Need to Know
FIRST LOOK
10 4-17April 2018
RaspberryPi 3Model B+
http://www.raspberrypi.orgThelatesthardwarerefresh of
everyone’s favouritemicro-computer
isn’tadrastic overhaul: as the
(increasinglyunwieldy)name implies,
it’s insteadanupdated versionofthe
RaspberryPi3ModelB,originally
released in February 2016.
Thechanges areall forthe better,
though.The processor is faster than
ever before,and theWi-Fi controller
nowsupportsdual-band802.11ac,
whichisabig step up from the
2.4GHz-only802.11n provisionofits
predecessor.The Ethernetportgets
aboost, too, to 300Mbps.
To saythatthe newB+isn’t much to
look at wouldbeanunderstatement.
As usual,itcomes as abareboard and
retains thesamebasic layout as everyoldModelB.
TheB+isn’t agame-changingstep
up from itspredecessor –ifyou’ve
neverseenthe appeal of aRaspberry
Pi,thisincremental evolution isn’t
goingtochangeyourmind. However,
in thewords of creatorEbenUpton,
theupgradedinternalsdogiveita
“substantiallybetterfeel” than any
previous revision.The Pi is quietly
becomingsomething that youreally
coulduse as alightweight desktopPC
whileatthe same time retaining all
thecharm and versatility that’s made
theplatformsobelovedofhobbyists
and tinkerers.
Perhapsmostimpressiveisthatthe
updateddeviceretains theultra-low
pricepointofjust £36.Soifyou do
fancythe idea of buying acomputer
just to mess around with, thePiisnow
moretemptingthanever.What happened?
Microsoft hasbeencaughtfoistingits
Edge browseronWindows 10 users,
even if they have another option setas
theirdefault browser.
As part of anew featureinthe latest
Windows 10 InsiderPreview buildfor
usersinthe Skip Aheadring, anylink
clicked withinthe Windows Mail app–
whichisthe default emailclientthat
comespreinstalledinWindows 10 –will
automaticallyopeninMicrosoft Edge,
regardless of whether or notit’sthe
system default.
Microsoft announced thechangein
ablogpost(bit.ly/edge446), claiming
that Edge “providesthe best, most
secure and consistent experience on
Windows 10 and across your devices,”
adding: “Asalways, we look forwardto
feedback from ourWIP (Windows
InsiderProgramme)community”.
This is notthe first time that the
companyhas engaged in aggressive
promotional tacticstoincreasethe
adoptionofits browser. When users
type theterm‘Chrome download’or
similarintoEdge’ssearchbar (which
uses Bing as thedefault search engine),
they aregreeted withalarge bannerat
thetop of theirsearchresults extolling
thevirtues of Edge andremindingthem
that it’s alreadyinstalled on theirPC.
Userstryingtoswitch theirPC’s
default browserfromEdgetoan
Microsoft forcesEdge on Windows Mail users
alternativevia thesettings menuare
greetedwithasimilar message.Howwill it affect you?
Windows Insiders arealready using
Microsoft’s Feedback Hubtocomplain
vociferously aboutthe change, accusing
thecompany of limiting theirfreedom
of choice and locking them into itsown
apps.Hopefully,thismeans that by the
time theoffendingupdate is released to
thepublic,Microsoft will have listened
to thenegativefeedback and dropped
this unwelcomeand unreasonable
restriction, allowing userstoopen
emails in theirpreferred browser.
That said,Windows Mail is reported
to have less than a1%share of the
email-clientmarket, so it’s possibleyouwon’t notice thechangeevenif
it is enforced.What do we think?
Notagain, Microsoft!Westill remember
thehot waterthe companygot into
almost adecade agofor forcing
Windows userstobrowsewithInternet
Explorer.Thatled to Microsoft being
investigated foranti-competitive
practicesand abusing itsmonopoly
overthe PC industry,but it seemsthat
thecompany hasn’t learnedits lesson.
Although this example of aggressive
promotion isn’tasserious,Microsoft
should acknowledgethatnot everybody
wantstouse Edge as theirdefault
browser, and give usersachoicerather
than makingitfor them.Pi since2014’soriginal Model B+,witha
full-sized HDMI connector,fourUSB 2
portsand amicro-USB powersocket.
TheRaspberry Pi wasnever intended
to be apowerhouse,but overthe
generations it’s becomequite acapable
little thing. Theuser-friendly Raspbian
Linuxdistrohas come to feel –ifnot
exactlynippy –veryusable,and the
Model B+ givesitanextra kick witha
clockspeed that’s 17%faster than the