Raspberry Pi Forums

Hi all,
I am a Information technology college student who was thinking about buying a R-Pi to learn programming on. I'm thinking of starting with Java as a good beginner language unless someone has a better suggestion. I have a few questions. Which model of Pi would be better for my purposes of learning to code? Is internet needed alot? Also, Ive read alot that you can use a basic phone charger to power Pi (is this true) and so I was wondering what other requirements are needed? Does the SD card need to be a certain class speed? Can the USB port work with a multiple USB hub? Will a logitech multi wireless device USB dongle be supported? Basically, im looking for as much beginner info as i can get. Thanks in advance for all the help.

Didn't your web searches turn up eLinux? elinux is your friend for basic information about the Raspberry Pi and requirements. Try these following pages:

RPi Hardware Basic Setup - eLinux.org
http://elinux.org/RPi_Hardware_Basic_Setup#Power_Supply
RPi Hardware Basic Setup - eLinux.org
http://elinux.org/RPi_Hardware_Basic_Se ... _Will_Need

With regards to Internet, whether you need it, depends on what you want to do with your Pi besides just code. It is easier to set up and get information if your Pi has an internet connection, but not essential.

I do not understand your question about a multiple USB Hub. Powered USB hubs are best so as to avoid problems with not enough power. About the particular dongle you are asking about, do you mean does it draw too much power or whether it will work on the Pi? There is a Verified Peripherals page, accessible with links on the above pages, that lists many peripherals known to work with the Pi.

Which model to get is a matter of preference, budget, and your personal hardware requirements. Depends on how you want to set it up, both will do basic programming, the Operating systems are identical.

I am using Class 4 SD cards, but higher classes are said to perform better, although not necessarily. eLinux has an entire webpage devoted to listing SD cards that do and do not work on the Pi. Again, links are on the above eLinux pages.

What language is best, depends on what you want to do with it and how much other experience you have. The Foundation is big on python I believe, so you might get more support here with learning python.

But you can learn any language you want on the pi! What I like about having an internet connection for my Pi is that if I come up with a technical question, I can immediately use a search engine to hunt for an answer. If I have errors in code, I can paste those into the search and find out how other people solved those problems. But it is not necessary, just nice to have that access.

Java is a big mainstream language with a future, and a sensible starter, but I have enjoyed learning Python which contain some nice elements of "how programming is developing". I guess you should at least dabble in C which is so intimately linked with the Unix universe. Though that might be to turn away from it (see some comments elsewhere here)! I have actually met people who programmed in (now fossilised) "B"!

If you want to go deep, assembler on the ARM looks straightforward but may be a step backward in the wider sweep of IT, I used to do a lot on the old BBC machine, great fun, hard work! It still seems needed for µs critical things, I've found the current GPIO hard metal thread very illuminating (thanks chaps)

Your programming curriculum "should" be determined by the wisdom of your college tutors, but … shall we say that a return to fundamentals is a lot of what the Pi is about and I think you are doing the right thing.

chrisryall wrote:I guess you should at least dabble in C which is so intimately linked with the Unix universe. Though that might be to turn away from it (see some comments elsewhere here)!

Indeed!

I have actually met people who programmed in (now fossilised) "B"!

Hang on, I'm not fossilised yet!

I last programmed in B in about 2001. I wouldn't touch it now, but there was a massive library of stuff in B for one of the mainframes I was supporting at the time.

If you want to go deep, assembler on the ARM looks straightforward but may be a step backward in the wider sweep of IT, I used to do a lot on the old BBC machine, great fun, hard work!

Assembler is fun, especially on the ARM, which has about the nicest instruction set I've ever coded in.

Well, how do you do. Three now.

I met the others in the 1970's, just a few years before the holoCene?

To OP: get a model B for learning to code - You'll be downloading libraries and updates and maybe looking up examples, etc.
Save the model A buying for when you're more experienced...