After reading a (paper!) magazine a few weeks ago, I was excited to come across Raspberry Pi (http://www.raspberrypi.org/), a single-board computer designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The Raspberry Pi provides an ARM processor which is suitable for running Linux for an estimated price of £15 (approx. $25) for a pre-configured system, cheap enough to give to a child to do whatever he or she wants with it.
Having read a number of articles in the past regarding OLPC (One Laptop Per Child), where companies start off saying they're going to produce a low cost laptop, cheap enough for every child to have one. Great Idea. Only to hear a couple of months down the line that the original £50 per unit is now £150 per unit, or that the idea has been scrapped. I thought that this might be another one of those. Luckily I was wrong. This actually looks like it going to be the real deal.
Having looked at their website again, they're running a design competition to produce the logo that will be used as their trademark.
They're also producing two models of the Pi, Model A (no LAN9512, 128MB)for around $25 and for another $5-$10, the Model B (incl. LAN9512, 256MB). They're planning on shipping at the end of this year, 2011. So for less than £25, you can pick up the Model B.
I have to say I am very excited about this, it takes me back to "Old School" computing, sat in front of a portable TV, banging away at a rubber keyboard, programming. The nerd in me is exposed, and I'm drafting my letter to Santa right now.
Check out Raspberry Pi on http://www.raspberrypi.org/, or follow them @Raspberry_Pi
