Introduction

The Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer having all of its components in a single board. It is available in various forms, versions, and specs. The ones I used most are Pi zero, 3B, and 3B+, and Pi 4.

The most versatile one is the Pi 4, being the current release and the most powerful of them all to do different jobs ranging from simple stuff to a full desktop workstation.

Most IT systems employ Windows-based systems. The Raspberry Pis run Linux OSes which for the end-user seems intimidating being unfamiliar to work with. They are error-prone and need maintenance every now and then by updating and upgrading packages, but efficient in running services designed to run 24/7.

Nowadays Linux becomes easier to deal with by end-users, thanks to Graphical User Interface inclusion in current OSes rather than solely depending on terminal and command line.

A raspberry pi, especially the latest Raspberry Pi 4 Model B with a RAM of 4GB and more, can act as a desktop replacement with all capabilities of a workstation and as well it can act as a 24/7 server to run various services. This is all regarding the software side of work.

The hardware integration via the so-called General Purpose Input/Output Pins or holes can be employed to feature LEDs, Servos and Buttons and so much more.

Recently, there is a new Raspberry pi 5 that is much more powerful than the 4th variant, I don't have one so I can't do an review of it.