Raspberry Pi for Dummies

The book comprises over 400 pages arranged in 20 chapters. A welcome addition to this latest edition is coverage of the recently introduced Model B+. The content is arranged in six parts, plus appendices and a bonus on-line chapter. Part I – ‘Getting Started with theRaspberry Pi’ – will provide you with a useful introduction to the Pi, its operating system, downloading software and how to configure the Pi for first-time operation. This is all valuable information, particularly for new users.

Part II covers ‘Getting Started with Linux’. It provide an overview of the operating system, the desktop environment, and using the Linux shell. I suspect that for most EPE readers this will be extremely useful. Part III is titled ‘Using the Raspberry Pi for Both Work and Play’ and deals with using an office application, photo editing, and using the Pi with media. Most EPE readers are likely to find this of somewhat peripheral interest, but rather more usefully, ‘Programming the Pi’is covered in Part IV. This deals with using Scratch, Python, Minecraft and making music. With the exception of the chapter on Python (about 30 pages) this is also likely to have a somewhat limited appeal to the average electronics enthusiast.