# Got Pi of the Raspberry persuasion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 1, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065 "2013-02-01T20:28:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/1 "2013-02-01T20:28:32Z")
Anyone have a [Raspberry](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/personaltech/raspberry-pi-a-computer-tinkerers-dream.html?_r=0)[Pi?](http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs) Got any thoughts or experiences to share? I can’t resist. When come back, you know what to bring. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/2 "2013-02-01T22:29:48Z")
There was a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=657987) about it. Not much in the way of first hand reports except from **Turble**. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/3 "2013-02-01T22:56:48Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > There was a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=657987) about it. Not much in the way of first hand reports except from **Turble**. 5 months is a long time in this biz. Any updates? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/4 "2013-02-02T18:44:27Z")
There was just an article in the NYT about how they continue to sell way past expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/5 "2013-02-02T19:32:30Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > There was just an article in the NYT about how they continue to sell way past expectations. You mean this one? > [@Musicat](#): > > [Raspberry](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/personaltech/raspberry-pi-a-computer-tinkerers-dream.html?_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/6 "2013-02-02T20:13:21Z")
I’ve got one - booted it up a few times and did various ordinary linux desktop stuff. One day I’ll use it for some sort of project, but no firm plans right now. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/7 "2013-02-02T20:17:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve got one - booted it up a few times and did various ordinary linux desktop stuff. One day I’ll use it for some sort of project, but no firm plans right now. Is there a practical use for it, or is it just for a tinkerer who didn’t live thru the 1970’s when most computers had to be soldered together and programmed by hackers? ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/8 "2013-02-02T20:54:59Z")
I started the last thread. Still haven’t got one yet but [raspberrypi.org](http://raspberrypi.org) is always blogging about cool things someone did with their pi. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/9 "2013-02-02T21:21:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Is there a practical use for it, or is it just for a tinkerer who didn’t live thru the 1970’s when most computers had to be soldered together and programmed by hackers? I was surprised to learn they make capable [media players](http://www.raspbmc.com). Much of the tinkering seems to be in software. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/10 "2013-02-02T21:41:43Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You mean this one? I knew that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/11 "2013-02-02T21:43:35Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Is there a practical use for it, or is it just for a tinkerer who didn’t live thru the 1970’s when most computers had to be soldered together and programmed by hackers? Well, the article mentions that some people are using them as media players. But it’s not sold for a particular purpose, but as a platform that users can find their own use for. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/12 "2013-02-03T00:21:05Z")
I want one, but I’m not sure for what. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/13 "2013-02-03T15:56:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, the article mentions that some people are using them as media players. But it’s not sold for a particular purpose, but as a platform that users can find their own use for. They were developed for a particular purpose: education. The idea was to have a computer that kids (of any age) can freely experiment with to learn how how software and hardware work and won’t cost a fortune to fix when (not if) said experiments mess something up. And to answer the actual question, I have two. I bought the first one when they first came out and the second when the 512 Mb version came out. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/14 "2013-02-03T17:50:11Z")
I want one. My friend is bring his over today… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/15 "2013-02-03T18:53:22Z")
I bought my brother one for his 52nd birthday. He is a computer programmer of the era when this should have been a huge deal. It went over like a lead zeppelin. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/16 "2013-02-03T22:29:05Z")
Like I said in the other thread, **FtGKid2** uses it as a media center. (I.e., what passes as a TV nowadays.) Big hard drive, Internet connection, monitor, etc. Watches videos on it. I sometimes wonder if it is working all that well as a DVR using [XBMC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC). Be a really cheap solution to a DIY DVR. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/17 "2013-02-04T12:35:43Z")
Timely thread - we all just got given them at work (as a delayed Xmas present from our wonderful boss) - we got the Model B (the one with the Ethernet jack and more memory) and _also_ a case for it. Awesome sauce! I’ve already booted mine up with the standard image, not gotten time to play yet. I intend using mine for an animatronics project, as the central controller/brain for a set of Arduinos. Each of which will drive a single tentacle of a larger … thing. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/18 "2013-02-04T18:06:23Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Timely thread - we all just got given them at work (as a delayed Xmas present from our wonderful boss) - we got the Model B (the one with the Ethernet jack and more memory) and _also_ a case for it. Awesome sauce! > > I’ve already booted mine up with the standard image, not gotten time to play yet. > > I intend using mine for an animatronics project, as the central controller/brain for a set of Arduinos. > > Each of which will drive a single tentacle of a larger … thing. I’ve seen enough hentai to know where this is going. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/19 "2013-02-04T19:52:37Z")
I spent part of yesterday tinkering with a friend’s Pi while we ignored the Super Bowl. We plan to make it the brains of a distributed control system for some things on his family’s ranch, with more nebulous plans for some other similar projects. For now, we’ve just got it up and running with wifi, and are looking at setting up a webserver and mesh networking on it. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065/20 "2013-02-06T17:21:47Z")
Am I reading that to have something like a true computer from this, you will have to build your own, at more expense? In other words, this is just a hard drive or a motherboard, and if you want to have any functionality, you have to do your own work, and add peripherals, etc…IOW, you can 'add all you want…at a cost, of course"? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-pi-of-the-raspberry-persuasion/649065.md?page=2)