Hi, Mike,
I have several Pi machines kicking around my lab, for
various projects. They are simple and super, IMO.
The Pi 4 B is quite good, I find: 4 cores, two 4K HDMI outputs,
WIFi, and more. It comes in several variants of DRAM,
but I suggest that you just get the 8GB one, as
it gives you some of that inevitably needed elbow room.
DRAM is not upgradable - it's soldered onto the motherboard.
I just looked at the Pi 400, but it only comes with 4GB DRAM,
at present. Wait for More DRAM, Igor.
I think the best deal for a newcomer is the Pi 4 Desktop,
which does come in an 8GB version, and it has everything
you need except a monitor - it comes with two HMDI cables,
mouse, & keyboard. Nicely packaged, well documented,
and with enough guts that you can run a [small] web server
on it:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-desktop-kit/?resellerType=home
In Canada, I ordered an 8GB one of these for $238CAD,
including all taxes and shipping. It arrived at my door two days later,
from these people:
https://www.buyapi.ca/product/raspberry-pi-4-desktop-kit-8gb/
I think the best thing about the Pi for me is the ease with which
anyone can do simple projects involving robotics, computer
vision, electronic and device controls, and the like. The book that
comes with it is a great introduction for the uninitiated
who want to experiment in such areas. Several artists in my community
use Pis, as well as arduinos and such.
Dyalog APL offers free downloads of their APL interpreter
for the Pi: https://www.dyalog.com/dyalog/raspberry-pi.htm
I don't know if anybody has ported J to the Pi, but it should
be straightforward, since the Pi runs linux. Ah, this looks
like one:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=248133
One of my Pis here has a $50CAD-ish (so-so) camera hooked up to it that
I plan to use for some more work on Convolutional
Neural Nets (CNNs) [Now rebranded as "deep learning"] in APL.
An early paper on the subject is available here, but if you don't have
access to ACM publications, let me know:
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3315454.3329960
Here's your homework: get him to try out Mathematica,
then write him a one-page Rosetta Stone page of
Mathematica ←→ J, with a few bits showing where APL
and J "just work", without dumb limitations on rank/shape, etc.
I think the Pi is a great gift to inspire creativity in kids in late
elementary school or later, even if they are 40 years old.
Bob
On 2020-11-19 2:59 p.m., 'Michael Day' via Chat wrote:
As several J chatterers have mentioned the Raspberry Pi, I'd welcome
ideas about it
as a present for our son. He's old enough to know better, in his
40s, but persists in
writing Pascal/C++ code for his job in a smallish S/W outfit,
producing & maintaining
software for big Accountancy firms, such as PCW. He enjoys writing
2-3d graphics/video
apps for tablets as a hobby.
I think he must have mentioned the Pi to his Mum a few days ago; she's
passed the
baton to me.
I see there are several models out there, and they seem to come in
various forms,
from what looks like a Motherboard + through to a complete PC, minus
monitor.
J chat has mentioned models up to the Pi 4 B, but there's a Pi 400 PC
kit out there. Are the
earlier generations worth looking at?
Bearing in mind that I'm unlikely to persuade him to install J (though
he might appreciate
Mathematica which has been mentioned as part of the bundle) : any ideas,
recommendations, caveats....
Thanks in advance
Mike
--
Robert Bernecky
Snake Island Research Inc
18 Fifth Street
Ward's Island
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2B9
[email protected]
tel: +1 416 203 0854
text/cell: +1 416 996 4286
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