Anyone used a Raspberry Pi?? Know what it is?

[ampere]

Confess I hadn't heard if it til 10 minutes ago when DS1 (Y8) announced he wants one and DH, via 'messenger' is enthusiastic.

What does it DO?! Something about learning how to program?

raspberry pi I have one on order for the DS', hopefully it will get them into a bit of programming, stimulate their interest, that sort of thing. I've had an email that mine will ship at the end of June.

I believe you can't get one at the moment. They have been so swapped with orders that they aren't taking any more at the moment. My son is also desperate for one.

uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=raspberrypi

I was on the interested list for a while before I got confirmation that they were processing my order. I think there has been a delay with getting them signed off electrically but now they are starting to fill the orders they have.

We're going to get one for DS1 as he's starting a Computing GCSE in September. Having said that, me and DH would probably have got one anyway, just because he likes a bit of computer geekery

We're on the list to get one, no idea when though. We get regular email updates.

On the list. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

We have two desktop PCs, two laptops and one tablet BUT DP wants to buy a Pi???

It's like having a Blu Ray player and wanting to buy a small & cheap VHS player.

ds wants one, but didn't get on the list until quite recently, so is waiting not very patiently. It will replace a broken screened laptop that currently runs an application at certain times of day. Apparently it will be silent whereas the old laptop sounds like a hoover. He is very into programming already.

Yes Poosh but you can't take your Blu ray apart and look at the insides and see how it all works can you? That will be the joy of the pi, a bit like having an old car you can tinker with rather than a modern super car that you can't touch.

I read DH's PC Pro article about it and suggested that he got one to start DS off with. It sounds as though it is possible to program using predeveloped chunks that are available from their website - so build your own basic games etc.

Its also very, very, very straightfoward - just the chips and the ports.

We're on the waiting list through RS Components. They keep sending me little updates to my inbox from RS online. I read somewhere that several thousand are waiting ahead of us, but the company has promised to keep producing to meet demand and not to increase the price from £22 or thereabouts. You will need a spare monitor, keyboard etc as well though.

R-Pi is a single board and stripped down computer made to encourage developing fundamental computing skills (rather than using applications - not that there is anything wrong with that) like the very early days of personal computing back in the 80s. This is brilliant. However, most of us already have full-blown computers around and they will do all the things stripped down ones will do. So, if the goal if to learn programming, control devices, and generally mess around (best way to learn), then there is perhaps no need to wait for the next batch of thousands to be ready.

If you are worried about messing up the config of a current PC/Mac, then dig up an old laptop or buy an obsolete one on eBay. I believe that R-Pi documentations are available which may be an easy shortcut to learn to play with a full-blown PC if you do not want to rummage around online for tutorials and so on. As for languages for coding, there are many available for free, Java, Python, Visual Basic ...

I forgot to mention that if the aim is to learn coding/programming, then MS Office already has built-in tools to start. Excel is especially good for that. Just look up how to write macro or VBA. There is really no need to wait or buy anything.

"Yes Poosh but you can't take your Blu ray apart and look at the insides and see how it all works can you?"

Last night I unscrewed the side panel of my PC and I said 'son, this is the insides of a PC and this is how it works' :o

Just got my special password for ordering my Raspberry Pi and then it's 3 weeks to delivery. Hope ds likes it when it arrives as it is now a very late birthday present. Or perhaps I could be a cheapskate and save it for Christmas.