How viable is the raspberry pi 4b?

Question

linux

Hello! Recently I wanted to
start learning Linux, the command line and all the delights of this OC. Thinking about buying a Raspberry Pi 4b 4g. But in most articles it is said about its "dampness" and "low productivity". The main task, I repeat, will be learning the basics of working with Linux, and I would also like to be able to comfortably program outside the home, because there is no laptop. How good is "raspberry" for these purposes, dear owners of this single-board computer? Also, how convenient will it be to learn Linux on the rasbian OS, or is it better to immediately roll Ubuntu, although it will be less productive? . In general, help a beginner with the best choice, and in general, what do you think about this. Raspberry Pi is still a "geek toy" or quite viable, albeit a rather weak desktop replacement? Thank you!
(the option with a virtual machine is not considered in this question)

Answer 1

As the owner of already 2x rpi4b and an avid Linux user:
1) if you want to learn gnu\linux OS, put ARCH instead of the main OS and go ahead. You will learn most of the features, subtleties, conveniences / non-conveniences of the OS. The arch documentation is very good. You will have to read a lot, experiment too.
2) Raspberry may be suitable for everyday use as a desktop, but there is a huge mass of nuances. If this is the task, I would still recommend looking at something with x86 architecture.
3) Performance is enough, but depending on the tasks. I have 1 raspberry working as a server (samba\nfs\nginx\ps3netserver\transmission\syslog server\dns server\dlna\asterisk\hash3d server\zmp proxy). Separately, I note that an ssd for the OS and a pair of hdd for 4tb + raspberry cooling + power for all this are connected to it, but without any case to push everything inside. 2nd raspberry is still looking for the perfect application, I tried it as a desktop for TV, well, not comfortable. I tried it as a console with emulators, against the background of a ps3 broken line with emulators, it's also pretty sad. Tried as a kind of PC replacement, sadness for me. It's more for experiments.
4) The matter will not be limited to buying one raspberry, the pleasure is expensive. Cooling, good food, maybe a case, maybe shields. All this is quite expensive, it requires work with hands and head and understanding with knowledge. Well, i.e. in my example, if you take a raspberry that works as a server, in terms of money \ time \ labor costs much, not even so, MUCH! it is more profitable to take synology on a couple of disks.
5) Any single-boarder is the path of a great enthusiast, among them the raspberries are the most "finished" in terms of drivers / software / hardware.
6) Dopilin does not mean that everything is fine right now. You should not believe tons of stupid videos on YouTube "best set-top box\Best PC\Best TV box", lies, it all works very, so to speak, averagely and at least requires a lot of head work.
7) ARM is a pain, at least for now.
8) Popular OS on raspberries, such as ubuntu \ raspbian is a PAIN! Or they will require from you a huge investment of time, probably more than building an OS on the same arch, in both cases you need knowledge of the case / hardware / OS.
As a result, I can say that, yes, raspberries \ single-payers are cool when there is time for them and desire. Whether raspberries are the best choice is far from a fact if we proceed from the tasks, but raspberries are the best in terms of a set of ported OS and hardware itself. Those. for a server at home, I will definitely choose raspberries, for something else, very unlikely.

Answer 2

Raspberries are needed by those who need them, and not needed by those who do not need them.
Write down these simple yet wise words.

Answer 3

Why learn Linux on bare metal? Raise the virtual machine - and study. If you want to have access outside your home - rent a virtual machine on hosting for a couple of euros per month.

Answer 4

Recently I wanted to start learning Linux, the command line and all the delights of this OC.

Commendable. It's a good thing

most articles talk about its "dampness" and "low performance".

I don't know of any such article. It seems that you are reading the writings of the same dummies as you are only more arrogant. First you need to study what the raspberry pi is intended for, and then draw conclusions. It's like hammering nails with a planer and then saying that it is "raw" and inefficient

and I would also like to be able to comfortably program outside the home, because there is no laptop

Forget about the possibility of programming on the raspberry pi once and for all (we are not talking about comfort at all)

Is the Raspberry Pi still a geek toy or a viable, albeit rather weak, desktop replacement?

The Raspberry Pi is neither. Take an interest in what the "Internet of Things" (IoT) and "smart home" are and it will become clear to you why single-payers are needed
PS recently such a thing has appeared . This is already starting to look like a computer, but even here there is a standard 40-foot connector for controlling various mechanisms (which, in principle, is what raspberries are intended for)

Answer 5

For this money you can buy a normal used system unit.

Answer 6

Wow! Linux! Want Want!
Uh... textbooks? articles? documentation?... and where - wow?
So here it is - wow! Malinka! Want Want!
Minus: the price of Raspberry.
Plus: nil.

Answer 7

Ubuntu has recently turned into a gluttonous fat man, it's better to install Linux Mint then. If you really want to - there is a non-gluttonous Lubuntu assembly. But it is still more suitable for "regular" desktop computers and laptops. First of all, I mean the graphical shell, the lightest one is LXDE (used in Lubuntu), then it goes prettier than XFCE.
As already mentioned here, the raspberry is ideal for a home server, smart home or internet of things. For a smart home, then it will be possible to hang an arduino with all sorts of sensors on it.
Also, to study Linux, I recommend looking towards the books of Andrey Viktorovich Stolyarov: www.stolyarov.info/books/programming_intro/vol1
What I definitely do not recommend starting to learn Linux is with Gentoo, because this is pain and suffering, an assembly for real sadomasochists.