Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:16:44 -0500 From: Steven Kreuzer <skreuzer@freebsd.org> To: george@ceetonetechnology.com Cc: freebsd-arm@freebsd.org Subject: Re: RaspberryPi Matters. Message-ID: <CAFFB%2BpQ-96PoVJy89f8tnv_4t57Y6qBhxPTaqrus4yiCqha97Q@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <50F35D6D.8040500@ceetonetechnology.com> References: <30AF1584-FFA7-4CF5-9647-D1E2570765EE@freebsd.org> <20130113182741.2b15429b@ivory.wynn.com> <50F35D6D.8040500@ceetonetechnology.com>
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On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 8:20 PM, George Rosamond < george@ceetonetechnology.com> wrote: > On 01/13/13 18:27, Brett Wynkoop wrote: > >> On Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:12:26 -0800 >> Tim Kientzle <kientzle@freebsd.org> wrote: >> >> Wonder how this compares to BeagleBone, PandaBoard, etc.? >>> >>> http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/**12/one-million-raspberry-pi-** >>> have-been-sold-since-launch/<http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/12/one-million-raspberry-pi-have-been-sold-since-launch/>; >>> >> >> I bet more pi have been sold because they are cheaper and they have >> more press. >> >> I plan to get a Pi as well, but I am waiting until I have my BeagleBone >> doing all I want it to do first. >> > > I tend to think the audience for the BeagleBone, PandaBoard, etc. is a bit > different from the standard Pi buyer. And probably significantly lower in > sales due to the angle of the Pi marketing and publicity. > The Raspberry Pi foundation's main goal is for figuring out a better way of teaching basic computer science in schools. I feel like the BeagleBone was mainly a way for TI to drum up interest in their OMAP SoCs and try and capture some of the market of folks who would otherwise use an Arduino but need a bit more processing power or GPIO pins. > > The NYC Maker Faire Pi event was packed, and the audience questions > focused on the graphics abilities of the Pi. I also think the Pi blossomed > as a holiday gift to and from a wider array of people, including the > last-minute relative who bought it for their "relative who's into > computers" or who is aspiring. > I feel like the graphics abilities are one of the main reasons there has been such widespread adoption. With the Raspberry Pi, you can plug it into the back of a TV, plug in a keyboard and mouse and you have a fully capable computer. With the BeagleBone, the only way to initially interface with it is via serial which means you need a computer. Once its configured, you can turn on ssh and log in over the network but you still need computer. Not to downplay the significance of the numbers, but I think a lot of Pis > will end up sitting quietly on bookshelves, gathering dust, in much higher > proportions than the other boards. > If the Raspberry Pi foundation is also successful in getting this widely adopted for education use, you are going to have a whole generation of kids who grow up learning python on the Raspberry Pi similar to how people used to learn basic on a Commodore 64 On the hobbyist side, I think in the long run the opposite is going to happen. The big win is that it has more output options then the BeagleBone. I have seen the Raspberry Pi used for everything from simple networked media players to a remote control for a dslr camera. Someone even used it to automate brewing of beer. Since the board is so cheap, once your project is "in production", you just leave it as is and go buy another one for 25 bucks. For me at least, the BeagleBone is just expensive enough that I wouldn't want to just go out and buy another one
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