I’ve been looking online at the Next Thing Co. C.H.I.P. $9 Computer, also at its wiki. It looks like a real good deal. The R. Pi is more expensive, but either computer by itself is only a fraction of the cost, because both of these require external stuff, like a keyboard, mouse, monitor, power supply, etc. Both also require a case if you’re going to move it a lot. I guess it would cost about $100 if you use a cheap or ‘pre-owned’ monitor.
It has some features that the original Raspberry Pi didn’t have, Bluetooth for one. However the newer R. Pi 3 does have Bluetooth. The CHIP has a 1Ghz R8 processor, 1/2 G RAM, and 4 G flash memory. This is minimal, so it will require more storage if a few apps are added, and that typically happens quickly. Plan on adding a storage of at least 32 GB ASAP, at a cost of ten dollars or less. I would consider a 120 or 240 GB SSD for under a hundred dollars. A regular HDD can be used, but it’s nice to have a computer that can be left on all the time and which uses much less power with a SSD.
The R. Pi 2 and 3 have a full G of RAM, which speeds up things. Faster is better when tackling power hungry apps such as decoding video.
The O.S. is already installed so no SD card is needed. It’s Linux GNU Debian, with the GUI similar to Windows. In case you decide to use some other OS, CHIP gives detailed instructions in its online information on how to flash it with a different OS.
Much of the maintenance work is done from the CLI (command line interface) in Linux. I’ve had a lot of experience with the CLI from my MS-DOS days. Windows had eliminated almost all of the CLI and replaced it with GUI, and one would expect the Linux crowd to have done the same. But apparently the Linux guys still like to do it the old fashioned way.
One other point that I think is important. R. Pi has been out for several years and a lot of hardware and software has been developed for it. The CHIP is just starting out, and has a way to go before it catches up. The Pi 3 has advanced its capability, while staying compatible with the original.
I have very little experience with the Arduino IDE (integrated development environment), and I know nothing about the R. Pi. From what I have read, the CHIP has to use Linux and open source software to do its development. If one has Windows experience but no Linux CLI experience, then the person is totally dependent on the (detailed) instructions given on the CHIP forums. But it would be easier if this was in a familiar GUI like Windows.
There are now several of these low budget computers. CHIP joins the R. Pi, Pine 64, and others. A lot of this low power computing has come about thanks to battery powered mobile development. We can have a real computer that can run all the time without using a lot of electricity, so it is always ready. Ready for the IoT (Internet of Things).
One more important point I’d like to make. Much of this fast growth in IoT hardware has been made possible by the Open Source software movement. After Linux, the industry started using Linux as a customizable OS for dedicated hardware. An example of this is its use in routers such as Linksys. Then the entertainment gurus developed XBMC (Xbox Media Center) for the Xbox, which is now called Kodi and runs under Linux.
Now we have hundreds of millions of mobile phones that use Android, which is derived from Linux.
All have open source software to thank for making it possible to develop a complete system of hardware and software.
