do it cheaper buying the parts yourself, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Complete-Starter-Kit-Model/dp/B00GGM0Y66/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1392834548&sr=8-11&keywords=raspberry+pi

If we're talking about using the Pi as a general purpose workstation computer, you'd really need to add some more storage (kit has 4GB SD card!) as well as a powered USB hub or bluetooth adapter to connect keyboard and mouse (I have been told the non-powered ones don't work).

You also have to keep in mind that an HDMI monitor is necessary; not everyone has one of those. If you're stuck with VGA monitors like me, the officially endorsed VGA adapter (the PiView -- cheaper models are reported not to work) is $20 or so. I priced this out a few months ago (there's even a thread somewhere in the Cafe about it); for general-purpose computing, I just can't see any way a person isn't better off with a 5-6 year-old second-hand laptop (which you can easily find for $150 or less) running some lightweight Linux.

Now, if your goal is a server, an XBMC box, or doing some cool hacker project, it's very competitively priced.

[D_H]

If you have a keyboard mouse and wanted to just get one up and running some console emulators - what would that run?

[lz1dsb]

Raspberry Pi looks really cool and I'm looking forward to give it a try when I have a bit more spare time... but, for general purpouse computing I think Intel's NUCs are fare better. Though they come a bit pricey, you need to add an HDD, RAM, keyboar, mourse, monitor. But.. you also need those with Raspberry Pi, right...

[SeijiSensei]

If we're talking about using the Pi as a general purpose workstation computer, you'd really need to add some more storage (kit has 4GB SD card!) as well as a powered USB hub or bluetooth adapter to connect keyboard and mouse (I have been told the non-powered ones don't work).

The pricing I gave included a 16 GB SD card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WIRFD2/) and a 32 GB USB drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00812F7O8/). I looked at the packaged kits (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_4?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=raspberry+pi+kit&sprefix=rasp%2Caps%2C174) and thought they were too skimpy.

[fugu2]

It also depends on what applications you want to run. There are some things that don't want to run on a ARM processor.

I've looked into getting one of those "all in one" bundles for a Raspberry Pi to play around with Bind on but it would run around 80 bucks or so. It would be easier and cost less just to run a VM on a desktop or server.

For the price, VirtualBox is the way to go. And there is lots that won't run on the ARM, but you'd be suprised what you can get to run on it. I managed to get snort to compile and run on the raspian, but that is it, it runs at 100% cpu. I haven't tried a raspi tinyhoneypot but I'm planning on it. 512MB ram is part of the limitations. It also can't remember the date/time when it loses power cause there is no battery. The thing with a VM is it would only run when your computer is on, if you had other web enabled devices that need bind services, you'll have to keep you computer running. Most full size computer power supplies are running at least 400Watts and usually more, which is just like running 4 100 Watt light bulbs constantly. I'm not sure what electricity rate are right now but at some point you may end up saving money by getting one!
#CapitalCostsVsOperatingCosts

[mastablasta]

For the price, VirtualBox is the way to go. And there is lots that won't run on the ARM, but you'd be suprised what you can get to run on it. I managed to get snort to compile and run on the raspian, but that is it, it runs at 100% cpu. I haven't tried a raspi tinyhoneypot but I'm planning on it. 512MB ram is part of the limitations. It also can't remember the date/time when it loses power cause there is no battery. The thing with a VM is it would only run when your computer is on, if you had other web enabled devices that need bind services, you'll have to keep you computer running. Most full size computer power supplies are running at least 400Watts and usually more, which is just like running 4 100 Watt light bulbs constantly. I'm not sure what electricity rate are right now but at some point you may end up saving money by getting one!
#CapitalCostsVsOperatingCosts


and the 512MB ram is split between GPU and CPU!

actually computers don't run at 400 W all the time. you would need full load on CPU, GPU, RAM, hard disk spinning to get there. i am not saying it's not possible but usually computer runs at a lower power usage... more they run at about 40-60 W. laptops run at even less. netbooks and ultrabooks even less. i think my E450 netbook usage is at about 17 w or lower, while intel Atoms use even lower power.


i've ptut together a media center (which doesn't need keyboard&mouse). together with cables, PSU and box it cost me about 70 EUR (together with shipping) which is about 90$ i then added an external 2TB USB disk with it's own power that was "on sale" for 75 EUR (close to 100$) and that's it.
i considered buying Android based TV center but all were more expencive (though they did have a much beter CPU). i found nice one with intel celeron but again it would cost me more in total. and since i don't really need speed that much and every EUR counts...

anyway mouse and keyboard do work without USB hub. in fact when i was testing it i had it on load together with Wi-fi card and wireless keyboard and mouse. the keyboard occasionally didn't grab, but that is because the wi-fi dongle was in. if i removed it, it worked well.

i also got the default 8GB noobs card. it's fast enough. 4Gb is not enough for latest versions of raspbian i believe.

