Blog
05.13
Bridging the Gap
In Thomas' last post, the triumphant return of the Commodore 64 was lauded.
It was a revolutionary piece of technology that was the first experience many computer programmers had with a personal computer. The imagination and inspiration it fostered among early programmers still resonates today.
Now, an organization called the Rasberry PI Foundation is behind the development of a $25 PC that is basically a CPU built on a thumb drive. It’s super small and super powerful, with incredible speed and processing capabilities. All you need is a monitor and a keyboard and it’s ready to rock.
The hope is that this technology could be disseminated to underprivileged children around the world to cultivate computer programming skills that could eventually lead to the next great innovations in software.
The notion that a powerful computer could be made available to the masses for virtually nothing is truly awe-inspiring. While it’s unlikely that this will put a computer in the hands of anyone and everyone, this improved access could take the educational process ahead by significant strides.
It harkens back to how the Gutenberg press made books accessible on a mass scale for the first time. To clarify, we’re talking about the famous German inventor, not the guy from Cocoon. It remains to be seen if the impact of an uber-affordable PC will reach that magnitude, but the very idea is exciting.
Corporations would be well-served to keep organizations like the Rasberry PI Foundation on their corporate-giving radar. They are doing amazing things.
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