Discussion on the improvements of Raspberry Pi 5 and alternatives, concerns about thermals and storage, comparison of O-Droid H3 and B-link servers, upcoming Linux Fest event and bitcoin conference, challenges of using Windows in a Linux environment, gratitude for community support and plans for new podcast apps and framework laptop, experiences with RV's electrical system.
The Raspberry Pi 5 has several improvements over the Pi 4, including a proprietary chip design, larger cache, dual 4k displays, gigabit Ethernet, and USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports.
The Raspberry Pi 5 runs hotter compared to previous models and may require active cooling, and it no longer supports H.264 hardware decoding and lacks certain hardware accelerations, making it less appealing to certain users.
WayCheck is a tool that allows you to check the level of Wayland support on your system, providing a clear understanding of its functionality with a graphical user interface.
Deep dives
New ESP32-powered device by LilyGo
LilyGo released a $25 ESP32-powered device that includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an Ethernet port, and a micro SD card slot. This device effectively turns the ESP into a full-fledged computer.
Introduction of Raspberry Pi 5
The Raspberry Pi 5 has been highly anticipated, and it comes with several improvements over the Pi 4. These include a proprietary chip design, larger cache, dual 4k displays, a single lane PCI Express 2.0 interface, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, a 2.4 GHz quad-core 64-bit CPU, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The price for the 4GB RAM model is around $60, and an 8GB RAM model is priced around $80.
Considerations with the Raspberry Pi 5
While the Raspberry Pi 5 has notable improvements, there are also some downsides. One concern is that it runs hotter compared to previous models and may require active cooling. Additionally, to take advantage of the PCI Express lane and get fast storage, users will need a separate hat. It's also disappointing that it no longer supports H.264 hardware decoding and lacks certain hardware accelerations. Another downside is the staggered release of the product, which could lead to delayed shipping for some customers. These factors may make the Pi 5 less appealing to certain users.
Identifying Wayland Support with WayCheck
WayCheck is a tool available on FlatHub that allows you to check the level of Wayland support on your system. By providing a graphical user interface, WayCheck displays the different Wayland components and protocols supported by your system, providing you with a clear understanding of its functionality.
Determining X or Wayland Usage with GNOME Extension
For GNOME users, there is a handy extension that displays an X or Wayland icon in the corner of your screen, indicating which display server your system is currently using. When the X logo is visible, your system is running X11, while the W icon signifies Wayland usage.
Introducing: Raspberry Pi 5! — Today, we’re delighted to announce the launch of Raspberry Pi 5, coming at the end of October. Priced at $60 for the 4GB variant, and $80 for its 8GB sibling.
Raspberry Pi 5 Review: A New Standard for Makers — The Raspberry Pi 5 is significantly faster than its predecessor while costing almost the same price. Its only drawback, which is likely temporary, is that some older HATs and add-ons may not have have software support right away.
RealDudePerson/beakon — Beakon is designed to be a self-host location sharing webserver. Beakon aims to leak as little data as possible and uses mostly self-contained libraries and local database files.
RetroDECK — RetroDECK is a polished and beginner-friendly environment for playing your retro games on Steam Deck, available with just one click from the Discover app.
Pick: Waycheck — Waycheck is a simple graphical application that connects to your Wayland compositor and displays the list of Wayland protocols that it supports, along with the list of protocols that it doesn't.
