The company behind the cheap, credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi computer has launched its very own app store.
Over the past year, the Raspberry Pi has captured the imagination of hackers across the globe, who have used the mini computer to power everything from personal aerial drones to supercomputers to beer fermentation systems. But the company behind the project (also known as Raspberry Pi) hopes the new store will make it even easier for beginners to get started with the device -- and for developers to share their creations.
"We’re hoping to see everything, from hobbyist content to full-blown commercial software," according to a blog post announcing the project.
Developers who upload apps will have the choice of charging for their applications or offering them for free. There is also a "tip jar" feature that will allow developers to give away their apps but still collect voluntary payments from users. So far, all the apps in the store are free, with the exception of one commercially developed game: Storm in the Tea Cup.
Other apps include the open source productivity suite LibreOffice, a Raspberry Pi-only game called Iridium Rising, and issues of MagPi, a magazine for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts. The company is encouraging the winners of its Summer Programming Contest to submit their creations, which included a circuit board design application, a web server, and more.
The store offers applications that run on Raspbian, the Linux-based operating system developed specifically for the Pi. Users can review and rate apps, and discover applications through a recommendation engine. At the moment, developers can submit binaries, raw Python code, images, audio, or video. But soon, the store will accept applications built with the kid friendly development tool Scratch.
