Basic Requirements for Raspberry Pi

Once you got your hands with a Raspberry Pi model B, the first thing you have to do is to make sure you have all the things that you want to use. In my case of making an advertisement/notice panel, the requirements are as follows

What you'll need

1. SD Card - I recommend an 8GB class 4 SD card
2. Display & connectivity cable - Any HDMI/DVI monitor and any TV should work as a display for the Pi. (You'll need a HDMI-DVI converter if you're using DVI)
3. Keyboard and mouse - Any standard USB keyboard and mouse will work with your Raspberry Pi. (Pre-paired keyboard and mouse can also be used)
4. Power supply 
• The Pi is powered by a USB Micro power supply (like most standard mobile phone chargers) 
• You'll need a good-quality power supply that can supply at least 700mA at 5V. 
• Low ampage (~700mA) power supplies will work for basic usage, but are likely to cause the Pi to reboot if it draws too much power.
5. Something for the Network
• Ethernet (network) cable - An Ethernet cable is used to connect your Pi to a local network and the internet - OR - 
• USB wireless dongle - Alternatively, you can connect to a wireless network using a USB wireless dongle, which will require configuration.
6. Speakers are needed if you're not using HDMI connection.

If you have all of the above, you can start the Operating Systems installation. 

Advertisement News Panel TV (Part 2)

... continued from previous post.

The solution for my previous problem comes in a size of a credit card. It is a small computer called Raspberry Pi (RPi or Pi). I've never played with the gadget before, however knowing that it can run a Linux, I'm pretty sure by giving some time and effort, it can run everything I desire.

Raspberry Pi model B.

So I purchased one online. Purchasing a RPi is quite tricky. If you're from an institution or company, you can buy it directly from element 14 (official international main delaer). If you're buying as an individual, you need to find a dealer. Finding a dealer is quite difficult, but I finally got one via online store. 

Once received, I immediately hook it up to my living room TV with HDMI, plug in the wired LAN, keyboard and mouse and voila, it is up and running the installer in no time. I installed several OS onto it to find the best solution for my requirements.

Tested for several days and by looking to the need, I uninstalled all other OS and just stick with Raspbian (Raspberry Pi + Debian) Linux. It works like a charm. I'll write more about the settings in the future. 

Advertisement News Panel TV (Part 1)

Several of my colleague and I were selected during a meeting to jubilate my office building. We were asked to make the office more employee friendly, and at the same time encouraging them to be happy to come to work. 

"Team Keceriaan" was formed. Like any decoration team would do, we decided to put some plants inside the building, some paintings, etc. Same ol same ol... Then I came in and suggested to buy new TV, a PS4 and many many gadgets for the faculty.

Ideas came pouring about making an advertisement LCD panel. I checked Chromecast, Apple TV and all sorts. It was not suitable because it won't be as secure as we wanted it to be. Then I started to ask around. I looked at the library and asked them about their ad TV system and all. 

Their system costed a lot. RM10000 (USD3000) for the software, and RM800 (USD270) for each computer behind the TV. I just keep their system in view.

Then we got some bad news. The budget being cut! Now the system that the library used is out of the question. So I have to find a way to cut the price. Or else, we would need to cancel the advertisement news panel TV altogether. 

I've found a solution... I'll update about it later in my next post.

Best Operating System For You

Which one of the operating system (OS) available is the most superior of them all? I can't answer that, because that's all depends on how do you want to use it. Each operating system has their advantages, and each has their own shortcomings. 

Currently there are several front runners in the OS race. IMO, they are, Windows from Microsoft, Chrome OS from Google, Linux from many distributions, and Apple OS X. Windows and Linux can be run from any x86 computers. While Chrome OS is basically can be run on its proprietary hardware, and same goes to Apple OS X. 

Microsoft Windows

This is currently the most used computer OS in the world! Its latest iteration of OS is the Windows 8. I have tried the OS, and it is very good for touch screens. It has been customised for the touch screens that it would be a disadvantage if you only have a mouse to navigate across the screen.

Windows 8 has the same interface as a Windows RT and Windows Phone OS. The uniformity looks nice, and it also plays nicely with each other. Microsoft should be applauded with their effort on reinventing their OS over and over again.

Basically there are a lot of good things in Windows 8. It has a nice and clean interface. I like the live tiles, It's easier to find your favourite applications. It uses less memory compared to its predecessor, Windows 7 and play a lot of games on it. Yes, the games is actually one of the main reason that the OS is still one of the favourite. 

The bad thing about it would be that it is a little bit sluggish when used for a long time (1 year +). It is expensive, and is not as smooth when run with a low end PC. Not having a touch screen makes you feel a little bit in a disadvantage. 

Google Chrome OS

The Chrome OS by Google is one of the new OS in the market. It is usually shipped together with a Google ChromeBook. These ChromeBooks usually very sleek and comparable to a Ultrabooks that many manufacturers offer. There is also a base Chrome OS that are usable on other x86 computers, and it is called Chromium OS. 

