What is it?
The Raspberry Pi website sums it up perfectly: “The Raspberry Pi is a credit card-sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard”.
Why?
The creators of the Raspberry Pi were aware that less and less children were coming through school learning about computers the way that previous generations had. So they created a small but fully functional computer which was available at a low cost – about £25 in the UK at the time. This can be connected to a TV as a screen, either a modern one using HDMI or an old analog TV using the composite video connector. It has connection(s) to use a standard USB keyboard and mouse and runs a number of different operating systems but the default is Raspbian, a version of Linux.
Connecting up the Pi and powering up typically opens a windows like interface on the screen with the typical tools and utilities you’d expect, for configuration, browsing the internet and writing code. So straight away it’s easy to get set up and be in a position to start to learn to code on a real machine with no complex installations or setup.
However this is really only the start, the small size, low power requirements and also the connectivity options on the Pi mean it has a huge number of potential uses.
In the time since the Pi was originally released (Feb 2012) a huge amount of information has been published, examples written, projects built and websites created to support and help people progress with the Pi.
Description
There is quite a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions on the Raspberry Pi site but here are our thoughts.
The Pi is a great tool when you want/need a full computer for your project, or you want to use a computer to surf the web, write code, do the things you would usually do on a PC or Mac but don’t have access to one or can’t use one for some reason. It can also function very well behind the scenes as a server, hosting information via a web server, storing data in a database or running automated tasks for say Home Automation.
It is designed developed and supported by the Raspberry Pi foundation and information shared on their website and via a monthly magazine the MagPi – which is available by subscription or for free download.
Originally there was a single model but now there are a number, with different features and capabilities, Makershed has a comparison chart – http://www.makershed.com/pages/raspberry-pi-comparison-chart. Their each have their uses, depending on what you’re looking to achieve. It could be low cost, low power, high speed, wifi connectivity, multiple USB ports there is likely to be a model that will fit your needs.
The addition of the PiZero to the family was huge, as this meant a full computer was available for a very low price, originally £5. It does have a cut down set of features and does not include wifi but they were so small and low cost that for the first time ever in Issue 40 if the MagPi they were given away for free on the cover!
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