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If this is a spoof, it's a very clever one... |
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swirlythingy (23:46 3/3/2012)
apacketofsweets (00:29 4/3/2012)
diodesign (01:13 4/3/2012)
filecore (08:10 4/3/2012)
diodesign (22:15 6/3/2012)
trevj (23:39 6/3/2012)
trevj (08:30 4/3/2012)
trevj (15:08 4/3/2012)
bhtooefr (15:33 4/3/2012)
filecore (16:13 4/3/2012)
epistaxsis (16:44 4/3/2012)
filecore (18:00 4/3/2012)
Jaffa (21:02 4/3/2012)
Col (21:37 4/3/2012)
bhtooefr (00:33 5/3/2012)
swirlythingy (09:29 5/3/2012)
filecore (09:40 5/3/2012)
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Martin Bazley |
Message #119680, posted by swirlythingy at 23:46, 3/3/2012 |
Posts: 460
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Dear news.com.au,
I am writing to you to inform you of a few factual errors in your recent article about the Raspberry Pi.
I am sure that you maintain unsurpassed journalistic standards in your organisation, but, as we all know, sometimes the odd mistake can slip through even the most rigorous of fact-checking routines. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could remedy the following:
US technology company Raspberry Pi’s creation lets users program their own computer by giving them all the parts they need - including a wireless mouse, keyboard and an SD card reader. Raspberry Pi is the name of the computer, not the manufacturer. It is not made by a company, but a charity, the name of which is the Raspberry Pi Foundation. This charity is based in the UK. The wireless mouse and keyboard are supplied by the distributor and not the charity. The SD card reader will not read any SD cards, as a card containing boot files is required to be present in that slot every time the computer is switched on.
It contains a Linux processor, memory chips and ports for almost every plug in device you could ever need including USB, HDMI and Ethernet cables. Linux is the operating system which runs on the processor, which is an ARM processor. There is no such thing as a "Linux processor". HDMI is a monitor output, and Ethernet is a network connection, and describing either as a "plug-in device" is to stretch the definition of the term.
As for a screen and software - that’s left up to users. The computer ships with Linux software, without which it would be utterly useless. A certain amount of other software is included as well. A Raspberry Pi does not require software to be written for it, it merely makes writing it a more attractive proposition.
The tiny computers were initially developed to encourage children to get excited about computer programming and other technology - but the device has gotten the tech world in a frenzy. It was designed to make it possible for children to program at all, and getting them excited about doing so will, as usual, be the teachers' job. This is more or less the limit of the intent, so the statement about "other technology" is rather ambiguous.
The Raspberry Pi website crashed under the weight of all the web traffic after the device was made available for sale - even after the company limited sales to one $35 computer per customer. The Raspberry Pi Foundation's website did not sell any Raspberry Pis. The websites of their two distributors, Farnell and RS Components, on the other hand, did crash.
Raspberry Pi has also released a no-frills $25 version that comes with without a case, keyboard or monitor. The $35 version does not have a case, keyboard or - as you acknowedged earlier - monitor - or "screen" - either. The latter statement assumes the most likely interpretation of the above typographical error.
Both computers contain a 700Mhz Linux processor, 256 MB of RAM, USB, HDMI, SD, RCA video and 3.5 mm audio ports. Neither computer contains a 700MHz "Linux processor", because there is no such thing. The SD card reader (not "SD port") is not an accessory, because a card is required for the computer to boot up. The $25 version only contains one USB port.
As ever, thank you for your excellent ongoing coverage of the technology sector.
Love,
The Rest of the World.
PS: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
[Edited by swirlythingy at 19:00, 4/3/2012] |
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Sion |
Message #119683, posted by apacketofsweets at 00:29, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119680 |
 RISC OS, too cool for Javascript.
Posts: 110
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Thanks for this Martin, I really needed a good chuckle!
Somehow I don't think this is a joke/spoof at all, but nevertheless, this is funny as hell. Kudos must go to whatever uneducated technophobe typed that together. |
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Chris Williams |
Message #119684, posted by diodesign at 01:13, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119680 |
 The Opposition
Posts: 269
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Saw that article and cringed; there but for the grace of God go I. Someone gave it their best shot, but you'd hope it'd get cleaned up in the edit.
C. |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #119685, posted by filecore at 08:10, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119684 |
Posts: 3867
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Saw that article and cringed; there but for the grace of God go I. Someone gave it their best shot, but you'd hope it'd get cleaned up in the edit. That's the beauty of the internet - no editing, no censorship! Just pure, unadulterated garbage, with bloggers passing themselves off as journalists. Sigh.
