THIS BOOK WILL INTRODUCE you to the Raspberry Pi and provide 12 projects that will lead you through some simple, fundamental operations up to some fairly complex ones. The Raspberry Pi, despite its small size, is a fully functional computer capable of running a full-fledged Linux operating system. It is also the most inexpensive computer with this level of functionality that is presently available to the public.
A look at a bit of history regarding the Raspberry Pi (or RasPi as I will now refer to it) and its originally intended market may help you understand the constraints and limitations that subsequently
ensued. The RasPi concept began around 2006 with Dr. Eben Upton and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory in Cambridge, England. They were concerned about the decline in knowledge and skill levels of incoming computer science students as compared with those of earlier students. Dr. Upton decided to create an inexpensive computer, reasoning that it was likely that parents were not allowing their children to experiment with modern and relatively expensive PCs. This idea ultimately led to the development of the very inexpensive RasPi. This computer would provide an excellent opportunity for children to learn and experiment with programming, while not being a concern to parents if something should go horribly wrong and the board is destroyed.