4 ms·

Funny. I thought that happened in 1981 - thirty years ago: http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html Ok, ok, the Raspberry Pi could

by Malic 15y ago

Funny. I thought that happened in 1981 - thirty years ago: http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html Ok, ok, the Raspberry Pi could kick a room full of ZX81's around the block - it IS an impressive little board. My point is that the Raspberry Pi is a sub-$100 computer isn't the impressive part. The impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's sub-$100 computer can do.

meric 15y ago
I thought the impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's $2000 computer can do.
- ctdonath 15y ago
  Both contrasts are impressive. I had a $100 ZX-80 kit and a $2400 original IBM PC (inflating to $200 and $5000 today's cash). Of course, what an RPi can do in contrast to both is thrilling. The point, however, is something we're losing these days: the utter freedom to do a complete ground-up software reconfiguration on a moment's notice with zero concern for cost or disruption. How many today have a computer which they would think nothing of erasing the primary storage and trying anything on a whim - and without having spent nontrivial cash for that ability? Unlike our familiar hard-drive based systems where the main storage is huge, not cheap, and hard to swap, old 5.25" floppy-based systems had the ability to have complete OS configurations, swappable & bootable in seconds, on media costing pocket change. Sure some of us can emulate the experience to some degree, or as result of substantial costs already spent have tinkerable hardware around, but few - especially the kids the RPi is intended for - have robust systems at hand which can be messed with that fast & cheap with little thought. Let my toddlers at the home computer with no supervision? Nope (not after deleting several apps off my iPad). Give each an RPi and let 'em have at it? Oh yeah - where do I order? and can I get one in pink and one in OD green?
unwind 15y ago
The article describes a complete PC "system", i.e. screen+computer+keyboard+mouse+storage, for $100 based on the Raspberry Pi and cheap generic peripherals. The (adjusted) launch price of the ZX81 was £143 in kit form, which with today's exchange rate is about $219. That does not include a screen, and so on. See the difference?

by Malic 15y ago

meric 15y ago

I thought the impressive part is what a sub-$100 computer can do today in comparison to what yesterday's $2000 computer can do.

ctdonath 15y ago
Both contrasts are impressive. I had a $100 ZX-80 kit and a $2400 original IBM PC (inflating to $200 and $5000 today's cash). Of course, what an RPi can do in contrast to both is thrilling. The point, however, is something we're losing these days: the utter freedom to do a complete ground-up software reconfiguration on a moment's notice with zero concern for cost or disruption. How many today have a computer which they would think nothing of erasing the primary storage and trying anything on a whim - and without having spent nontrivial cash for that ability? Unlike our familiar hard-drive based systems where the main storage is huge, not cheap, and hard to swap, old 5.25" floppy-based systems had the ability to have complete OS configurations, swappable & bootable in seconds, on media costing pocket change. Sure some of us can emulate the experience to some degree, or as result of substantial costs already spent have tinkerable hardware around, but few - especially the kids the RPi is intended for - have robust systems at hand which can be messed with that fast & cheap with little thought. Let my toddlers at the home computer with no supervision? Nope (not after deleting several apps off my iPad). Give each an RPi and let 'em have at it? Oh yeah - where do I order? and can I get one in pink and one in OD green?

unwind 15y ago

The article describes a complete PC "system", i.e. screen+computer+keyboard+mouse+storage, for $100 based on the Raspberry Pi and cheap generic peripherals. The (adjusted) launch price of the ZX81 was £143 in kit form, which with today's exchange rate is about $219. That does not include a screen, and so on. See the difference?