Was a good chuckle though. I can just hear the uproar of RISC OS types trying to think of ARM chips as a "Linux processor". |
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Trevor Johnson |
Message #119686, posted by trevj at 08:30, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119680 |
Member
Posts: 660
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Thanks - nice one! |
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Trevor Johnson |
Message #119688, posted by trevj at 15:08, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119680 |
Member
Posts: 660
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On a not-strictly-related note, apparently:
"The first ARM reliant systems include the Acorn: BBC Micro, Masters [...]
(University of Maryland) |
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Eric Rucker |
Message #119689, posted by bhtooefr at 15:33, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119688 |
Member
Posts: 337
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Not to mention, "the Macintosh Apple ][GS was run by an ARM processor"?
That's funny, every IIGS that I have here isn't a Macintosh at all (although Apple's official 16-bit OS for the IIGS eventually became a Mac OS lookalike), and it has a WDC (or GTE or VLSI clone) 65C816, not an ARM. |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #119690, posted by filecore at 16:13, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119688 |
Posts: 3867
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On a not-strictly-related note, apparently:
"The first ARM reliant systems include the Acorn: BBC Micro, Masters [...] I dunno, a BBC with an ARM would have been awesome  |
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keith dunlop |
Message #119692, posted by epistaxsis at 16:44, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119690 |
Posts: 159
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On a not-strictly-related note, apparently:
"The first ARM reliant systems include the Acorn: BBC Micro, Masters [...] I dunno, a BBC with an ARM would have been awesome
Well there sort of was one though wasn't there as a few ARM 2nd CPU boxes were made...
Oddest thing ever watching a beeb start up and tell you it had 4096K of memory!  |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #119693, posted by filecore at 18:00, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119692 |
Posts: 3867
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Well there sort of was one though wasn't there as a few ARM 2nd CPU boxes were made.. Doesn't surprise me. Part of the mass of stuff I was giving away to the computer museum last year included an external 6502 co-processor unit for the BBC. I can imagine there was some (minor) overlap into the ARM era; it was in like 1989 or so that we got our first computer, a BBC. |
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Andrew Flegg |
Message #119695, posted by Jaffa at 21:02, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119693 |
Member
Posts: 53
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro_expansion_unit#Second_processors
One of the first production RISC processors the ARM Evaluation System was part of the development programme leading to the Acorn Archimedes and its early Arthur operating system. It was not branded "BBC" but is physically contained within the family's "cheese wedge" case. The ARM 1 processor was clocked at 8 MHz, and was fitted with 2MB or 4MB of RAM. |
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Colin Cartmell-Browne |
Message #119697, posted by Col at 21:37, 4/3/2012, in reply to message #119680 |
Member
Posts: 89
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Interestingly the article in question has now been removed- although the link from their main page is still there the actual article is gone. |
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Eric Rucker |
Message #119698, posted by bhtooefr at 00:33, 5/3/2012, in reply to message #119697 |
Member
Posts: 337
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http://www.news.com.au/technology/time-to-eat-humble-raspberry-pi-linux-is-not-a-processor/story-e6frfro0-1226289027768 |
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Martin Bazley |
Message #119699, posted by swirlythingy at 09:29, 5/3/2012, in reply to message #119698 |
Posts: 460
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http://www.news.com.au/technology/time-to-eat-humble-raspberry-pi-linux-is-not-a-processor/story-e6frfro0-1226289027768 Unfortunately, they've also deleted the original article. Still, at least most of it's preserved for posterity on this thread...
I see from Twitter that the apology was made by the author of the original. Nice to see journalists actually admitting mistakes for once. (Now, if only we could get this woman on Leveson...)
[Edited by swirlythingy at 09:38, 5/3/2012] |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #119700, posted by filecore at 09:40, 5/3/2012, in reply to message #119699 |
Posts: 3867
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It's still on their mobile site: http://m.news.com.au/MostPopularNews/fi975174.htm
The author of the retraction is the same person who authored the original article. Retractions and corrections are fairly common in newspapers but very uncommon online, often hiding behind silent edits of the original. But yep, nice to see a retraction and apology - and I would certainly hope that some disceplinary action has been taken over that blogger's lack of research. |
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Chris Williams |
Message #119707, posted by diodesign at 22:15, 6/3/2012, in reply to message #119685 |
The Opposition
Posts: 269
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That's the beauty of the internet - no editing, no censorship! Just pure, unadulterated garbage, with bloggers passing themselves off as journalists. Sigh. Funnily enough, my day job involves editing things on the internet*
C.
* inb4 wikipedian accusations |
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Trevor Johnson |
Message #119708, posted by trevj at 23:39, 6/3/2012, in reply to message #119707 |
Member
Posts: 660
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Accusations? |
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