Raspberry Pi 2: Six Things You Can (And Can't) Do

You Can Run Windows 10 Embedded -- Windows 10 Embedded, like the embedded versions of earlier Windows operating systems, is a command-line version of the OS core designed to power control systems, kiosks, appliances, and other devices for which the Windows user interface isn't required. It allows a developer to use the Microsoft developer tools and attach the embedded devices to a network under Microsoft Active Directory control and management.

You Can't Run Microsoft Office -- Office won't run on Windows 10 Embedded because the products need all of those fancy user interface pieces that the Embedded product doesn't have. There are additional reasons, but the takeaway is that you can't replace your Windows desktop with a $35 computer in an Altoids box. Sorry.

You Can Build a Better Supercomputer -- People started building Raspberry Pi supercomputers with the Model A. For a researcher with a small budget (or just a very curious hobbyist) the possibilities inherent in a bunch of cheap Linux computers and a pile of Legos are almost unlimited (and absolutely irresistible). With more memory and four times as many compute cores on each device, it should be possible to build much more capable supercomputers at minimal expense.

You Can Teach People to Code -- Computer programming has become one of the "must-have" skills for the modern technical employee. Learning the programming essentials in a desktop environment can be difficult, because of all the user interface components that have to be considered. The Raspberry Pi 2 gets around all of those and adds the possibility of blinky lights to show whether the program is doing the right thing. And let's be honest: Everything is better and easier with blinky lights.

You Can't Take Its Photograph -- OK, to be more specific you don't want to take a photograph of the Raspberry Pi 2 if you're lighting it with a flash. The sudden, intense light of a flash at close range causes the computer to turn off. Why? It turns out that a key component is photo-sensitive -- something that's not at all an issue if you've got the board in a nice, dark, project box. If you want to take a photo of your RasPi 2, though, just put it on a table near a window and use natural light.

You Can Build a Cloud -- Unlike many other single-board embedded computers, the Raspberry Pi 2 has all the components you need to put a project into the cloud. Add a power supply (a 2 amp micro-USB supply is plenty), connect it to the rest of your project, write the code to be delivered to the outside world via the included Web server, and you're in the cloud.