Raspberry Pi 4

Raspberry Pi 4: Minecraft Server

A quick overview and review of the Pi 4 as a Minecraft server! This is a pretty well known use for the Pi 4; here is my take on how easy it is to set up and how well the Pi 4 works as a gaming server.
Minecraft gameplay on a minecraft server

Background: Pi 4 Applications

I've previously written a few articles on the Raspberry Pi 4 as desktop replacement; the gist of my review was basically, "... yes, you can--but, would you really want to?" Don't get me wrong.

Raspberry Pi 4 -- Yes, You Can Use it for Web Development

It'll take a while for you to optimize your Pi 4, but the answer is a definitive "YES"--you can manage a development workflow on it. The real question is, do you want to?

Background

One of the big concerns with the Raspberry Pi 4 as a daily driver is, of course, whether the hardware can handle the comparable workload of a desktop computer. I've already touched lightly on overclocking the Pi and optimizing a boot disk. The final question is whether the little SBC actually has enough software support to be productive--in any effective sense.

Hardware: Raspberry Pi 4 Boot Disk Optimization

I recently looked at my 2008 Mac Pro to optimize it's startup disk; today let's have a look at the Raspberry Pi 4 to see what kind of setup provides the fastest read speed on it's boot disk. We can take it for granted that the Pi 4's USB3 port will provide better throughput than the on-board microSD reader; I've seen people using different USB3 peripherals for their boot disks, though. Today, I'll have a look at how a USB3 flash drive performs against a 2.5" solid state.

Quick Background

I previously posted on the feasibility of the Raspberry Pi 4 as a desktop computer--particularly in regard to whether it could handle my web-development workflow; there are really three major issues at stake with regard to whether the Pi 4 can pull it off:

Review: Raspberry Pi 4 -- A Desktop Computer?

Pi 4 as a desktop computer? Here are some initial thoughts as I sit down to play with the newest version of the Pi Foundation's single board computer.

Here's some background: I'm a little bit of a tinkerer. Nothing hardcore--but, I do fetishize older computers and anything  outside the fringes of mainstream technology. When my kids were in 3rd grade (they're twins), I caught wind of the Kano Computer and decided to get one for their birthday. If you're not familiar with the Kano Computer, it's a Raspberry Pi based hardware setup designed to allow kids (and tinkerers) a hands on experience with "building" and understanding a computer.