Raspberry PI

[Richard Gaskin]

Skip wrote:
> Has anybody got LiveCode running on a Raspberry PI yet?  The worlds
> cheapest computer combined with a powerful, simple programming
> language with both companies having a mission for programming and
> education..... Seems like a perfect fit unless I am missing
> something....

At this time the Raspberry Pi ships with only 256MB RAM,
and to keep costs down they use a version of ARM so old that not even
Ubuntu can run on it.

So while it's theoretically possible for RunRev to make an ARM compile 
of their Linux IDE engine, the scope of things one can do withing such 
limits would be very narrow at best.

If Intel comes through on their claims of being able to beat ARM with an 
x86 implementation that's both more powerful and consumes less power 
than ARMs best by 2014 or earlier, all bets are off.

If this happens the impact on small computing will be unpredictably 
immense.  Considering that only Apple has committed to a completely 
bifurcated ecosystem (x86 on the desktop with ARM on mobile), while 
Linux and Windows are betting on meeting increased form factor diversity 
through a single OS that scales and adapts to the devices it runs on, 
the ubiquity of x86 across all devices will be at least disruptive, 
possibly accelerating what some believe will be an inevitable move by 
Apple to integrate iOS and OS X into a single OS within the next few years.

But all that's down the road, and it remains to be seen if Intel can 
pull it off.

In the meantime, I've been looking into small-form-factor computers with 
an emphasis on low-cost, low-power machines to use as dev servers, and 
have begun posting notes about current options for LiveCode developers 
looking for x86 support in such systems:

<http://www.fourthworld.com/garage/>

I currently have only one such system there now with a parts list that 
totals $249.97 (the system we raffled off at RevLive), but for folks 
with more modest needs I've been parting out another couple system which 
are even cheaper; time permitting I'll add those there next week.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World
  LiveCode training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
  Webzine for LiveCode developers: http://www.LiveCodeJournal.com
  Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/FourthWorldSys