Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex )
Posted by Vlad
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Re: Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex ) August 25, 2012 11:47AM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 378 |
I'm trying very hard not to comment on almost this entire thread.
If Vlad prefers iConnect to GoFlex then to each his own. Maybe a more expensive device with wifi suits him better.
But a Raspi as a GoFlex replacement?
I think it's time for me to leave now and go to the toilet before Jeff bans me. . . I'm feeling nauseated.
If Vlad prefers iConnect to GoFlex then to each his own. Maybe a more expensive device with wifi suits him better.
But a Raspi as a GoFlex replacement?
I think it's time for me to leave now and go to the toilet before Jeff bans me. . . I'm feeling nauseated.
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Re: Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex ) August 26, 2012 02:41AM |
Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 128 |
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Re: Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex ) August 26, 2012 04:14PM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 378 |
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Re: Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex ) August 28, 2012 08:28AM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 128 |
LOL. In the meantime I even picked up another GF Net which will probably serve as an iSCSI NAS only. As far as Raspi is concerned, at least here in Europe is costs not simply 35$ but 35$ + VAT + shipping and at the end you have sth like 45-50€. If you compare this to 35-40€ for GF Net, I guess it's pretty clear what device one would pick as a server. Of course GF Net has no video card and can't do H264, but for a headless server that really doesn't matter much.
As gnexus said, to each his own. No offense to Raspi fans.
As gnexus said, to each his own. No offense to Raspi fans.
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Re: Looking for a hackable ARM thingy with native Debian support (not Dockstar or GoFlex ) August 31, 2012 12:57PM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 378 |
I don't want to criticize anybody's hardware choices. Each device, even a Raspi, has its good points and might be optimal for a particular usage scenario. But since other people, who may be trying to decide what to purchase, may be reading this thread, I had to comment here. Otherwise I would have simply passed this thread up.
To elaborate a bit more:
I've been using two Go Flex Net's for my primary servers now for over a year, using Debian Sid, with absolutely no issues or reboots (except for kernel updates). They were both €49.95. You can get them cheaper sometimes. But I think they are worth that much. They work flawlessly as a MythTV backend and slave backend, and also as a MPD server, and web and file server with MySql backend.
Prior to that I used a Dockstar. But Dockstar only has USB for HDD. USB is way slower. That is what made me cringe ;)
No offence intended to the Raspi guys. But those devices really make me cringe. They are why I am an Allwinner A10 promoter. Raspi's are made by Broadcom, which has a very bad track record with Open Source developers. Their GPU is closed. You must pay for extra codecs. While the GNU/Linux GPU drivers on the A10 are still a work-in-progress the Mali is at least mostly open-sourced by ARM. The A10 is way more than twice as fast as a Raspi, and it has SATA and other features the Raspi does not have. The devices also have a case. You can get an A10 tablet for under €49.95. By the time you get a Raspi with shipping and a case you are close to that price. I can't see how anybody who believes in the Open Source community can justify buying a Raspi, and they are doing the Open Source community a disservice by buying a device with closed source drivers. But that is just my personal opinion and my 2 cents FWIW.
Until the A10 gets better drivers I can't recommend it as a server. But any Kirkwood device is a great choice as a server.
To elaborate a bit more:
I've been using two Go Flex Net's for my primary servers now for over a year, using Debian Sid, with absolutely no issues or reboots (except for kernel updates). They were both €49.95. You can get them cheaper sometimes. But I think they are worth that much. They work flawlessly as a MythTV backend and slave backend, and also as a MPD server, and web and file server with MySql backend.
Prior to that I used a Dockstar. But Dockstar only has USB for HDD. USB is way slower. That is what made me cringe ;)
No offence intended to the Raspi guys. But those devices really make me cringe. They are why I am an Allwinner A10 promoter. Raspi's are made by Broadcom, which has a very bad track record with Open Source developers. Their GPU is closed. You must pay for extra codecs. While the GNU/Linux GPU drivers on the A10 are still a work-in-progress the Mali is at least mostly open-sourced by ARM. The A10 is way more than twice as fast as a Raspi, and it has SATA and other features the Raspi does not have. The devices also have a case. You can get an A10 tablet for under €49.95. By the time you get a Raspi with shipping and a case you are close to that price. I can't see how anybody who believes in the Open Source community can justify buying a Raspi, and they are doing the Open Source community a disservice by buying a device with closed source drivers. But that is just my personal opinion and my 2 cents FWIW.
Until the A10 gets better drivers I can't recommend it as a server. But any Kirkwood device is a great choice as a server.
