Linux That's Small

LXer Feature: 14-Oct-2024 Linux is big, but is it small? I talk about some pieces of hardware that run Linux that can fit in the palm of your hand. Some even smaller than that, take a look.

Linux is cool, I think we can all agree on that. Linux is pervasive, in that it is everywhere. It runs on the computers that make the Internet exist and all of the most "super" supercomputers in the world. In saying that it can be said that Linux is big, really big and I don't need to go into into any kind of detailed explanation to confirm that. But is Linux small? Can it fit in the palm of your hand and still get things done? The answer is yes, yes it can.

When you talk about Linux getting small the first one you have to talk about is the easy one. The one everybody knows about. The Raspberry Pi. Started in 2012 with the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B which was followed by the cheaper Model A with less RAM. Then in 2013 they released the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+ that went from having 26 pins to 40 as well as 4 USB ports instead of the original 2.

Since then the number of pins has stayed the same at 40 but the processing power, RAM as well as the addition of other components including Wifi, Micro SD slot and serial ports have been improved with every model. They are up to the Raspberry Pi 5 B+ which is a powerhouse piece of hardware. When you can have a powerful computer that can fit in the palm of your hand for less than $90 that's amazing if you ask me.

The next two I'm going to talk about are what I call "knock off's" of the Raspberry Pi. The Arduino and the Banana Pi.

The Arduino Project was started 2005 as a tool for students at the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea, Italy, aiming to provide a low-cost and easy way for novices and professionals to create devices that interact with their environment using sensors and actuators.

Their boards look and feel a lot like Raspberry Pi's. They are practically the same size and many of the same features. Though not as many if you look closely. They do have a really nice website that aims to show you what they are about and what their different boards can do. Check it out, its worth a look.

The Banana Pi was started in 2014 by a Chinese company. It is roughly the same size but its CPU is faster from reviews I have read and the information I have gotten off their website. But it is not as suitable for as many applications as the Raspberry Pi. You can get much more information from their website.

A couple of great websites for checking out a lot of the small things that run-on or use Linux as their OS are LinuxGizmos.com and CNX Software – Embedded Systems News You'll never run out of things to check out looking through their sites.

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Next are all the different things I have found that I wanted to share, and remember, these are just a few of the many many small things that run Linux on them. Just a few..

The first one I want to show you is the Tachyon SBC. It's a 5G-connected single-board computer designed to embed intelligence into various devices. The Tachyon can handle sensor data, video and audio processing, AI functionality and it supports media hosting, portable gaming, and home lab setups. It's the size of a credit card and it might as well be a full size PC. Pretty cool huh?

The next one is The ANAVI Dev Mic an open-source omnidirectional digital microphone that's about the size of your right thumb. you can plug a USB-C cord into it to power it. Its amazing how such an incredibly sensitive microphone can be packed into something so incredibly small isn't it?

Ever wanted a watch you could take apart and play with? Well then you should check out The TinyWATCH S3 P7. It comes already put together but you can easily take it apart and modify the hardware. It has Wifi capability as well for even more functions while connected.

Talk about small, this one just about takes the cake. The VoCore2 Coin-sized Linux Computer. It's got wireless built in, 128MG of memory with support for up to 2TB, It has a USB port too. I was looking at all the hardware specs for it and got lost. It's amazing. the company makes a lot of other things too, it's worth checking out.

The last one I want to share is one you can fly with. The LiteWing DIY ESP32 drone. It is a low-cost alternative to more expensive DIY drones that typically cost close to $70. It's so small it fits in the palm of your hand and can be controlled over WiFi using a smartphone. It has a MicroSD card slot for storage and the article I link too has a video showing how you can build it yourself.

Like I said, these are just a few of the small things I have found that use Linux and can fit in the palm of your hand, a couple of them at the same time even! So for all you Linux enthusiasts out there, you can say Linux is big and getting bigger, but it's also small and getting smaller. :-)