I've used mine as mostly always-on servers running stock raspbian with services that I need. They have been very reliable and power+space efficient compared to

I've used mine as mostly always-on servers running stock raspbian with services that I need. They have been very reliable and power+space efficient compared to the low-end surplus pcs I previously used for these purposes. I say all this to encourage you to dip your toes into it with something super basic - once you see that it just works, maybe the projects that follow will seem less daunting.