BBC review

[markb]

Interesting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tech.....y-17857189

[Aceclown]

"The device arrived with an SD card loaded with a Linux operating system and various demos."

Is this a standard thing or did old auntie get a review model?

[KJBweb]

I nearly spat my coffee out after watching the video of "Putting the Raspberry Pi through its paces" at the end where he said the whole process had left him bewildered and confused.

Plug it in > load scratch > print "Hello!" > Fin.

Still, people have to start somewhere and it's great the RPi's getting some awesome coverage.

[bredman]

I admit that I am disappointed that the BBC cannot afford a better technology correspondent than Rory, but we must accept his comments and deal with them.

Rory is a good representative of the target audience and therefore we must take his comments as valid.

We did not see the demo package that he received, but there are some clues. We saw a standard introductory diagram being used to connect up the hardware, but there was no sign of any other documentation. There is a good chance that he received an SD card packed full of demos but no guidance of what was available, what was their purpose, or how to launch anything.

Not shown in the video, the text commentary shows that the first Python demo locked up the RPi and needed a reboot.

We have some valuable feedback, let's work with it.

[scep]

bredman said:


I admit that I am disappointed that the BBC cannot afford a better technology correspondent than Rory, but we must accept his comments and deal with them.

Rory is a good representative of the target audience and therefore we must take his comments as valid.


Well said. Constructive criticism (or even bewliderment ) from a typical user/average Joe is much more useful than all-positive comments from a techie IMO (even thought the positive comments are very welcome )

[emg]

It's a trap!

[Jongoleur]

On the front page blog, Liz posted


We sent press units out at the end of last week


so I assume the press ones went out with populated SD cards so as not to confuse hapless journos!  I did note that one of the main points raised by Rory and Isabell (his  representative of the target audience!) was that it was a naked circuit board, and they felt that this could put children off.

Well, the cased product will remove that concern!

Overall, I thought it was a positive and constructive report.

[MadHorseman]

Hands up everryone here who could rummage in the attic and come up with a TV with an HDMI input???

[frying_fish]

MadHorseman said:


Hands up everryone here who could rummage in the attic and come up with a TV with an HDMI input???


You don't need it to have an HDMI input though do you? :p

Would be nice to have that many spares though. I guess I'd just use the bedroom TV rather than the lounge TV (both of which are HDMI capable).

[Jongoleur]

MadHorseman said:


Hands up everryone here who could rummage in the attic and come up with a TV with an HDMI input???



Yep - its waiting for my Pi to arrive!



(cheapo 16" LCD from Morrisions.....)

[KJBweb]

MadHorseman said:


Hands up everryone here who could rummage in the attic and come up with a TV with an HDMI input???


It has a standard composite video out also; those crappy CRT's you can pick up on FreeCycle are more than adequate.

[pandapi]

the technology reporting on the beeb makes me cringe. They're all useless.

[MadHorseman]

I don't actually have an Attic, but....

....I do have some LCD monitors with HDMI input (inlcuding a TV/Monitor) which could do the job.

And he did say he found a spare TV with an HDMI input!!

[JoeDaStudd]

The comments are rather unique.

[DavidBullock]

The comments on the bbc's use of the word "hacking" are quite funny. Do people really still believe that hacking actually means hacking? Surely the media should use the correct word "cracking" instead of misleading readers and typecasting programmers

[Dapa]

pandapi said:


the technology reporting on the beeb makes me cringe. They're all useless.



On BBC News tech section, you often see the term 'computer programme' used in articles which surely gives a clue to the (lack of) IT background of the person doing the write up.

[ArborealSeer]

instead of the oft repeated "those who can't, teach", is it a case of "those who can't, write about it" ?

[markb]

ArborealSeer said:


instead of the oft repeated "those who can't, teach", is it a case of "those who can't, write about it" ?



You forgot to add the next line:

Those who can't, teach.

Those who can't teach, teach teachers.

[MattPurland]

Press Units != Commercial Units (that schools will get)

The main problem with the review is they've assumed that what they got is what school children will get...

[cadmonkey33]

Rory's target audience isn't Engineers and Coders, it's the general public, therefore his review is entirely appropriate.

He's also dedicated many articles to Raspberry Pi, which has increased public awareness of the project massively.

Maybe people should take off their nerd goggles and give credit where it's due.

[asb]

cadmonkey33 said:


Rory's target audience isn't Engineers and Coders, it's the general public, therefore his review is entirely appropriate.

He's also dedicated many articles to Raspberry Pi, which has increased public awareness of the project massively.

Maybe people should take off their nerd goggles and give credit where it's due.


100% agree. Rory has done a great job covering the Raspberry Pi.

[jojopi]

Dapa said:

On BBC News tech section, you often see the term 'computer programme' used in articles which surely gives a clue to the (lack of) IT background of the person doing the write up.
Not necessarily; I have known CS lecturers who insist on "programme".  There is no logical reason that we should use the French spelling for a sequence of events and the American spelling for a sequence of instructions.

I agree, though, that technology journalism is almost universally erroneous.  And I suspect that is probably true of most other specialist areas as well.

[Dapa]

jojopi said:


Dapa said:


On BBC News tech section, you often see the term 'computer programme' used in articles which surely gives a clue to the (lack of) IT background of the person doing the write up.


Not necessarily; I have known CS lecturers who insist on "programme".  There is no logical reason that we should use the French spelling for a sequence of events and the American spelling for a sequence of instructions.

I agree, though, that technology journalism is almost universally erroneous.  And I suspect that is probably true of most other specialist areas as well.



You raise a good point. Is 'program' correct in the context or has it become established in the English language because of the influence of US manuals and magazines?

Theoretically, would a BBC News article use the phrase 'Program a video recorder' or 'Programme a video recorder'.

[liz]

cadmonkey33 said:


Rory's target audience isn't Engineers and Coders, it's the general public, therefore his review is entirely appropriate.

He's also dedicated many articles to Raspberry Pi, which has increased public awareness of the project massively.

Maybe people should take off their nerd goggles and give credit where it's due.


I couldn't agree more. I don't think this project would be anywhere near the point it is without Rory, who was instrumental in kicking off interest elsewhere in the press back in May last year (and who unintentionally put a rocket up our backsides when we realised on watching what we'd shown him that we'd promised millions of people that we would release a computer by the end of the year). Rory's coverage is the reason that my hairdresser, the guy in the local off license, my Mum's gardener, the guy who drove us to the airport yesterday and the guy who sells Eben his shirts know about this project and what it's about. I'd say those were some pretty darn good journalistic results right there.

[rmm200]

And along the lines of don't bite the hands that feed you, be nice to journalists in general who write about Pi. Their intentions are good, and they are mostly open to corrections if they mess up.

If they really get slammed for their best effort - their next article won't be as favorable...

Along those lines - Thank you BBC!