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"Defend Trade Secrets Act" - How Will This New Law Affect Your Business?
With a near unanimous (410-2) vote on April 27, 2016, the House passed the aDefend Trade Secrets Acta (aDTSAa). Having already been passed by the Senate (87-0), the legislation advances to President Obama, who has signaled that he will sign the bill into law. The law is drafted to go into effect on the day of its enactment, and will apply to misappropriation occurring on or after that date.
Read more...(wcsr.com).
Trade Secrets of the Assault Rifles
From the Daytona Beach News-Journal of Florida, a Florida contribution to the evolving role of trade secrets, concerning old-fashioned stealing, a vendetta against a former employee, and, of course, assault weapons.
The paper reports that two men -- Mark Hazelip and Jake Economou a were arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets from Tactical Machining of Deland, Florida, a company that produces upper and lower receivers for AR-15 rifles.
The two alleged stole computer programs, blueprints, drawings and a list of customers. Hazelip quit the company in January and went to work for a competitor, Daytona CNC . Economou was later fired from Tactical Machining. According to investigators, Hazelip talked of putting Tactical Machining out of business/
Instead, after a tip from another former employee working at Daytona CNC, the police aexecuted a search warrant at Daytona CNC and found the Tactical Machining blueprints and drawings for the gun parts and a spiral bound notebook with the name of clients in Hazelip's desk.aUncle Samas Economic Espionage a Not Looking for Your Trade Secrets
This follows on the heels of reports that the NSA has hacked into the systems of various foreign companies including a Brazilian state oil company.
The report quotes James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence:
aWhat we do not do, as we have said many times, is use our foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of, or give intelligence we collect, to US companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line.a
This issue, obviously, is far from settled.John Deere in Trade Secrets Dispute with Former Factory General Manager
From the Business Section of the Waterloo Cedar Falls (IA) Courier, a story concerning a trade secrets case by agricultural equipment maker Deere & Co. against the long-time general manager of its largest combine factory.
Deere is seeking injunctive relief against Eric Hansotia, who was hired by Deere competitor AGCO into a position that "significantly overlaps" his old job.
The case is pending in federal court in Illinois.
By the sound of the allegations, the case concerns both inevitable disclosure type claims, but also has claims that the defendant aIn his last four days of work . . . connected portable electronic storage devices, some of which computer logs indicate contained Deere trade secrets, to his Deere computer, and he may have kept those devices after his employment ended.a Chinese Trade Secrets Theft Hits US Universities
Now, in a new twist, Reuters reports that three Chinese researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have been charged in federal court with bribery in connection with theft of trade secrets relating to MRI technology.
The researchers apparently received at least $400,000 in bribes to provide information to a Chinese Medical Imaging company, United Imaging Healthcare, and a Chinese government-backed research institute, Shenzen Institute of Advanced Technology.
The three were charged in federal court in the Southern District of New York where the US Attorney doesnat play.
Man Bites Dog!
Morning Whistle, an unsourced report that publisher and education company Pearson has been sued for stealing the trade secrets of a Chinese competitor, CentriPoint (China).
According to the report, Pearson VUE, Pearsonas computer-based testing division, acquired Certiport on May 15, 2012, but decided to suspend the online service of Certiport (China).
That company now claims that Pearson stole its client list under the pretense of an audit and informed customers of the change without prior consent of the other shareholders of Certiport (China).
An initial court date is scheduled for May 23, 2013.Trade Secrets Finally Gets Toward the Top of the National Agenda
You know trade secrets has finally hit it big when the subject is covered in USA Today and the report is on the Obama Administrationas a new strategy to combat the theft of American trade secrets.
The administration has released its 141-page Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets. This comes just after the president signed an executive order adesigned to help U.S. computer networks guard against cyberattacks,a as USA Today put it.
The story contains comments from Victoria Espinel, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement coordinator.
In the words of USA Today:
aThe strategy includes diplomatic engagement with nations where incidents of trade secret theft are high, working with industries on the best ways to protect their secrets, and stepped up prosecutions of business espionage.a
The plan comes out at the same time as reports of Chinese Red Army hacking into U.S. computers.
Espinel says: "The administration will continue to act vigorously to combat the theft of American trade secrets that could be used by foreign companies or foreign governments to gain an unfair commercial advantage over U.S. companies."
Sounds like weare finally getting serious about a problem that has been allowed to grow for years.
Bratz-Mattel Doll Fight Ends Not with a Bang But a Whimper
Now it looks to be all over.
A prA(c)cis goes like this: designer leaves Mattel to go to MGA Entertainment where he designs the popular Bratz line of dolls. Mattell sues MGS for copyright infringement and gets a $100 million verdict and the rights to Bratz going forward.
The Ninth Circuit finds that amount excessive and sends the case back down to the trial court where the jury finds nothing for Mattel, but returns a $170 million verdict against Mattel on a counterclaim for theft of trade secrets, along with $137 million in attorneysa fees.
