[Info-vax] [OT] Raspberry Pi, was: Re: Intel junk...Kernel-memory-leaking Intel processor design flaw forces Linux, Windows redesign

[Paul Sture]

On 2018-01-14, Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> wrote:
> On 2018-01-14, Paul Sture <nospam at sture.ch> wrote:
>> On 2018-01-11, Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> wrote:
>>>
>>> So much for the Raspberry Pi being an excellent hobbyist or learning
>>> platform.
>>
>> I think you are overestimating what it's supposed to be.  Like Eben
>> stated, there are other bits of kit for the hardware enthusiasts.
>>
>
> The problem is that the Raspberry Pi is a really good bit of hardware
> for some of the lower level things I would like to use it for.
>
> The only thing which is missing is the documentation.

Understood.

>> Have you looked at any of the pure beginners tutorials that are
>> available out of the box with a Pi?  The first one I looked at
>> really had me thinking "Wow, I would have loved this stuff at the
>> age of 7 or 8".  It was something like a simple text triangle but
>> it was a pretty good introduction to mathematical progressions.
>>
>
> I understand what you are saying, but there's no reason why it
> couldn't be both. It's especially annoying because some of the
> other low cost and small form factor boards also come with poor
> documentation (for example, the Allwinner based boards I have
> looked at.)

Hasn't it ever been thus, with a disconnect between the hardware guys
and software guys?

Have you let the Pi folks know about this?  As I mentioned, from the
video Eben Upton is a self admitted software guy who didn't realise that
so many would be interested in the hardware side of things.  It's
possible that he didn't ask for public documentation simply because he
didn't realise there would be a demand for it.

> On the plus side, some of the MCU manufacturers (such as TI) are
> a lot better at the documentation. I just wish TI didn't have
> some daft download export controls. (When I tried to download
> some demo code from TI several years ago, I was routed to some
> export control page and was never able to download the code...)

I've had similar frustrations.

P.S. As far as I am aware, the iTunes EULA still contains a clause
about not using it in the development of nuclear power stations.

I'll leave you with a quote from Elliott Roper on that:

"iTunes has long ago reached Arthur C. Clark levels of magic."

:-)

-- 
As we've seen time and time again, the Internet of Things is
demonstrably as robust and secure as a kitten crossing a motorway. 
                                                 -- Alistair Dabbs