[ssam]

You also have to keep in mind that an HDMI monitor is necessary; not everyone has one of those. If you're stuck with VGA monitors like me, the officially endorsed VGA adapter (the PiView -- cheaper models are reported not to work) is $20 or so.

It also works with DVI monitors. HDMI to DVI cables/adaptors are cheap because the standards are electrically the same.

[lykwydchykyn]

The pricing I gave included a 16 GB SD card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WIRFD2/) and a 32 GB USB drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00812F7O8/). I looked at the packaged kits (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_4?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=raspberry+pi+kit&sprefix=rasp%2Caps%2C174) and thought they were too skimpy.

Yup, and you came up to about $100, which is about what I came to also.

[fugu2]

i also got the default 8GB noobs card. it's fast enough. 4Gb is not enough for latest versions of raspbian i believe.
I managed to get the cli installation of raspbian onto a 2GB sd card, using an 8GB sd card to do the initial installation in cli/text mode, then with the help of gparted I shrunk the partition size to under 2GB
then using dd i made an img of the 8GB SD card and copied it to the 2GB card, then inflated the 2GB card so I had a little bit of free space
emphasis on little :)

[Nayab Basha Sayed]

I have one. Total cost comes more in the $100-$150 range (without purchasing keyboard, mouse or monitor). It is ok for learning Linux or for a specific use (real-time control), but for general use I'm considering re-formatting my old battery-less laptop.

That's my opinion.

Yes. For real time control it is very useful. TV can be used as screen. Accessories may be costly but don't need all of those. Still its better no?

[Nayab Basha Sayed]

Thanks for sharing, but sort of old news around here. ;)

Lots of us are using them already and have been for some time. I use one as a media server. No way would I ever consider using one as my everyday computer, but then I am in circumstances where I don't need to. If things were different and that was the only option I'd be doing what I could to make it happen!

PS: and yes, total cost is more like AU$100. Performance is greatly improved by using a powered USB hub and installing the OS using the SD card and a USB (extremely easy with RaspBMC). There are cables, keyboard and mouse, a Flirc USB dongle if you want to go that far. It all adds up.

There's also OpenElec as an OS option and probably others.

You must be hobbyist then. Not a lot of people know about RPi.

[Bucky Ball]

A lot of people here do. You are posting on a Linux forum. ;)

As I say, old news round here. There are threads and threads about the Pi here and I almost put this one into Recurring Discussions for that very reason.

I've had mine up and running for about a year now. I'm not alone. They were for hobbyists when they first came out. Now common knowledge for those into that sort of thing which, as LInux users, we are. No hobbyist. I use my Pi as a serious media server. It does the job faultlessly (well, sometimes a little temperamental). ;)

No bad, the Pi great (IMHO).

PS: The Raspberry Pi, and this you can check with the people that originally developed and created the Pi, was never intended for any of this, including as a computer replacement. They were designed for education and experimentation. Have a look. You can use the Pi in comibination with breadboards and a bunch of other add ons. That's what they were originally developed for. Once the LInux crowd got hold of them they took on a whole new life! The Pi as a reliable desktop??? Hmm. That would be saying a loaf of bread is a doughnut. But, as I said originally, if the Pi was the only option it could possibly serve as a very limited, and possibly tempremental, substitute for a regular desktop or laptop computer. But don't expect much.

After all, look at the specs. It has 512Mb of RAM and a low GHz ARM processor.

No offense intended, just how it is. ;)

[mintfan7200]

Anybody purchased or used a raspberry pi (http://www.raspberrypi.org/) ? It looks interesting are they worth buying ? What versions of linux can you actually run on it ?

[tomearp]

I find them very useful for acting as VPN endpoints. If you install Chromium and CUPS you can use them to link network printers etc. up to Google Cloud Print. Install SAMBA and you have a simple file server.

