Raspberry Pi alternatives

[blinkie]

Hey,

Have any of you guys had any experience with Raspberry Pi alternatives. This isn't for me. It's just an idea for a gift for a friend. I think he'd prefer something weirder or at least something less mainstream.

Thanks in advance,
B

 

[ravenvii]

Two popular alternatives are BeagleBone and ODROID.

Hopefully that helps narrow down your Google searches!

Note that people often confuse the Arduino to be in this category; it is not -- it may perform some similar functionality, but the Raspberry Pi and it's ilk can act as a whole, self-contained PC; the Arduino can't.

 

[D.T.]

The Pi is super fun, lots of options for add-ons, plus you can do some neat stuff on it (I'm running NodeJS ... no reason, just for fun as a potential something-something 😀 ).

 

[blinkie]

Thanks guys. Maybe I'm being too deliberately awkward in sidestepping the Pi. Ravenvii have you had any experience with the Beaglebone? It was already on my radar.

 

[Renzatic]

Doesn't Arduino make a Pi-alike? It might be a good one to consider, since you know it'll fit in well with all the other cool stuff they make.

 

[ravenvii]

Thanks guys. Maybe I'm being too deliberately awkward in sidestepping the Pi. Ravenvii have you had any experience with the Beaglebone? It was already on my radar.

No, only with the Pi and the ODROID. I preferred the Pi myself, with its community and wealth of tutorials and modules that you can get for it.

 

[yg17]

Any reason you're looking for alternatives? The Pi is by far the most popular, so there's s lot more out there for it.

 

[blinkie]

The Pi is super fun, lots of options for add-ons, plus you can do some neat stuff on it (I'm running NodeJS ... no reason, just for fun as a potential something-something 😀 ).

Running NodeJS sounds like just the sort of thing he'd like to do.

 

[blinkie]

Any reason you're looking for alternatives? The Pi is by far the most popular, so there's s lot more out there for it.

Nothing concrete yg17. I just feel like he'd prefer something a bit more obscure. If I was buying for me, I'd buy a Pi.

 

[D.T.]

Running NodeJS sounds like just the sort of thing he'd like to do.

Yeah, a buddy and I were using it to trigger a controller on a DIY home automation project.

I think an RP is already off the rails enough where it's geeky fun, outside of typical consumer computing products, but at the same time not so esoteric that it lacks support or a decently sized online community! 🙂