SheevaPlug vs Raspberry Pi

21. January 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers, Debian, Linux · Tags: ,

So.. I have had a Raspberry Pi for a little while – I tried OpenElec and Raspbmc and they were OK but didn’t blow me away enough to warrant replacing my PC running XBMC.  So I decided to use the Pi as a backup to my SheevaPlug home server running Debian and doing the simple task of email (Postfix, ASSP, Courier), web (Apache and MySQL), file serving (Samba), Zabbix (simple monitoring of remote VPS), Bind as its main functions.  The SheevaPlug has performed flawlessly in this regard for a good few years and hasn’t given any sign of failing, but I thought I would set up a Pi which could sync everything over on a regular basis, so I started to investigate how they compare performance wise.  Here is the low down of the SheevaPlug vs Raspberry Pi:

One thing to bear in mind for this comparison – the Raspberry Pi has nothing but plain Debian loaded, where as the SheevaPlug is running the services mentioned above, so although I stopped samba, I left Apache/MySQL etc still running, so this is by no means a fair or accurate test.

 

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Raspberry Pi XBMC OpenELEC Review

02. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers, Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Finally I received my Raspberry Pi on Saturday.  I didn’t jump on the pre-order bandwagon as I knew I didn’t have the time to play with it properly, and it would have only led to frustrations when it didn’t arrive on time, so I let all the fuss and initial craze pass by before ordering (I was busy playing with my Nexus 7).  So, time for a quick review of Raspberry Pi XBMC and OpenELEC.

I ordered a blank 4GB Class 10 SD Card, and some other accessories which weren’t required (dual USB plug, HDMI to DVI adapter).  It all arrived from CPC the following day – top service like always. More »

Raspberry Pi – GNU ARM/Linux $25

09. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Computers, Linux · Tags: ,

I just came across this nifty little ARM GNU/Linux device aiming to sell with a target price of $25 – the Raspberry Pi.

It boasts some pretty powerful specs : USB2.0, HMDI out, RJ45 Ethernet on board, SD MMC and most interestingly the ability to play HD video.  This could make a feasible XBMC replacement for my ageing desktop multimedia PC, streaming video and audio to the TV.