The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a non-profit organization from the United Kingdom with a simple goal. To bring computing to the world without equipment cost being a barrier.
The Pi came in two models the A and B. The main difference being the amount of RAM. The price was $20 /$35. This got you a board with hdmi, coax, usb, sd slot and configured to run Linux Debian or Arch Linux operating systems (those are shareware so free.) Peripherals like a case, mouse, keyboard, monitor and cables could bring the price to $50 to $100 for a fully functional desktop computer. Still pretty inexpensive.
Last month the Raspberry Pi Foundation released the Raspberry Pi Zero. Cost. The base cost is $5.
Is it worth it?
I use my Raspberry Pi to run Kodi which is the current name for the X Box Media Server which was open source software written originally for the X box but now runs on virtually every platform (from OSX to Android). Kodi is great for streaming video and music. Basically for $100 at the most and could be much less you can connect this to your TV and have a fully functional multi media environment.
At this price, you can have more than one Pi and also use it for example as a linux desktop. It has all the functionality of a desktop but also encourages you to write your own programs (both Linux versions include Python programming applications). You can use the board for your homemade automation solutions by hooking it up to other devices like cameras, appliances or lighting. In combination with a cheap arduino switch can be used to automate simple mechanical functions.
Computing for the world
Is it working? Have third world countries embraced this technology so computers are becoming as endemic as they are in more developed areas of the world.
It seems the jury is still out on that, but in roads are being made, it won’t happen overnight. And there is value even in the developed world.
An Interesting Experiment
The pi has been subjected to a lot of innovative uses, since it’s inception and as cost is not really a barrier the limits are only hardware itself and human innovation.
I think this is a fabulous and innovative way to bring the power of computing to the world. If you are interested you can buy a pi (or more than one) in Canada at all sorts of online stores including amazon.ca and buyapi.ca