Raspberry Pi as a company

If one of the big boys in computing wanted to compete what is to stop them? Do you have any protection, regarding patents ect. Because as a concept it sounds pretty good.

I do realise Raspberry Pi is a charity, but I don't think that would stop some people out there competing

Also it looks like your holding down full time jobs while doing raspberry pi, what happens when it out grows that?

Just curious to see what your planning for the future

[eben]

Hi MDC
We're fairly relaxed about commercial companies competing with us. If somebody else wants to offer a $25 open computing platform, they're doing our work for us (and we can skip the fiddly engineering).

As far as our day jobs go - there is sufficient margin in our pricing structure to pay to take on full-time staff if the project becomes incredibly successful.

Sorry to bother you again, but why didn't you go down the commercial route. As for what I have read so far it would seem like a good idea and maybe a money maker in the right hands.

As long as you kept your morals about you and didn't sell out, I don't see why you can't achieve your goal and make some money for further investment in the project.

[liz]

A charity can make money to invest in a project - nothing stops a charity from making money, it's just that the trustees personally don't profit. The goal here is to make it as cheap as possible - any profits we were to take would directly add cost to the device, and if it's to get to the people who need it, that's not a good thing!

I think there was slight confusion at my last post. I meant, what were your personal motives at going down the charity route. But I think you anwsered the question anyway.

Why is the device and organisation called Raspberry Pi?

[liz]

The trustees sat down and brainstormed a bit, and thought that a fruit computer would be a nice thing to add to all those Apples, Apricots, Oric (which was originally called Tangerine)…those are the three obvious ones that come to mind at the moment. I think Rob hit on Raspberry, and Eben on Pi, because…everyone likes pie. And irrational numbers.

Raspi: a charity, Beagle Board: a company
Raspi: $25 to $35, Beagle Board $125 to $150
Nough said? Lol!