The eagerly anticipated Raspberry Pi home computer is about to go into production in Britain in the hope that it will inspire a new generation of technology-savvy kids.
The Raspberry Pi home computer is being built around an Arm processor similar to ones found in mobile phones and will run a version of the Linux open source operating system. Test versions of finished devices are being checked and if all is well volume production will start in January.
The idea for Raspberry Pi came from video game veteran David Braben who was searching for a way to inspire young people to start a career in technology.
Raspberry Pi is being developed in Cambridgeshire and every update has been watched closely by those keen to get working with the gadget.
The batch of bare bones circuit boards are the first to be populated with all the components making up the finished device. Test versions of finished devices are being checked and if all is well, volume production will start in January.
The finished device will be sold in two configurations. A Model A for $25 (£16) which lacks a network connector and a Model B for $35 (£22) which does have an Ethernet socket.
Raspberry Pi initially intended to finish its machine by the end of 2011. However, it said, delays in development meant it was now about three weeks behind schedule. Despite this, it anticipates that people will be able to place orders for the gadgets in early January. No pre-orders have been taken because the organisation said it did not want to take anyone's cash without having something to hand over in return.