Now the Ninth Circuit vacates that verdict, finding it time-barred. The attorneysa fees, however, stick.
Itas time to find a cautionary tale here, but the case is so weird we may just need to chalk it up as a one-off.
A Video Overview of the Economic Espionage Act
From me (click the link), a short description of the recent changes in the EEA.Do Computer Fraud & Abuse Act Prosecutions Sometimes Go Too Far?
Offered here without commentary, an article from Slate concerning the recent suicide of Aaron Swartz who was set to go on trial next month for violations of the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act for unlocking a database of scholarly articles.
Prosecutors charging decisions a particularly the amount of prison time and penalties to be sought a are generally discretionary, rarely reviewable, and certainly subject to abuse (and not just under the CFAA).
There should be near unanimous agreement that what happened to Aaron is sad and, if an over-reaching prosecution played a role, something that ought to be rectified.
More on Economic Espionage Act Amendments
IP 360, a story concerning the amendments to the Economic Espionage Act.
The story quotes John Marsh of Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP as saying that the two bills passed by Congress represent "a strong commitment by the federal government to broaden the protections of trade secrets."
The bill, once itas signed by the President, will increase the maximum penalty for misappropriating trade secrets to benefit a foreign government from $500,000 to $5 million for individuals and also applies the law more broadly to the services industry.
The big question on tap for 2013: will Congress create a federal civil remedy for trade secrets theft as a cognate to the criminal statute represented by the EEA?
Amendment to Economic Espionage Act
In the Aleynikov case that we reported about over the years, the defendant managed to walk because the trade secrets he stole were not aproduceda for use in interstate commerce.
Under the new law, designed to reverse the earlier decision in Aleynikov, trade secrets used in or intended for use in interstate commerce are now included. The produced for requirement is gone.
Now say goodnight to the 112th Congress.
Chinaas Economic Espionage
Foreign Affairs, an excellent article by James A. Lewis on aChinaas Economic Espionage.a
According to Lewis, China is the worldas most aggressive practitioner of economic espionage, targeting key industries such as telecom, aerospace, energy and defense. Among other victims are Google and Nortel while some companies that are victims aoften conceal their losses.a
Lewis also argues that the national strategy of economic espionage actually serves to handicap Chinaas own development.
His final assessment:
Economic espionage lies at the heart of the larger issue of Chinaas integration into the international system -- the norms, practices, and obligations that states observe in their dealings with one another and with the citizens of other states. A failure to hold China accountable for espionage undermines efforts to bring Beijing into the fold. In the end, any peaceful rise requires that China play by the rules, even if it seeks to change them, rather than pretend they do not apply.
More Kolon Troubles
The US Attorney in Richmond has indicted the company and five officials, charging them with trade secrets theft. According to the Business Week report here the indictment includes a forfeiture claim seeking at least $225 million in alleged criminal proceeds from the company.
Civil trade secrets cases are bad enough. Criminal ones should be avoided at all costs.Huawei a Another Side of the Story
Farhad Manjoo, in Slate, says that whether a given piece of technology is dangerous is not determined by the nationality of the company that makes it.
As Manjoo puts it:
In reality, most devices are from everywhere. Your Android smartphone was designed in Korea, assembled in China, runs an operating system created in California, and works on a cellular carrier owned by a firm based in Germany. If youare worried about a certain companyas connections to China, you should be worried about pretty much every company in the tech industryathey all have large operations there, and, as a result of those operations, theyave all cut certain less-than-transparent deals with Chinese authorities.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/10/huawei_zte_are_chinese_telecom_firms_really_a_danger_to_national_security.htmlHuawei a Any Old Tech Company or Trade Secrets Threat?
On the heels of a recent report on 60 Minutes, Reuters (from LiveMint) reports on the controversy concerning Chinaas Huawei, the worldas second-largest maker of telecommunications gear.
The report quoted Rep. Mike Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee: aIf I were an American company today ... and you are looking at Huawei, I would find another vendor if you care about your intellectual property; if you care about your consumersa privacy and you care about the national security of the United States of America.a
The committee is expected to release a report on the company later today (10/8/12).
Weall get a summary up as soon as itas released.
According to Reuters, Huawei has rejected charges that its expansion in the US poses a security risk and argues that it operates independently of the Chinese authorities.A Long, Long Injunction in DuPont Trade Secrets Case
We reported earlier on the $920 million damage award in favor of DuPont against South Koreaas Kolon for stealing trade secrets relating to the fibers used to make Kevlar body armor.
Now we learn from Bloomberg that the trial judge has not only upheld the verdict, but also imposed a 20-year injunction against Kolon to keep the company from producing any such fibers.
Injunctions, including permanent injunctions, are generally available under trade secrets statutes. Twenty years, though, is probably toward the outside range of what courts have ordered.
New Indictment in Bridgestone Tire Trade Secrets Case
Plain-Dealer is becoming our go-to source on current trade secrets stories.
Hereas another from that publication concerning a case out of Akron.
