>From what I have read/seen, normal full Linux distros that have ARM builds=
 (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc) run pretty well on there. At least as of a couple mo=
nths ago, there was no hardware acceleration driver for X but it was being =
worked on. Once that is in place, the desktop should be pretty usable, subj=
ect to the limited CPU and RAM available.=20

I think once a rev or two of the ARM distros have come out and the drivers =
get refined, it will make a very nice low-end box for email, light browsing=
, watching video, media fronted machine, etc.

For most people, currently available computers have more power than they ne=
ed.

-Pete

On Mar 29, 2012, at 3:00 PM, David wrote:

> On 29/03/2012 17:36, RussellMc wrote:
>>> I don't see what the big deal is about raspberry pie. The seeds get
>>> stuck in my teeth.
>>=20
>> To me for my initial intention for it, the big deal is that it offers
>> 1080p(i(e))* video and an SD card in a well priced device, with
>> 'ethernet' being an excellent bonus.
>=20
> I agree that the Pi is an excellent bit of kit for the price.  The
> developers have put a lot of effort into it.
>=20
> I wonder how many people will be disappointed with it due to their
> expectations being far too high.  It's not a $25 computer that will run
> a full distribution with all sorts of added programs, but I have talked
> to a number of people who said "I can't wait to install X on it".
>=20
> I hope that a small number of decent, targeted distributions are
> released that use the hardware to the best of its ability (much like
> DD-WRT, OpenWRT etc do for routers).  I'd hate to see a large number of
> half baked, unmaintained distributions that tail off after 6 months.
> --=20
> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> View/change your membership options at
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist


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