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I really think the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop, very much like the IBM PC became the de-facto x86 machine. I really wish the boot p

I really think the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop, very much like the IBM PC became the de-facto x86 machine. I really wish the boot procedure and all that wasn't so proprietary. It's unfortunate that the RPi foundation doesn't acknowledge this potential more. It feels like the RPi is stuck in the middle between being a low-cost board for GPIO tinkering and being a low-cost general-purpose computer, being not really that good at either task. Maybe they should create a coreboot-enabled board that is a little more pricey, starting at 60 or 80$ or something, for the "ARM-PC" (the RasPC!) market and separate that from the board for the tinkerers.

pndy 5y ago
The 400 model of Pi has a potential to start something comparable to microcomputer boom in the 80s and become first step into ARM desktops (again) I believe and also become the standard for machines used in education - if someone will play this out well. Smartphones and tablets dominate consumer market nowadays for sure but these are largely entertaining devices only not offering much when it comes to education; of course you can install apps but you're still limited by form factor.
OJFord 5y ago
Like the '400' model built into a keyboard released fairly recently?
cigaser 5y ago
RPi foundation has its goals and it follows them well. I hope they will not get distracted by "ideology".
qwerty456127 5y ago
> Really think the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop I'd say it already is yet still isn't particularly useful in this role. As soon as it gets able to run YouTube without visible performance problems and adds some spare PCIe lanes so you won't have to sacrifice USB 3.0.
- qwerty456127 5y ago
  By the way I wonder why does my almost-decade-old smartphone run YouTube (in a browser as well as the app) perfectly while Raspbery Pi 4 seems having much harder time doing that.
heresie-dabord 5y ago
> the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop, very much like the IBM PC became the de-facto x86 machine Your use of "de facto" implies a significant presence in the retail marketplace such that consumers choose the product readily without seeking options. The RPi is unlikely to ever achieve this in 2021 and beyond. However, the RPi 400 is a brilliant device. I recommend it over just about any other computing option except maybe a mid- to high-end Chromebook. From the point of view of sustainability, the RPi 400 is a much better option than a Chromebook.
- hyperpallium2 5y ago
  Good CPU, but the GPU is only 32 GFLOPS https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-raspberry_pi_4_b_broadcom_bcm2711-1796 https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-raspberry_pi_4_b_broadcom_... https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=244519 https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=244519
acegopher 5y ago
I think the de-facto ARM desktop is already here. It's the M1 Mac.
- wpm 5y ago
  With its blackbox boot procedure and all of the security stuff you have to disable to even run a pared down kernel with limited support for basically everything since the system architecture is also a blackbox, I'd disagree. It's unlikely to be reversed engineered into a defacto standard like the IBM PC was.

pndy 5y ago

The 400 model of Pi has a potential to start something comparable to microcomputer boom in the 80s and become first step into ARM desktops (again) I believe and also become the standard for machines used in education - if someone will play this out well. Smartphones and tablets dominate consumer market nowadays for sure but these are largely entertaining devices only not offering much when it comes to education; of course you can install apps but you're still limited by form factor.

OJFord 5y ago

Like the '400' model built into a keyboard released fairly recently?

cigaser 5y ago

RPi foundation has its goals and it follows them well. I hope they will not get distracted by "ideology".

qwerty456127 5y ago

> Really think the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop I'd say it already is yet still isn't particularly useful in this role. As soon as it gets able to run YouTube without visible performance problems and adds some spare PCIe lanes so you won't have to sacrifice USB 3.0.

qwerty456127 5y ago
By the way I wonder why does my almost-decade-old smartphone run YouTube (in a browser as well as the app) perfectly while Raspbery Pi 4 seems having much harder time doing that.

heresie-dabord 5y ago

> the RPi has the potential to become the de-facto ARM desktop, very much like the IBM PC became the de-facto x86 machine Your use of "de facto" implies a significant presence in the retail marketplace such that consumers choose the product readily without seeking options. The RPi is unlikely to ever achieve this in 2021 and beyond. However, the RPi 400 is a brilliant device. I recommend it over just about any other computing option except maybe a mid- to high-end Chromebook. From the point of view of sustainability, the RPi 400 is a much better option than a Chromebook.

hyperpallium2 5y ago
Good CPU, but the GPU is only 32 GFLOPS https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-raspberry_pi_4_b_broadcom_bcm2711-1796 https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-raspberry_pi_4_b_broadcom_... https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=244519 https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=244519

acegopher 5y ago

I think the de-facto ARM desktop is already here. It's the M1 Mac.

wpm 5y ago
With its blackbox boot procedure and all of the security stuff you have to disable to even run a pared down kernel with limited support for basically everything since the system architecture is also a blackbox, I'd disagree. It's unlikely to be reversed engineered into a defacto standard like the IBM PC was.