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The RPi doesn't feel very minimalist. I wish the RPi was this standalone microserver that had its own flash memory (SD cards are known to fail) that you could

by jokoon 7y ago

The RPi doesn't feel very minimalist. I wish the RPi was this standalone microserver that had its own flash memory (SD cards are known to fail) that you could plug into your home network and act as a personal server. Maybe one day it will be possible to do some basic GSM data with a RPi.

lylecheatham 7y ago
If they didn't use SD cards, the storage would be more reliable, but users would spend a lot more time fixing bricked boards. By allowing for removeable storage (in a format that can be plugged into any other computer natively) they solved that problem because I can just re image the card and get going again. The philosophy of the RPi is that they won't really add features to it unless a bulk of the user base would use the feature. For example they were hesitant to even build the WiFi into it because users who wanted that could always get a USB chipset, and building it in adds BOM cost. Because with GSM you'd also need a plan for it, I don't really predict they'd add that. Especially since you can get it in hat format already.
- ThrowawayR2 7y ago
  M.2 to USB converters work just fine and a M.2 drive would be far more reliable than μSD cards, even the high-endurance ones.
  - lylecheatham 7y ago
    You're talking about a $40 tool just to flash the storage vs a part (micro SD adapter) that they give you with the SD card for free because it's so cheap. Also doing a quick survey for the rated cycle counts on M.2 vs SD card slots: M.2: I found this one [1] which is $0.768 for only 60 cycles SD: This one [2] is $0.6256 for 5,000 cycles I'm not sure why you'd say M.2 is more reliable, considering users often cycle storage dozens if not hundreds of times. [1] https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jae-electronics/SM3ZS067U310AMR1200/670-2690-2-ND/4162221 https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jae-electronics/SM... [2] https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/gct/MEM2051-00-195-00-A/2073-MEM2051-00-195-00-ATR-ND/10460360 https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/gct/MEM2051-00-195...

by jokoon 7y ago

lylecheatham 7y ago

If they didn't use SD cards, the storage would be more reliable, but users would spend a lot more time fixing bricked boards. By allowing for removeable storage (in a format that can be plugged into any other computer natively) they solved that problem because I can just re image the card and get going again. The philosophy of the RPi is that they won't really add features to it unless a bulk of the user base would use the feature. For example they were hesitant to even build the WiFi into it because users who wanted that could always get a USB chipset, and building it in adds BOM cost. Because with GSM you'd also need a plan for it, I don't really predict they'd add that. Especially since you can get it in hat format already.

ThrowawayR2 7y ago
M.2 to USB converters work just fine and a M.2 drive would be far more reliable than μSD cards, even the high-endurance ones.
- lylecheatham 7y ago
  You're talking about a $40 tool just to flash the storage vs a part (micro SD adapter) that they give you with the SD card for free because it's so cheap. Also doing a quick survey for the rated cycle counts on M.2 vs SD card slots: M.2: I found this one [1] which is $0.768 for only 60 cycles SD: This one [2] is $0.6256 for 5,000 cycles I'm not sure why you'd say M.2 is more reliable, considering users often cycle storage dozens if not hundreds of times. [1] https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jae-electronics/SM3ZS067U310AMR1200/670-2690-2-ND/4162221 https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jae-electronics/SM... [2] https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/gct/MEM2051-00-195-00-A/2073-MEM2051-00-195-00-ATR-ND/10460360 https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/gct/MEM2051-00-195...