Page 15 - Programming the Raspberry Pi Getting Started with Python

Figure 1-2 The Raspberry Pi desktop
Its small (the size of a credit card) and extremely affordable (starting at $25). Part of the reason for
this low cost is that some components are not included with the board or are optional extras. For
instance, it does not come in a case to protect it—it is just a bare board. Nor does it come with a power
supply, so you will need to find yourself a 5V micro-USB power supply, much like you would use to
charge a phone (but probably with higher power). A USB power supply and a micro-USB lead are
often used for this.
What Can You Do with a Raspberry Pi?
You can do pretty much anything on a Raspberry Pi that you can on any other Linux desktop
computer, with a few limitations. The Raspberry Pi uses an SD card in place of a hard disk, although

you can plug in a USB hard disk. You can edit office documents, browse the Internet, and play games
(even games with quite intensive graphics, such as Quake).
The low price of the Raspberry Pi means that it is also a prime candidate for use as a media center.
It can play video, and you can just about power it from the USB port you find on many TVs.
A Tour of the Raspberry Pi
Figure 1-3 labels the various parts of a Raspberry Pi. This figure takes you on a tour of the Model B

Raspberry Pi, which differs from the Model A by virtue of having an RJ-45 LAN connector, allowing
it to be connected to a network.