[kwlug-disc] Fw: Raspberry pi 4

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Chris Irwin via kwlug-disc (kwlug-disc at kwlug.org):

> The advantage of a Pi isn't the performance, but the popularity.
> 
> I've owned another non-pi ARM board, which required it's own out-of-tree patches and basically became ewaste once newer products came along.

Historically, "ARM" was less a CPU platform than a cluster of closely
related RISC CPU platforms.  I have cautious optimism that the new
dominance of aarch64 will at least greatly reduce the need for
out-of-tree patchsets and make the experience a lot closer to
expectations from other common CPU platforms.  

Certainly, the out-of-tree thing is exactly what has keep me away from
Linux on ARM until now, including the various RPis, as all of the binary
blobs and out-of-tree kernels (and odd bootloaders, one-off device
trees, etc.) struck me as worrisome.  I get the sense that is changing
-- but will not put down significant money on any aarch64 without
verifying.

When buying my next-generation home Linux server hardware a few years
ago, I looked carefully into everything in ARM space, said heck no, and
instead got a CompuLab IntensePC (Celeron) and a pair of external SSDs
on eSATA.  Almost as power-thrifty, equally silent, and much more standard.

Personally, I can't take seriously RPis for (any) server use until the day
they can do mirrored main storage on something more reliable and better 
than USB 3.0.  But horses for courses.