Raspberry Pi's Raspbian OS Finally Spins 64-bit Version

[coder]

I, for one, am grateful that the Raspberry Pi Foundation did all this work to get an all-around decent 64-bit OS released whatsoever, even if there are warts. For the price point (granted you can actually get one), the warts are forgivable. IMHO, they go much farther, in this regard, than any other ARM SBC maker. So big is this disparity, to my eye, that I have zero interest in any other ARM SBC maker.

ODROID-N2 supported 64-bit Ubuntu LTS for years. Does that count?

[coder]

I run them all headless.

So did I. I didn't even own a HDMI-capable monitor, when I got my first Pi.

However, let's not forget that the Pi's original mission was to be an affordable development platform. Not a full replacement for a desktop computer, but still usable in standalone fashion. I think it's still lagging, there... even compared to some of its competition.

Photo/video editing? I have powerful desktops available for those applications.

I've actually run GIMP on my ODROID-N2, FWIW. It was entirely usable for my purposes.

[coder]

Even a single core 700 MHz RPi from 2012 supports 1080p H264.

Maybe using its GPU, but my Pentium 4 3.2 GHz would struggle to decode some 1080p H.264 files (probably 24 or 30 fps), even using an optimized decoder from CoreCodec. So, I'm calling BS on the notion that Pi v1 could software decode H.264 at anything remotely close to 1080p/30.

[rclark]

However, let's not forget that the Pi's original mission was to be an affordable development platform. Not a full replacement for a desktop computer, but still usable in standalone fashion. I think it's still lagging, there... even compared to some of its competition.

True, a development platform for educational purposes. I do have a Pi-400 that I hooked up to a monitor and mouse and with it booting off an USB 3.0 SSD. I ran it for a few days just to get a feel for it. I found it quite acceptable for general browsing, watching a youtube video, writing a few documents with LibreOffice, and yes a little programming in 'C' and Python. I don't recall calling up VLC. Not as 'snappy' as my 5900X based desktop system, but for class-room work, I think it would be dandy. A true money saver in the schools for learning. Currently the Pi-400 is tucked away waiting for a use-case around here. I had plans on tearing it down for a project as all the board connectors are on one side ... but haven't got around to it.