Raspberry Pi - Affordable ARM Computer

A New Computing Revolution from Cambridge

Significant developments have been underway in Cambridge, UK, a city renowned for its academic institutions. Over the course of the last year, a collaborative team comprised of scholars, entrepreneurs, educators, and software developers has been finalizing a particularly noteworthy endeavor.

Introducing the Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is an exceptionally inexpensive, credit-card sized computer poised to become available to enthusiastic programmers, hobbyists, and students by the close of February 2012.

Notably, the device will be offered at a price point of just $25, while still delivering substantial processing capabilities.

Why the Raspberry Pi is Generating Excitement

This project, driven by philanthropic goals, is anticipated to have a considerable impact. Its affordability and functionality are key factors contributing to the growing anticipation.

The Raspberry Pi aims to make computing accessible to a wider audience, fostering innovation and learning across various disciplines.

Here's a breakdown of what makes this project so promising:

• Affordability: A price of $25 dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring programmers.
• Compact Size: The credit-card form factor allows for versatile integration into diverse projects.
• Powerful Capabilities: Despite its size and cost, the device offers impressive performance.

The culmination of dedicated effort is about to deliver a tool with the potential to reshape the landscape of accessible computing.

The release of the Raspberry Pi marks a pivotal moment for education and technological exploration.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation: Origins and Goals

Prior to delving into the specifics of the Raspberry Pi’s hardware and software capabilities, and exploring its potential applications, it’s crucial to understand the foundation upon which the project was built.

The Raspberry Pi (often abbreviated as RasPi) originated with Eben Upton in 2006. He observed a noticeable decrease in the computer science proficiency of students applying to Cambridge University during his time as a lecturer and admissions officer.

From personal experience within the British educational framework, programming was not a core component of the curriculum. Instead, instruction focused on fundamental skills like word processing, spreadsheet software, and basic web design – utilizing programs such as FrontPage Express.

Upton recognized that applicants who had begun programming on older systems like the Commodore 64, Amiga, and BBC Micro computers demonstrated a stronger grasp of computer science principles than those from the more recent Windows-centric generation, who were primarily taught computer literacy rather than coding.

A significant decline in the number of applicants with programming experience reinforced his belief that schools were not adequately promoting programming education.

By 2008, the Raspberry Pi project had assembled a distinguished board of trustees. This included David Braben, a programmer and entrepreneur renowned for the space simulation game Elite, Jack Lang, a local academic and businessman, Pete Lomas, specializing in hardware design and manufacturing, and Alan Mycroft and Rob Mullins, both affiliated with the University of Cambridge Computer Lab.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is officially registered as a charity within the United Kingdom. Supporting the foundation is most effectively achieved through the purchase of a Raspberry Pi unit.

While designed primarily with educational purposes in mind, the RasPi’s versatility extends to a wide range of applications beyond the classroom.

Hardware, Software & Design

The core of each Raspberry Pi is the Broadcom BCM2835 system on a chip (SoC). This incorporates an ARM11 processor, functioning at 700MHz, alongside a robust Videocore 4 GPU. The GPU leverages OpenGL ES2.0 and OpenVG libraries to achieve notable 3D performance.

In terms of processing capability, this roughly equates to the graphical power of the original Xbox console. Comparatively, it performs similarly to a Pentium II processor running at 300MHz, but with significantly enhanced graphics capabilities.

Video output is facilitated through HDMI or composite connections, with VGA support absent. The device is capable of decoding 1080p H.264 Blu-ray quality video at 30 frames per second, delivering sound via HDMI.