Five tips for getting the most out of a Raspberry Pi 3 as a work PC

[RV_]

Now this is an interesting article, and at the end read the feedback if you are already a Linux fan, for some interesting command line tweaks to speed it up.

 

I have one Mini PC now using the quad core Atom Z3735 and it is almost as small as the Pi3, smaller than when it is in some of the cases offered. I also owned the very first model of Pi and played around with it using Raspberry Debian. I sold it a few months later as it was a cool thing but stayed unused.

 

The Pi is getting better and can do more. So for those who think 35 bucks, and a little time is worth it, and already have a screen keyboard and mouse, and does not play 3D games or do CAD/CAM, or edit videos on your system these can work.

 

Excerpt:

 

"Want to use the $35 computer as your work PC? It's possible but here are some tips for making your life easier.

 

It's definitely possible to use the Raspberry Pi 3 as a work or home PC but, as I found out, there are some stumbling blocks you may run into.

 

Here are the tips that I found useful in getting the most out of the Pi 3 and its official Raspbian OS.

 

Download Chromium

One of my biggest gripes was how slowly JavaScript-heavy websites loaded, when using both the Epiphany and Iceweasel web browsers. Given JS is so common in modern web sites and services this proved to be problematic.

 

A decent alternative to Epiphany and Iceweasel when it comes to handling such sites and services is Chromium - the open-source browser that Chrome is based on.

 

To install Chromium open the terminal and enter the following commands:

wget http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/universe/c/chromium-browser/chromium-browser-l10n_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_all.deb

wget http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/universe/c/chromium-browser/chromium-browser_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_armhf.deb

wget http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/universe/c/chromium-browser/chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_armhf.deb

sudo dpkg -i chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_armhf.deb

sudo dpkg -i chromium-browser-l10n_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_all.deb chromium-browser_48.0.2564.82-0ubuntu0.15.04.1.1193_armhf.deb

 

Thanks to Kusti in the Raspberry Pi forums, whose advice I modified to do this.

 

I also later saw that there is a chromium-browser listed as an official package in Raspbian, so it should also be possible to install it simply by typing sudo apt-get install chromium-browser in the terminal - although I haven't tried this.

 

Use a script blocker

 

Another way around the periodic hitching and lag you will experience when using the Epiphany browser on Javascript-heavy websites is to download Iceweasel and install a script-blocker.

 

Iceweasel is easy to download from the terminal. Just use the command sudo apt-get install iceweasel

Once Iceweasel is installed, go to https://addons.mozilla.org and install the NoScript extension."

 

The article goes on to show which office suite works best and other tips and tweaks. Interesting alternative for the folks claiming to want to leave Windows entirely and go to another OS like Linux who have old systems that take up too much space. Or just like I did with a much less capable Pi. For those threatening to leave Microsoft completely, here it is for 35 bucks.

 

On edit, here is the link I forgot: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/five-tips-for-getting-the-most-out-of-a-raspberry-pi-3-as-a-pc/

[Lou Schneider]

If you're interested in reading the original article, here's the link:

 

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/five-tips-for-getting-the-most-out-of-a-raspberry-pi-3-as-a-pc/

 

I've been playing with a couple of Raspberry Pi 2's for about a month now, I'm developing a software package to monitor and report on the radio station's remote transmitter sites. We had been using old Win XP laptops, but the Pi looks to be a much more elegant solution.

[RV_]

Thanks Lou! I forgot the link!

 

Did you read the article about the Raspberry Pi supercomputer they actually built? They do sound like you have a use for them. Better than Arduino style component mechanical and software builds IMO.