The Embedded Angle

Now I'm, finally, writing this post from within the Raspbian Wheezy that operates my Raspberry Pi. Although that I knew its values and parameters, I couldn't entirely free my mind from the expectation that I'll see yet another desktop system. That's why its naturally modest performance as a desktop environment got me unprepared.  Apart from that there were very few "disappointments".     The first boot At that point the raspi-config application (which runs automatically only on the first boot, afterwards it have to be invoked explicitly on the console) is pretty straightforward. Its options are pretty self-explanatory. I didn't try them all at once, because overclocking for instance is something that I intend to experiment with later on. The following list is not exhaustive: changing the password of the default user (which is pi); expanding the root file system to the entire space available on the SD card (in my case 16 GB) choosing speci

So you have the little Pi. Here's how it looks bare bones: The gorgeous little Raspberry Pi just left the box. Now what? Actually if I have to be descriptive to extreme detail, here how it goes. The device didn't come alone. It needs at least a source of energy, so I baught it with a charger. The higher output for the class, the better, they say. In the book I followed first Maik Schmidt suggests output current in the range 1 to 1.2 A. In the store they provided me with exactly the same option: The charger At this point the question "What else is necessary?" came in. In short the list is:  SD card - for the OS;  keyboard and mouse - the basic input peripherals;  monitor and HDMI cable - the general output peripheral;  network cable or some sort of WiFi extension - for putting the Pi online. There are some other secondary extensions and items like USB hub - for connecting more USB devices, and probably a case - for basic d

Of course lots of  resources and information can easily be found online. You may start with the official Raspberry Pi site or Wikipedia . You can have a go through the social media (the main and related pages on Facebook , Google+ , Linked-In , ... the last one by the way is very useful and has interesting discussions, advises and shared experience). Important and may be inevitable will be to visit the element 14 / Farnell  Pi's sub-site to actually purchase an item of your preferred variant (whether model B or model A, which is already available for a few days now) and complement it with some accessories. This sub-site is very well organized and centered around the Pi. Whatever you browse, at some point you'll need a more comprehensive, detailed and systematic information about the device. On Amazon you may find several types of readings - from comprehensive guides, through quick starters, to programming and hacking books. What I personally chose was this: Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi is a little, sweet piece of hardware that has a lot of potential. It has much to offer to the open minded people keen on experimentation in electronics and computer science. For me this is a completely new adventure, because although I work as a web developer, I don't have any experience in electronics. In spite of this lack of domain background I hope I'll find my way through to something worthwhile and rewarding. So pack your berries and lets go. In fact the first step is actually ... unpacking. I mean after you make your purchase, wait, wait, wait impatiently and finally you get something like this: What follows we'll see very soon.