The Raspberry Pi is a basic mini-computer that has been developed by a network of volunteers over the last six years with support from the Cambridge University. It was created in an effort to increase the programming skills in children and young adults.
“The decline in core computing skills is something we really want to address with Raspberry Pi. Overcoming students’ fear of programming for the first time is a critical step in unlocking the full potential of the smartest people in any industry,” said Eben Upton, co-founder of Raspberry Pi.
The device is sold without a keyboard, mouse or monitor and uncased, the chip motherboard is the size of a credit card. At 22 Pounds (Rs 1,700) the cheap computer sold out within hours of its UK launch.
The unit can be plugged into any TV, needs a keyboard and needs a LAN connection for the Internet.
Demand for the device caused problems for Web sites selling it, forcing The Raspberry Pi Foundation, which developed the device, to replace its site with a static page offering links to its sales partners.
“It has been a phenomenal morning. We have had a huge amount of traffic, almost half a million hits in 15 minutes at one point. Clearly there were a few issues but we are resolving them. This device is a phenomenal opportunity. It is a hugely powerful device; we are so excited about it,” said a spokesman for Premier Farnell, one of the sales partners.
The foundation said on their Web site that any profits it made from sales would be given to charity.
The Model B version which went for sale can be used for various purposes with two USB slots, an HDMI slot, an SD memory card slot and an Ethernet port. The PC uses an SD card as a hard drive and you can install linux on the device which is powered by a 700MHz processor. Raspberry Pi can also output full HD video and will have a version of the popular media centre software XBMC available for download.
“This is a fantastic concept – reuniting children’s creativity with technology. It’s a masterly stroke for and a great device to inspire and teach the younger generation about computer science and encourage them to learn about electronics and computing,” said Tilly Blyth, Curator of Computing & Information, Science Museum. “It’s an excellent opportunity to get young people into engineering, and programming – who knows it might inspire the next Alan Turing or Steve Jobs out there."
A cheaper 16 Pound (Rs 1,250 approx) version will go on sale later in the year.
The machine, which runs on open-source operating system Linux, can be hooked up to a typical computer monitor – with additional ports used to attach a keyboard, mouse and other peripherals.
Future versions will have an 8 core processor, improved GPU and WiFi amongst other significant improvements.
Under the Hood
» 700MHz ARM processor
» GPU can output 1080p
» 256MB RAM
» Ethernet socket
» HDMI socket
» Dual USB 2.0
» RCA video socket (for TV output)
» SD card socket, device boots from SD
» Powered from microUSB socket
» 3.5mm audio jack
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