Solder rot

Neither are what you'd call electronics suppliers. Won't be long before Maplin specialises in soft furnishings...

What indeed? Perhaps H&S in the factories making things? Although most are automated these days. And plenty other stuff uses lead - like say car batteries.

I don't think it gives you the real experience, although of course it's fine if you just want to play the games.

I'm not sure if emulators will ever be as good as the real thing - there's no way to emulate the feel of the keys, for instance.

cheers

Jules

BTW, has this been mentioned here;

At PyCon in September there was a lot of excitement about it.

But, unless it's taken up as part of some larger programme, as the BBC Micro was 30 years ago, I am not sure exactly what niche it will find outside a core nerd audience with a need for a small inexpensive computer - I don't think it's going to be wildly successful.

The schools - who ought to be leaping at it - are too dull and unadventurous to buy into it. Most people already have a big expensive computer that can do anything this small inexpensive computer can do.

Maybe it will find traction in other parts of the world.

It's not what I actually want for myself, because it's still just a small inexpensive PC, and there's nothing exciting about a PC to me. It has a pretty standard hardware and software architecture; it's a GNU/Linux box.

FIGnition - much less powerful, harder to use and much less standard - is more to my taste as far as having fun and learning about computers goes.

Daniele

Don't worry, their last computer was (highly recommended by the way) so they are used to these dreadful hardships, as if they deserved any better anyway.

Daniele

They could upgrade to:

I can see it getting snapped up to be a component in something... set top box, media streamer etc.

I agree - that is sadly likely.

A tiny linux box that presents I2C, SPI and a few raw GPIO pins whilst at the same time sporting 10/100 ethernet and HDMI that can drive a movie at

I'm going to buy one for the kids to replace some 8 year old broken laptops. They have access to a Samsung "TV" that is really a monitor (ie good resolution) with HDMI inputs. Just need a keyboard with a few USB ports on an internal hub and the job's jobbed.

It lacks suitable IO to be really useful doesn't it? Adding an i2c bus and a plug in format would make it a suitable card. Someone will copy it and do so, making a successful card and killing the original.

ASDA were selling 16.5" HD ready TVs earlier this week for £50, they had HDMI so would make a nice monitor.

It already has I2C, SPI, 8 GPIO pins and USB

Ah, dennis, once again the boundaries of your ignorance and ineptitude extend into another field.

As well as what Tim describes below, there's an addon IO board, which you would have known had you bothered reading before opening your trap and allowing the customary s*it to drool out.

T'was ever thus.

But, but, it's a bit ... crap, isn't it?

I don't think it may be copied - it's not an open source design, is it?

It has as mostly as much I/O connectivity as a small computer needs - USB and Ethernet. No wireless though.

Daniele

Agreed. If needed you can easily connect to WiFi or Bluetooth via a USB dongle, or even to WiFi via Ethernet to an external access point.

If they were going to add any extra ports, I'd have thought a VGA would be more useful, to allow use with old monitors kicking around, rather than a TV or HDMI/DVI equipped monitor.