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> Looking approachable is a pretty key component of that. Agreed, the other key component though is actually making their machine and software/hardware approac

> Looking approachable is a pretty key component of that. Agreed, the other key component though is actually making their machine and software/hardware approachable, smooth, performant and reliable. Which they haven't really put any effort in to since they started. I really wanted the dream of an affordable computer for kids to be a reality but at the end of the day when the $35 just isn't as performant as a budget tablet around the same price then kids are going to just end up with tablets and never have the opportunity to crack the machine open. If the product doesn't live up to the sales pitch of the store, then the product is just going to get returned.

wolfgke 8y ago
> I really wanted the dream of an affordable computer for kids to be a reality but at the end of the day when the $35 just isn't as performant as a budget tablet around the same price then kids are going to just end up with tablets and never have the opportunity to crack the machine open. For the children that love to tinker, $€35 will probably not be an obstacle. Tablets and RPis appeal to quite different audiences.
HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
Tinkering is not the same as consuming media/games. The kids who play with tablets and the kids who tinker with pis are completely different demographics( or the same person at different times). While I agree that the rpi leaves a lot to be desired( and other boards have left it in the dust hardware-wise) it is still the most accessible board out there and to say that they haven't improved on that is false( especially with software).
- whywhywhywhy 8y ago
  I totally get that I just think there is a lot of value to the tinkering being possible on the device they use for everything else. How many kids got a PC to play games on but while bored found QBasic and Gorillas.bas. How many kids on MySpace or NeoPets learnt HTML/CSS as a way to customize their profiles. This all used to be a reality when kids grew up using a general purpose computing platform, now the choices are a Tablet that works as a general purpose platform you can't tinker with or a board you can only tinker on but not use as a computer.
  - HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
    I agree. But a tablet is only possible because you can't tinker with it( hardware limitations, how would you fit connectors etc in it?). The software side of things could be better but you also have to keep in mind that an RPi makes both hardware and software tinkering on a very cheap package. Tinkering with software on an old PC was possible but tinkering with hardware would risk a fairly expensive machine.
fenwick67 8y ago
If they fixed power (stop using USB micro B, add a power switch header) and SD card stuff (let me boot from USB), I would be so much happier with my pis. But as it stands they are really messy to work with.
- cbhl 8y ago
  Using USB micro B lowers the BOM while making the device accessible in international markets (regardless of what your local power is, everyone has USB power adapters). Personally, I'd like to USB-C, but USB-C headers are still hella expensive. That being said, you can power a Pi by attaching the right cables to the GPIO headers: https://www.adafruit.com/product/954 https://www.adafruit.com/product/954 https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-5-using-a-console-cable/connect-the-lead https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-5-u... Booting from USB required a hardware change, and appears to be available in the latest versions of the Pi: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/bootmodes/msd.md https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberry... (Admittedly, it looks like you need a microSD card to boot the Pi so you can reconfigure it this way.)
  - fenwick67 8y ago
    Wow I truly did not know you could simply boot from USB on the 3+, thanks for that.

wolfgke 8y ago

> I really wanted the dream of an affordable computer for kids to be a reality but at the end of the day when the $35 just isn't as performant as a budget tablet around the same price then kids are going to just end up with tablets and never have the opportunity to crack the machine open. For the children that love to tinker, $€35 will probably not be an obstacle. Tablets and RPis appeal to quite different audiences.

HeadsUpHigh 8y ago

Tinkering is not the same as consuming media/games. The kids who play with tablets and the kids who tinker with pis are completely different demographics( or the same person at different times). While I agree that the rpi leaves a lot to be desired( and other boards have left it in the dust hardware-wise) it is still the most accessible board out there and to say that they haven't improved on that is false( especially with software).

whywhywhywhy 8y ago
I totally get that I just think there is a lot of value to the tinkering being possible on the device they use for everything else. How many kids got a PC to play games on but while bored found QBasic and Gorillas.bas. How many kids on MySpace or NeoPets learnt HTML/CSS as a way to customize their profiles. This all used to be a reality when kids grew up using a general purpose computing platform, now the choices are a Tablet that works as a general purpose platform you can't tinker with or a board you can only tinker on but not use as a computer.
- HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
  I agree. But a tablet is only possible because you can't tinker with it( hardware limitations, how would you fit connectors etc in it?). The software side of things could be better but you also have to keep in mind that an RPi makes both hardware and software tinkering on a very cheap package. Tinkering with software on an old PC was possible but tinkering with hardware would risk a fairly expensive machine.

fenwick67 8y ago

If they fixed power (stop using USB micro B, add a power switch header) and SD card stuff (let me boot from USB), I would be so much happier with my pis. But as it stands they are really messy to work with.

cbhl 8y ago
Using USB micro B lowers the BOM while making the device accessible in international markets (regardless of what your local power is, everyone has USB power adapters). Personally, I'd like to USB-C, but USB-C headers are still hella expensive. That being said, you can power a Pi by attaching the right cables to the GPIO headers: https://www.adafruit.com/product/954 https://www.adafruit.com/product/954 https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-5-using-a-console-cable/connect-the-lead https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-5-u... Booting from USB required a hardware change, and appears to be available in the latest versions of the Pi: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberrypi/bootmodes/msd.md https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/hardware/raspberry... (Admittedly, it looks like you need a microSD card to boot the Pi so you can reconfigure it this way.)
- fenwick67 8y ago
  Wow I truly did not know you could simply boot from USB on the 3+, thanks for that.