Raspberry Pi as the successor of BBC Micro

It has been mentioned a couple of times there was some intention of getting the Raspberry Pi computer under the BBC name. I don't have sources for this, but please see it as a possibility within this thread. You could see the Raspberry Pi computer as a successor to the BBC Micro, in a way. Releasing under a different name wouldn't significantly change the goals of the Foundation, nor would it probably mean a big difference in availability, price or functionality. What I do wonder about is its name.

I made this thread because I wonder; what would raspi be called if it really was released with "BBC" on it?

Would it be called the BBC Nano perhaps? The really striking thing is how similar the machines are. I don't mean in terms of visual appeal; I mean in terms of release quantity  (or the issues of guessing the number of interested people correctly!), release of different models, and perhaps also its cult following. We might as well create our very own Domesday Project in the future!

The Foundation trustees tried very hard to get an agreement to use the BBC Micro name, right up to May 2011.  Unfortunately, things didn't work out in that direction (although perhaps one of the trustees could comment on if there is any future hope in that direction).

Eben touched on the subject a bit during his speech at the Beeb@30 celebration at the beginning of the month: http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/970 starting at time index 11:30

Michael said:

Eben touched on the subject a bit during his speech at the Beeb@30 celebration at the beginning of the month: http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/970 starting at time index 11:30

Yes;



this video was part of the reason I made this thread. Upton briefly mentioned the Foundation tried "getting the thing to be called the BBC Micro. We spent a significant period of time trying to attach the BBC name to this". It made me wonder whether or not the goal was to actually call the Raspberry Pi the "BBC Micro", or instead a modern alternative which has BBC in its name. I cannot say there are many who dislike the Raspberry Pi name. I am merely interested in this part of unspoken history! The affairs within the Foundation are usually interesting to hear about

Edit: the forum software automatically embedded the video, though it fortunately included the correct starting time.

As Eben said, we spent a while talking to the BBC, but the problem is that as a public body they cannot endorse one particular manufacturer, even a not-for-profit.

Just finding the right people to talk to took a while.

Funny, I have stacks of toys around the house licensed by the BBC. Perhaps if you ask to call it the Doctor Who micro you might have better luck?

DeliciousRaspberryCake said:

It made me wonder whether or not the goal was to actually call the Raspberry Pi the "BBC Micro", or instead a modern alternative which has BBC in its name. I cannot say there are many who dislike the Raspberry Pi name. I am merely interested in this part of unspoken history! The affairs within the Foundation are usually interesting to hear about

I can't talk to the Foundation's, or indeed the BBC's intentions.  However, people do tend to forget (or not realise) that the last computer to carry the BBC name (or British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer Project name, to give it its full title) was in fact the Acorn BBC A3000 - essentially an Acorn Archimedes with the computer and keyboard back in the same case.  So perhaps such a theoretical beast might be called the Raspberry Pi BBC Model A|B or perhaps the BBC Raspberry Pi?

Here are some nostalgic links about that computer:

• acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/Computers/A3000.html


• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....AqnfZ_su6I


• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....nudV_NRmgg