Robert - I apologise if I annoyed you somehow, this was not my intent.
I wasn't being disingenuous, still genuinely curious about the multiple change the distro comments - I don't understand this more than some distros might have a more specific purpose e.g. open elec for a Media Box, Raspbian for Pi hardware and some distros might have better or friendlier support.
I chose the Pi (one of 2 variants of hardware) and installed Raspbian to avoid the problems I have had running Linux on PCs in the past where some hardware is not supported. i.e. to avoid the first hurdle of it won't run properly out of the box. It was easy to install and gave a choice of alternative distros on the NOOBS image this time round including a non Linux Archimedes OS. Easier than 12 months ago when we first had a go.
The Raspbian Distro works ok. It is friendlier than some I have tried in the past with Grub and Lilo configuration and other package managers (RPG?). The keyboard config choice was probably the most daunting bit - too many choices.
Your answer about mouse support helped though was a little obscure to lend much confidence immediately but has in the end. I feel I was 80% of the way there with my diagnosis and needed a little help with the translation of dos experience to Linux. Your answer about console not being used much enabled me to make the jump away from the instructions given for the demo to run it under X Windows. I am used to Dos apps that were run under Dos and Windows apps that ran in Windows and I did not appreciate the higher degree of commonality there seems to be in Linux (a good thing about Linux I learned). I then verified the GPM install would solve the problem we experienced following the instructions. I did try searching the forum for Raspbian and google for the answer and found the GPM reference elsewhere. I plan to go back to the forum and register to post the GPM solution.
Did you ever try to install Linux yourself - only Suse, Mint, Ubuntu I think on a PC dual boot or Live CD - had some hardware issues and package dependency issues that I did not spend time to hunt down so I reverted to Windows. I have never tried a non distro install and don't fully understand yet why I would need to yet. I did read about building up a bare metal OS which was interesting but too low level to be really useful.
Of those 35,000 "Raspbian" packages (since you are branding here), how many do you have installed? I haven't counted - this text was from the website blurb not intended as a point to annoy.
How many of those packages are made solely for Pi? I would guess very few are solely for Pi but that they are recompiled or tested for the Pi.
How does Gimp run? How does Blender run? - not tried them but I would guess slowly due to the low power processor not the distro. I read that Gimp runs slowly when drawing with the mouse? is it too bloated for 512Kb P2 equivalent to run? Painting with the mouse should be well within the capability of Pi as it can play video on a rotating teapot. I will try it and let you know. Blender will struggle with more than mesh I expect. Maybe as slow as when I tried POV raytracing on my 486sx20.
How does FS-UAE, mentioned on this thread, run? I read it needed changes to compile under Arm but other Amiga emus like EUAE have been seen running Amiga Lemmings ok on You Tube.
I've got CHDs for MAME, how do they run? I would guess as slowly as they would on a Pentium II - not really relevant to me as I don't play many games post R-Type except maybe Goldeneye now and again
As those CHD games generally correlate with later games the processor emulation would be a bottleneck as well as accessing the CHD. If you have an early processor suggestion I will take a look sometime. I have seen the Pi run Snes and PSX.
I want to run a LAMP solution, like Wordpress for a
personal web site/blogging, will Pi work for me? Yes it does - see here over 99% uptime.
http://www.dingleberrypi.com/
You're using it to
learn scripting languages, wonderful. For me more about getting comfortable with Linux despite no pressing need to do so. Also for my sons some Scratch and Python to start with.
How does Pi lend itself toward running or learning Python, Perl, Ruby any better? What about Java and .NET? All these have been run on the Raspberry Pi - some are there already like C and C++. Ruby was reported to be fast enough to learn on. .Net Micro framework has been experimented on, not sure if it is fully working.
When you are done learning and create the next-best-thing, is Pi the target machine for everyone else to run it? For the low cost dedicated low power projects we might build I would say yes Pi would be the most likely platform to replicate. e.g. a time lapse camera we can place in the garden and log into with SSH to get the photos is interesting. Arduino might be an alternative but I have not looked into these yet. The school may be using a different kit to Pi and Arduino for the design and technology course my son will take in September.
Most of the above points relate to processing power issues and the Pi as a platform rather than distro choice and I did not get further with my understanding in this regard. I am still keen to hear a bit more about this if you don't mind expanding.
Thanks.
Ian