There are images (http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads) available for running:
Raspbian (Debian-based distro)
Pidora (Fedora remix)
RaspBMC (XBMC media centre distro)
OpenELEC (XBMC media centre distro)
RISC OS
Arch Linux

[howefield]

Threads merged.

[Nayab Basha Sayed]

A lot of people here do. You are posting on a Linux forum. ;)

As I say, old news round here. There are threads and threads about the Pi here and I almost put this one into Recurring Discussions for that very reason.

I've had mine up and running for about a year now. I'm not alone. They were for hobbyists when they first came out. Now common knowledge for those into that sort of thing which, as LInux users, we are. No hobbyist. I use my Pi as a serious media server. It does the job faultlessly (well, sometimes a little temperamental). ;)

No bad, the Pi great (IMHO).

PS: The Raspberry Pi, and this you can check with the people that originally developed and created the Pi, was never intended for any of this, including as a computer replacement. They were designed for education and experimentation. Have a look. You can use the Pi in comibination with breadboards and a bunch of other add ons. That's what they were originally developed for. Once the LInux crowd got hold of them they took on a whole new life! The Pi as a reliable desktop??? Hmm. That would be saying a loaf of bread is a doughnut. But, as I said originally, if the Pi was the only option it could possibly serve as a very limited, and possibly tempremental, substitute for a regular desktop or laptop computer. But don't expect much.

After all, look at the specs. It has 512Mb of RAM and a low GHz ARM processor.

No offense intended, just how it is. ;)

I checked their site. I know its histroty. Its definitely not a replacement for good configuration system :). I recommended here for education purpose only. Thank you again. :cool:.

[mikewhatever]

...

PS: The Raspberry Pi, and this you can check with the people that originally developed and created the Pi, was never intended for any of this, including as a computer replacement. They were designed for education and experimentation. Have a look. You can use the Pi in comibination with breadboards and a bunch of other add ons. That's what they were originally developed for. Once the LInux crowd got hold of them they took on a whole new life! The Pi as a reliable desktop??? Hmm. That would be saying a loaf of bread is a doughnut. But, as I said originally, if the Pi was the only option it could possibly serve as a very limited, and possibly tempremental, substitute for a regular desktop or laptop computer. But don't expect much.

After all, look at the specs. It has 512Mb of RAM and a low GHz ARM processor.

No offense intended, just how it is. ;)

+1. There is no way the Pi is a replacement for laptops and desktops. Despite Pi's advantages, it's just not poweful enough for general use.
IMHO, the 59$ Odroid U3 (http://hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php) is a much better deal.

[knpoe]

it does hardware h264 ... http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=54331 useful thing?:


by rpdom (http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=17042&sid=9c41d7eb57fdbaf7ae0595cf79e3e962) » Sat Aug 31, 2013 12:45 am

Have you tried omxtx? You would need to download the source and build it yourself, and it is a bit rough around the edges, but it uses hardware decoding and hardware encoding on the Pi.

I transcode mpeg2 files to mp4 quite often and usually get about 90fps conversion rate with omxtx, while using very little CPU http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

The project seems to have stalled, but the code is available on github and works most of the time (it's not too good at handling multiple errors in the source file) and produces lots (too many) information/debug messages.

Command is


omxtx input_file output_file

[help_me2]

+1. There is no way the Pi is a replacement for laptops and desktops. Despite Pi's advantages, it's just not poweful enough for general use.
IMHO, the 59$ Odroid U3 (http://hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php) is a much better deal.

I agree with using an Odroid as a computer running linux. But I have an RPi, and run XBMC as a media server. I love it.

[help_me2]

+1. There is no way the Pi is a replacement for laptops and desktops. Despite Pi's advantages, it's just not poweful enough for general use.
IMHO, the 59$ Odroid U3 (http://hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php) is a much better deal.

I agree with using an Odroid as a computer running linux. But I have an RPi, and run XBMC as a media server. I love it.

[TheHesser]

You can buy a cheap older laptop for that price and install Ubuntu on it!
Dell Latitude D610 works great with Ubuntu 12.04.

But I like the Raspberry Pi. I would love to check it out in the near future.
I have seen many great things made of them. Just google 'raspberry rack server' and see the amazing things people have built!