Not really…
The Raspberry Pi and the iPad sparked off a conversation with @fraserspeirs, @funkeemonk @kevinhoctor, @craicdesign and @mdhughes – all much smarter than I.
Much of it was discussing the similarities and differences but the medium of Twitter is not well disposed to detailed conversations. The point being that the iPad and RasPi are not competing.
An iPad is a personal computer, a 1:1 device. It comes with a screen, a wireless card, 16 GB of storage, a series of accessible input software, bluetooth support for peripherals and a staggering array of software including, by default, the best mobile browser in existence. It has two cameras and a 10 hour battery. And you get that for £399. It’s designed to replace textbooks, deliver homework assignments and be a companion to every student in a school. They’re inexpensive for the possibilities but yes, they may be too much for some cash strapped school districts. And it is up to people with vision and ability to find ways to deliver on the 1:1 personal computer, if the budget is found lacking.
In comparison, the RasPi is an IO board, an ARM processor, a tiny bit of storage with a Linux kernel, a basic userland and a Python IDE. It will allegedly ship (in November) with a software stack that will enable it to be used by a student, parent or teacher. You will need a keyboard to plug into it, and a television (with either HDMI or Composite). It’s cheap enough for almost every district to buy but it’s a mistake to think that it’s the same thing as an iPad. And that’s because it’s not meant to be. The creators of RasPi say the device is for teaching computer programming. That capability is precisely what the iPad cannot do. Once you’ve added $100 of television and peripherals. And linked it to a wired ethernet switch. Then got it all working – you’re not saving much money.
You can’t compare the RasPi to the iPad any more than you compare it to the computer labs of standardised PC hardware which represents the “state of the art” in most computer facilities in schools (bringing an industry circa 1985-level experience to the classroom). They’re three different things – the most obvious thing being that the static computer lab of shared computers is, for the most part, redundant.
We should be aiming for every student to have an iPad-like device for their learning materials. And for those who show an interest, a RasPi becomes something they keep alongside their pencils and rulers in their schoolbag – something they bring home and work on. If a district can afford iPads, then they can afford a few RasPi. If they cannot afford iPads, then the RasPi is not a suitable replacement for either the iPad or the PC computer lab. Not for a few years anyway.
And yes, I’ll be buying a RasPi for my 10 year old (and my 9 year old) when they’re released.
The longer version of my thoughts: RasPi is neat like classic 8-bit micros, but is not an iPad equivalent. It’s a controller. It needs a portable case, screen, & inputs, because kids (or anyone learning) can’t be expected to find a TV & keyboard to do work.
It needs a software ecosystem. A great browser, e-reader, word processor, art program, are minimums. Some of those exist on Linux but only in resource-intensive form. OpenOffice and GIMP (ugh) are not the answer. I don’t personally believe open source is capable of meeting those needs, it’d need a professional sponsor.
OLPC had the right idea, even if the project sputtered out. Cheap, portable, and pre-installed with useful tools. The devs were academics, and Sugar is weird, but it’s a good, inspiring weird.
RasPi could get there with years of work. Or you can buy an iPad or netbook for a better tool now. An Intel netbook’s a good budget tool for learning programming, but would need a carefully-curated software install for students.
I think that’s a conflation of desires.
RasPi doesn’t need all of those things to deliver on what it’s meant to deliver. It’s meant to be an accessible, permissive hack platform. But they’re not going to manage it with a Python IDE and a command line.
I disagree that they need a word processor (see Text Editor), an art program (more a pixel editor).
It’s not meant to compete with iPad. It’s meant, I think, to be the extra gizmo that some students put in their bag in addition to their iPad. It’s the”badge” that you use to identify programmers from other students. Heck, build an iPad app to control or communicate with your little black box. Make it the modern Altair.
If a student gets one piece of tech, it must be something generally useful for schoolwork like an iPad or a netbook. And if they have one of those, they don’t need the RasPi, because you can learn programming on an iPad* or netbook.
Students won’t carry a second device, and no school is going to set up extra facilities & programs for it. To accomplish their goal, they have to do a large, useful subset of what the iPad or netbook does, at a lower cost, so they can be the one device.
* You can program on the iPad, if somewhat awkwardly. PyPad, iDOS, and other dev shells or emulators exist. Or give them an account on a server they can VLC into. Or even ssh, a shell account, and vim for learning web dev. I learned with such primitive tools, and that’s as good as what the RasPi offers.
It already has wordprocessors and other office apps. it runs linux, riscos and many other Os’s so i doubt ti twill take long to catch the imagination of forward thinkers. the applications are from my perspective limitless for such asmall cost effective device. And yes its a ‘DEVICE’ do with it what you will, and the eco system is already there, there’s a steadily growing following and i cant see this going away any time soon. we need products and devices like this to keep us focus on what computers where made for in schools.
I think a lot of people are going to miss the point about RASPI but hey its their loss.
Im 47 this year and will be happy to pick one of these up on day of launch and program away at it.