When Google first come out with the ChromeBook and Chrome OS, the price tag has been quite high. I have always thought that it won't last long in the computer industry. However, as many years has gone by, it is still here. I'm guessing  Chrome OS is here to stay.

For me there are a lot of good things about Chrome OS. It automagically connects with Google Cloud services. Just like a Chrome browser, Chrome OS also has an automatic update of the OS, so you're always using the latest version of the OS. The UI and design is very simple, sometime I think that I'm using a tablet instead of a computer.

However, just like everything man-made, there are some imperfections. From my point of view, Chrome OS is very shallow. It's just like an interface for the Google cloud services. Even the ChromeBooks comes with a high spec, you don't feel like you use all the resources to the fullest. It is like buying the best games rig, but all you play is Solitaire. 

Apple OS X

The Apple OS X was first developed to run on Apple proprietary processors, and then moved on to be run on x86 Intel chips. There are times where the OS took a lot of things from the BSD OS, but Apple has been changing a lot of it and make it their own. 

OS X came together with any Apple Macs. It can be run on other x86 computers, but you have to find or program your own drivers to use all your devices. Major upgrades are sold for around £20. Apple latest OS X is Mountain Lion (10.8), but the Mavericks (10.9) is coming soon this year (link). 

The good. Apple OS X has the best user interface, this might be because Apple has been very keen in designs and fonts right from their first Mac. It has the ease of use just like of Windows, and the programming friendly just like of a BSD and Linux. It's like the best of both worlds. 

However, there is a shortcoming, Apple OS X can only run on Macs, which is very expensive. It plays nicely with other Apple product such as iPhone, iPad, etc. but not with a non-Apple product. It is a closed source, so its a little bit late on repairing problems with the OS. 

Linux OS

There are a lot of Linux distributions. Picture above shown some of them. I have only used a handful of them. I've tried Redhat, Fedora, Mandrake, Mandriva, openSUSE, Damn Small Linux, Ubuntu and Kubuntu. There might some that I've forgotten but I have a fair share on using it.

I was a fan of Redhat, but then Redhat started to divide into two parts, consumer and pro, Fedora and Redhat respectively. So I moved on to Fedora and later to Ubuntu. Among all of them, I think the best one for consume would be Ubuntu, and I hope it will go on to be the best (for me).

The pros of the Linux is for programming. I think it is the best platform for programmers. It is open source, therefore it is quite good if you want the latest, out from the oven softwares from programmers all over the world. In Linux, you're in control of everything. By everything, I mean e-ve-ry-thing. It gives you a lot of control on what's going on, and you can monitor everything that is running in front and at the back.

The problem with a Linux OS is the installations. Not all people can install the OS on computers that have been preinstalled with other OS. Having the whole world programming for you is a double edged sword. You get a lot of programs, and that means a lot of updates too. It's like having to update almost every other day.

Another problem is, Linux distros are more focused on performance rather than energy consumption. You can run Windows / OS X longer on a laptop computer, but it won't be the case with Linux. 

Conclusion

All these 4 OSes are here to stay. They are either run by big guns of the industry or by big community throughout the world. If you want me to choose for you, I can give a little guideline.

• If you like to play games on your computer or if you have to use a Windows only software, use Windows. 
• If you have extra cash and would like to utilise the (Google) cloud services at its fullest, get a Chrome OS.
• If you have a lot of money and like to have a beautiful and capable OS, use OS X.
• If you like to play with your computer and you like programming, use a Linux (I recommend either Ubuntu or Fedora).

Having a virtual machine might also help, but we will discuss about it later in the future. 

Ubuntu Touch Released

Ubuntu Touch for smartphones has been launched. That adds to the smartphone OS race, and might add to more choices for the end users. Like its PC counterpart, the Ubuntu Touch is an open source, and supported by Canonical.

Some call it Ubuntu Touch, but on their website, there isn't any sign that the operating system is going to be called Touch. Maybe they wanted to steer away from confusion if Ubuntu for the PC decides to make a computer OS for touch.

Basically what Ubuntu is trying to do here is to combine the two gadgets that people always use, the smartphone and the computer. That is a good intention, but not many people know how to change their phone OS, and another setback would be, not many percentage of people really use an Ubuntu Linux.

The project can easily be killed if Microsoft could grasp the idea and combine their Windows phone and Windows computer successfully. Nevertheless, it is not a bad thing for Ubuntu to try the smartphone OS market. They're even a step ahead of Firefox OS.

For those who have Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4, why don't you try and install the new OS. This is the link. From the looks of the instructions, it doesn't look very difficult. Just don't forget to save and backup all your data, especially the original Android OS. It will come handy when you're bored with the Ubuntu Touch OS.

I just can't wait for one of these new OSes to become matured. Android has been around for quite some time, they should have be very very stable, reliable and fast but it doesn't. So somebody, let it Ubuntu Touch or Firefox OS should step in and show Google the right way to do it.