4 Mar
2013
4 Mar
'13
4:16 p.m.
On 4 March 2013 23:40, Jecel Assumpcao Jr. <jecel at merlintec.com> wrote:
Liam Proven wrote on Mon, 4 Mar 2013 14:04:40 +0000:
I agree.
In my view, the Rpi is the Spectrum /de nos
jours./
Exactly. And that is a good thing! The project's creators just keep
mentioning the BBC because that is what they happened to have as
children and because they are interested in classrooms instead of just
homes.
Well, and also because it's an ARM machine, and ARM was an Acorn
project - those in Britain who know about this are very proud of it -
and also because there is a strong, positive link in the British
mindset between the BBC, the BBC Micro and education.
The Spectrum was not seen as a serious computer; despite being, to be
honest, and I speak as an owner & one who adores the machines, a
rubbish games machine, that is nonetheless what it became.
The CBM C64, the various Ataris and all the other successful home
computers were really pure games machines, with fancy graphics, stereo
sound, built-in joystick ports and so on.
The only /serious/ 1980s home computers - the ones /not/ mainly used
for games, that were also used for education, from primary
schoolchildren up to extensive use in universities, was the BBC Micro
family.
Since I design computers for children using a
Smalltalk microprocessor,
How fascinating! Do tell?
I can hardly be expected to have an impartial opinion
about this. I
think there is room for the One Laptop Per Child, for the Raspberry Pi,
for the Arduino and also for a machine like you describe. If you give
computers to a million children and only one of those wants to find out
how the processor works and how to modify it, then they should be able
to do it. It has been suggested on this list that this could be achieved
with classic TTL based minicomputers, but I see a modern design built
with FPGAs as a good option.
I can only agree.
p.s.: this email was written in Celeste, a Smalltalk
application
:?D
I have a passing interest in Smalltalk. Interesting language, if a bit
weird. As it happens, my Ex is a Smalltalk developer and makes a lot
of money doing it.
--
Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile
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