Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 26th Oct 2012 21:31 UTC, submitted by robertson
"This website is here to guide you through the process of developing very basic operating systems on the Raspberry Pi! This website is aimed at people aged 16 and upwards, although younger readers may still find some of it accessible, particularly with assistance. More lessons may be added to this course in time." From the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, one of the institutions behind the Raspberry Pi. Amazing resource.
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RE[2]: Aged 16 and upwards?
by CapEnt on Sat 27th Oct 2012 17:03
in reply to "RE: Aged 16 and upwards?"
Member since:2005-12-18
To be fair with the current generation, i would say that it worked always that way.
Only a very, very, really small segment of the total population ever bothered themselves to understand how anything works unless obliged by their professions after they come to age, regardless of the generation.
The difference today is that, as a kid, you have more "off the shelf" fun, as long our parents has the money. I kind of envy the current gen of kids, because even as adult, i want to play with some of their "toys".
RE[2]: Aged 16 and upwards?
by Alfman on Sat 27th Oct 2012 19:13
in reply to "RE: Aged 16 and upwards?"
Member since:2011-01-28
Morgan,
+1
I learned so much myself because we had friends that ran a computer business. I worked there (albeit unpaid) while I was in high school. I was able to build my own machines from parts because of that experience.
I wonder how many families there are today who don't have a user programmable computer in the house at all? Modern tablets and xboxes aren't anywhere near as good at teaching technology, they are far cry from the likes of one laptop per child, which encouraged software tinkering rather than prohibiting it.
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.More Features »
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2005-06-29
I've gotten a strong sense from the writings of the folks involved with the Raspberry Pi project that they perceive the current generation of students to be nearly a lost cause. They feel that kids today couldn't care less about programming and circuit design, as long as their shiny iDevices can get a wireless signal.
I seriously hope that isn't true, but unfortunately my (admittedly limited) experience with children today bears it out. Instead of playing a real guitar or drums, kids are playing with Rock Band controllers. Instead of building their own kit computers or learning to program with BASIC or JavaScript, they are struggling to understand Legos and improving their score in FPS games on the Xbox.
That isn't to say that such activities are a bad thing; rather, it's that the raw desire to learn seems to be diminished by the immediate availability of mass media. Our children have become easily bored consumers with little drive to understand what makes their toys tick. I know that some may consider that a gross generalization but in many ways it rings true.
That's one of the things I like about the Raspberry Pi project; its original intent was as a learning tool for anyone of any age, but especially accessible to youths of today. I really wish groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts would seize the opportunity to use it as a bridge into the modern world of hobby computing.