£15 Computer ...

philip2009 · 6 May 2011 at 13:03

A 15 pound computer to inspire young programmers

It's not much bigger than your finger, it looks like a leftover from an electronics factory, but its makers believe their £15 computer could help a new generation discover programming.

The games developer David Braben and some colleagues came to the BBC this week to demonstrate something called Raspberry Pi. It's a whole computer on a tiny circuit board - not much more than an ARM processor, a USB port, and an HDMI connection. They plugged a keyboard into one end, and hooked the other into a TV they had brought with them.

The result, a working computer running on a Linux operating system for very little, and a device that will, like the kit computers of the 1970s and 80s, encourage users to tinker around under the bonnet and learn a bit of programming. And it's a yearning to return to those days that is driving Braben and the other enthusiasts who are working to turn this sketchy prototype into a product that could be handed to every child in Britain.

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Sounds like a fun toy for inquisitive kids.

Dano · 6 May 2011 at 13:08

Somebody go down there and stamp on the thing and then kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

Chaosboss · 6 May 2011 at 13:12

not bad not bad

!

Cosimo · 6 May 2011 at 13:15

It might be better to teach them how to read, write and do some mathematics properly before letting them lose on a wee bit of programming.

philip2009 · 6 May 2011 at 13:19

Dano said:
... kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

Bah, offtopic, found this on the Elite Wiki page under technical innovations -

However, the use of procedural generation created a few problems. There are a number of poorly located systems that can be reached only by galactic hyperspace— these are more than 7 light years from their nearest neighbour, thus trapping the traveller. Braben and Bell also checked that none of the system names were profane - removing an entire galaxy after finding a planet named "Arse".

UncleRuckus · 6 May 2011 at 13:29

Dano said:
Somebody go down there and stamp on the thing and then kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

Wej · 6 May 2011 at 13:34

Dano said:
Somebody go down there and stamp on the thing and then kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

Yep. Inspire new programmers by creating a 21st century version of one of the greatest games of all time, much better idea

Nate--IRL-- · 6 May 2011 at 13:35

Dano said:
Somebody go down there and stamp on the thing and then kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

LOL, you read my mind!

Nate

Souleh · 6 May 2011 at 13:41

simulatorman said:
It might be better to teach them how to read, write and do some mathematics properly before letting them lose on a wee bit of programming.

a lot of programming is no more than maths so struggling to see the problem

Many kids will tell you the only problem with maths is trying to find a real world solution for it - This is one very viable option for teaching and putting application to long algorithmic structures

marc2003 · 6 May 2011 at 13:50

simulatorman said:
It might be better to teach them how to read, write and do some mathematics properly before letting them lose on a wee bit of programming.

why do you want them to lose? :confused:

bhavv · 6 May 2011 at 13:54

I really wish I could have learned programming prior to A levels, because I couldnt understand anything about programming in AS level Computing

Van Hellseek · 6 May 2011 at 13:55

Souleh said:
a lot of programming is no more than maths so struggling to see the problem

Anyone spot the irony in this statement?

Yeah, what good is a basic education when you have pr0grmng?

Strife212 · 6 May 2011 at 13:56

Van Hellseek said:
Yeah, what good is a basic education when you have pr0grmng?

Van Hellseek · 6 May 2011 at 13:58

Strife212 said:

The (obvious?) point was...

Since when is "a lot" a word? Seems the person disputing the worth of basic education needs a basic education himself.

yashiro · 6 May 2011 at 14:59

I can see their idea of making a small computer but it's not that usable. They should bake it into a keyboard with additional USB slots for a mouse/more storage.

LordSplodge · 6 May 2011 at 15:02

Dano said:
Somebody go down there and stamp on the thing and then kick Braben back into his office to get on with Elite.

This! Although bringing back the spirit of tinkering and programming (especially with very limited resources) is a good idea.

Programmers today* take a lot of liberties with their code simply because of all the resources they have. Leads to slack code.

will1b · 6 May 2011 at 15:03

I'd like to see an end to the offtopic, but this is a contribution to that:
a lot, search for "a lot hyperbole and a half"

END OF OFF TOPIC

This sounds like a pretty cool thing, I will get one if they are ever released - possibly the best addition to this would be additional USB ports for mouse ETC. and an ethernet port, internet would vastly increase the potential.

But I would think that would be a £25 computer.
EDIT:
Thanks Ninjas!
I agree with it being a keyboard with additional slots on - that would be much more usable than a chip that needs an additional keyboard and has very little slots.
Maybe have expansions for it so you can have extra ports, different display type or something

Hitman_Leon · 6 May 2011 at 15:04

LordSplodge said:
Leads to slack code.

That's why ive got 12GB main memory

Judgeneo · 6 May 2011 at 15:07

Very good idea, I hope it suceeds

I would have loved something like this when I was back in school

Chaos · 24 Dec 2011 at 16:20

Looks like its nearly ready.