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Are you getting a Raspberry Pi 2?
I previously had a Raspberry Pi (first version) and was unimpressed with it. I still kept the original O/S, but apparently when I booted it in the RB2, it didn't work. I had to download all new O/S and am now running the default Raspbian (Debian Wheezy). I may also check out some other projects, as outlined in the latest issue of Magpi #31 (download the magazine for free).
I also recommend getting two Micro SD cards (sizes 8GB or larger) so you can experiment with different O/S. For example, I have two: Raspbian and OSMC (a version of RaspBMC that will run on RP2).
I'd actually forgot how un-user friendly Linux was. I tried out Snappy Ubuntu, but was shocked that the Raspberry Pi version is command line only (Ubuntu on the desktop was designed to be all graphical user interface.)
Anyway, despite all my complaints, for $35, plus or minus other miscellaneous add-ons (like keyboard and wifi dongle), I highly recommend you get one of these if you are at all interested in playing around with Raspbian (for now).
Before you get the $35 Raspberry Pi 2, here are some other items that you will need:
I also recommend getting two Micro SD cards (sizes 8GB or larger) so you can experiment with different O/S. For example, I have two: Raspbian and OSMC (a version of RaspBMC that will run on RP2).
I'd actually forgot how un-user friendly Linux was. I tried out Snappy Ubuntu, but was shocked that the Raspberry Pi version is command line only (Ubuntu on the desktop was designed to be all graphical user interface.)
Anyway, despite all my complaints, for $35, plus or minus other miscellaneous add-ons (like keyboard and wifi dongle), I highly recommend you get one of these if you are at all interested in playing around with Raspbian (for now).
Before you get the $35 Raspberry Pi 2, here are some other items that you will need:
- MicroUSB power adapter (5 Volt).
You may already own one of these, especially if you've bought a cellphone in the past few years. Look to spend less than $10 for one of these.
- USB keyboard and mouse
You probably have a keyboard or mouse already, but if not, you can probably spend $10 for the cheapest.
- Ethernet cord
You may have a few of these around the house, but if not it's cheap $5.
- 8GB or larger MicroSD card
You can find these all over the place for about $10.
If you add up everything, suddenly the $35 computer is more or less around $70.
Optional items you may want:
Most software is free, due to the nature of the open source community of Linux users. Most of the software you will want are already preinstalled on the OS, including the built-in omxplayer and Leaf Text Editor and web browser.... However, you may also want to get some of these:
The free software you can get from the repository, so all you need to know is the name of the software. I am sure if you google it, you will find all the proper names.
To install you have to launch the terminal and type in "sudo apt-get install (name)". It is pretty easy, but if you came from the Windows world, this is an odd way of installing software.
I spent a lot of time working tweaking things because it is the community that are coding software and may not concentrate on things you are interested int. For example, the built-in video player omxplayer does not have a GUI and is launched only from the terminal. You can live with this if you know all the keyboard shortcuts, but for most users, this is not acceptable. Sure, you can always run Rasbmc, but I would just prefer to play a movie file directly from the desktop.
The other thing that I don't like about the Raspberry Pi is that there is no on/off/reset switch. It just automatically turns on when you plug in. Local time zone is default to Britain (which is fine, but changing it to US was a pain in the butt because it is all terminal-based/command line). Just changing the time was a hassle - but in order to display the correct time and date, you have to set your local time zone.
Like I said, while this is fun for the curious and adventurous and students learning about these things... Linux is just not for everybody. I still recommend waiting for Windows 10, but given the nature of the Arm processor and limited resources... Windows 10 may actually suffer from all the shortcomings of Raspberian.
Optional items you may want:
- Case enclosure.
- WiFi dongle
- 32GB USB Flash Drive (for data storage)
- Bluetooth USB Receiver
- Libreoffice (aka Open Office).
- Solitaire
- Iceweasel Browser (Firefox)
To install you have to launch the terminal and type in "sudo apt-get install (name)". It is pretty easy, but if you came from the Windows world, this is an odd way of installing software.
I spent a lot of time working tweaking things because it is the community that are coding software and may not concentrate on things you are interested int. For example, the built-in video player omxplayer does not have a GUI and is launched only from the terminal. You can live with this if you know all the keyboard shortcuts, but for most users, this is not acceptable. Sure, you can always run Rasbmc, but I would just prefer to play a movie file directly from the desktop.
The other thing that I don't like about the Raspberry Pi is that there is no on/off/reset switch. It just automatically turns on when you plug in. Local time zone is default to Britain (which is fine, but changing it to US was a pain in the butt because it is all terminal-based/command line). Just changing the time was a hassle - but in order to display the correct time and date, you have to set your local time zone.
Like I said, while this is fun for the curious and adventurous and students learning about these things... Linux is just not for everybody. I still recommend waiting for Windows 10, but given the nature of the Arm processor and limited resources... Windows 10 may actually suffer from all the shortcomings of Raspberian.
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