The
Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card
sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and
uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables
people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in
languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d
expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing
high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing
games.
The
Raspberry Pi has a Broadcom BCM2835 system on chip(SoC), which includes an
ARM1176JZF-S700 MHz processor, Video
Core IV GPU,and was originally shipped with 256 megabytes
of RAM, later upgraded (Model B & Model B+) to 512 MB. It does not include a built-in hard
disk or solid state drive, but it uses an SD CARD for booting and persistent
storage, with the Model B+ using a MicroSD.
The
Raspberry Pi primarily uses Linux kernel-based operating systems (it is not
possible to run Windows on the Raspberry Pi). The ARM11 is based on version 6
of the ARM on which several popular versions of Linux no longer run (in current
releases), including Ubuntu. The install manager for Raspberry Pi is NOOBS. The
OSs included with NOOBS are:
Archlinux ARM
Open ELEC[59]
Raspbmc and
the XBMC open source digital media center
RISC OS – The
operating system of the first ARM-based computer
Raspbian
(recommended) – Maintained independently of the Foundation. It provides some
available deb software packages, pre-compiled software bundles. A minimum size
of 2 GB SD card is required, but a 4 GB SD card or above is recommended.
The Raspbian Server Edition is a stripped
version with other software packages bundled as compared to the usual desktop
computer oriented Raspbian.
