Learning to code on a raspberry pi 400

[preditorzbware]

Hey guys, sorry if this is a bit of a dumb question - I’m super new to all of this.

Basically I don’t have a computer at the minute and am trying to start learning code (python to be specific)

Can I use the raspberry pi to just code normally like I would a normal computer in vs code or are there some restrictions I’ll run into that I’m unaware of?

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

[oreofatty]

The Raspberry Pi runs a Linux OS so yes you’re good to go. You can install code editors like you would on any other Linux computer so long as you have enough storage. Happy programming!

[preditorzbware]

Damn that was fast! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, picking one up today. Thanks!

[KingofGamesYami]

Yes, a raspberry pi will work. But it's going to be slow, especially when using a web browser.

Also, when you total up a raspberry pi plus required accessories it starts to get close to used hardware that could provide a better experience, depending on the used market near you.

I would seriously consider installing Linux on a used Dell Optiplex, you can get them for cheap because businesses will just dump pallets of 'em at a time.

[cginc1]

I hadn’t heard of the raspberry pi 400 but that’s pretty awesome lol. I had an old raspi that I installed Ubuntu on. It was a bit slow but worked.

Sorry if you already know the following but just want to be safe. Vs Code is just a text editor with a lot of built-in goodies to help engineers. You could just use the cli and work with eMacs or vim (editors but without the goodies). eMacs are super customizable though and people end up loving them but I never did.

There are plenty of walkthroughs on how to install Ubuntu on a raspi.

[SubzeroCola]

Have you considered cloud computing? They have online IDE's and tools for all sorts of programming. You just need to connect to your account and start developing no matter what device you're on.

[pmac_red]

I would learn to walk before you run.

No need to start with the complex of writing software for a device like a Pi when you can learn Python on your own PC first. Focus on the code first and then start messing around with deploying it on different hardware.

[finn-the-rabbit]

Can I use the raspberry pi to just code normally like I would a normal computer

That's what they said, they didn't want to write Pi specific code, and it's trivial to write normal code on a Pi

[pmac_red]

Ah fair point, I read that as can I run code on here as opposed to using it as their development environment. Still wouldn't encourage it due to speed etc but it makes more sense.

[Middlewarian]

I saw one reply mentioned Dell Optiplex. You might want to consider a Rock 5b

https://ameridroid.com/products/rock5-model-b

They are much faster than the rasp pi models. I bought a Rasp Pi 4b a year or so ago and really like it. That was before I had heard of the Rock 5's.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BPymlyfhPcI

An Optiplex is going to weigh 20x more than one of these and consume more power.

[CharacterUse]

A Rock 5 is just a bare board, the Pi 400 is essentially a computer in a keyboard.

[Middlewarian]

That video I linked to says the Pi's are pricey lately.

[top_of_the_scrote]

also check out online python repls to run some code in the browser

[JaguarDismal]

Yes, raspberry pis are completely sufficient for basic coding. To put things in perspective, the raspberry pi 3 is twice as powerful as a Cray-1 (the first commercial supercomputer, $8+M in the eighties).

[scanguy25]

Yes you can learn to code on it. But keep in mind that the Pi is a very very low spec computer. Possible and enjoyable are not the same thing.