Xiaorong Wang, a former research scientist with Bridgestone Americas, has been indicted again on 15 counts of trade secrets theft and lying to the FBI.
The indictment claims that Wang burned six CDas of proprietary information on his way out the door after being told he would be let go. The secrets allegedly concern formulas and compound properties for race tires.
An earlier plea deal was rejected by the judge.
The FBI says that Wang provided the trade secrets to Shanghai Frontier Elastomer Co.Eaton-Frisby Trade Secrets Summary
Cleveland Plain Dealer concerning one of the strangest trade secrets cases ever, with North Carolina ties to boot.Set Back in Governmentas DuPont Trade Secrets Case
Weave reported previously on the economic espionage case concerning Pangang Group Steel Vanadium & Titanium Co Ltdas indictment for stealing DuPontas secret process for manufacturing titanium dioxide, a compound that makes products white.
Now comes this report from Reuters (in the Chicago Tribune) concerning a major set back in the governmentas case.
Federal judge Jeffrey White in the Northern District of California dismissed the indictment against the Chinese company on the grounds that service on its putative US agent was insufficient.
According to the report, White ruled that the government had not shown sufficient evidence that Pangang exercised enough control over the entity served for it to be considered an agent.
So we can now add service of process issues to the list of difficulties in trying to rein in Chinese economic espionage.
The government has until August to figure out what it will do next.
Weall report on what happens.Trade Secrets of the OLED TVas
Daytona Beach News-Journal is reporting what sounds like a potentially big trade secrets case.
According to the News-Journal, Samsung is accusing eleven people, including six of its own employees of stealing its trade secrets with respect to OLED (organic light-emitting diode) television technology.
The alleged bad-guy in the scenario: fellow Korean TV maker LG Display. Those two are currently fighting it out in OLED, believed to be the next generation of big-screen TV technology.
Samsung claims that LG stole its display technology and poached Samsung employees.Snyder's and Almeling's "Keeping Secrets: A Practical Introduction to Trade Secret Law and Strategy"
Womble Trade Secrets - after 16 great years at Womble Carlyle, I am departing for a litigation boutique that will be called Graebe Hanna & Sullivan, PLLC. Before advising you about a great new trade secret resource for all, I want to thank my friend and partner Press Millen for prompting me to co-author this blog with him back in 2006. There have been literally hundreds of thousands of visitors to this blog and I've met scores of attorneys and business people who reported perusing and using the blog for information. Thank you Press.
Our friends at O'Melveny & Myers, Darin Snyder and David Almeling, have written a practical and useful primer on trade secret law and the legal and practical treatment of trade secrets. The book, published by Oxford University Press, is divided into three parts: (a) the basics and some definitions useful in understanding trade secret law; (b) guidelines for creating a legal strategy for protecting trade secrets; and (c) practical guidance regarding business and legal responses to incidents of trade secret misappropriation or accusations of the same.
The anecdotes and breezy case studies in the book are rewarding - our favorite quote was from the founder of a company that designed underground mining vehicles and whose company was the victim of a key, respected employee's theft: "I was like the husband whose wife was getting it on the side." Messrs. Snyder and Almeling have shared with us their homework and case studies - just great stuff. We recommend this book to business litigators and non-specialists but it is great reading for those of us specializing in this area of law, as well. You can find the link to the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Secrets-Practical-Introduction-Strategy/dp/0199797439/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340990328&sr=8-3&keywords=almeling. http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Secrets-Practical-Introduction-Strategy/dp/0199797439/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340990328&sr=8-3&keywords=almelingChicago Trade Secrets Case Blows Up on Plaintiff
Take the case of Portola Packaging against its rival Logoplaste (reported here behind Litigation Dailyas paywall) but also nicely summarized in the Trial Communityas Litigation News Blog.
Logoplaste, in 2007, discussed the prospect of buying Portolaas Canadian subsidiary. They exchanged some putatively confidential information but never got a signed NDA. Negotiations broke off in February 2008. Shortly thereafter, Logoplaste landed a key Portola client.
Fast forward more than a year. Portola finally demanded return of the confidential information and filed suit claiming Logoplaste used the documents to steal the customer.
An Illinois state court judge ultimately ruled that Portola failed to protect its information. So far, pretty normal.
Hereas where it gets weird. The judge also ruled that because Portola designated its general counsel as a key witness, his emails were not protected by the attorney-client privilege.
Those emails apparently showed that he had urged Portola to sue just to hurt Logoplasteas business interests. And, he also apparently hired Logoplasteas regular counsel in an unrelated matter in order to create a conflict.
According to the report, although Portola claimed that its confidential documents were used to lure an employee away, the emails indicated the general counsel knew the employee approached Logoplaste first.
The result: a scathing opinion and an order that Portola will pay all of Logoplasteas attorneysa fees for the three years of litigation.
Ouch.
Appeals, no doubt, to follow.Another Big Verdict a Utah Style
For sheer dollars, though, this one out of state court in Utah is right up with those. The report is from the Salt Lake Tribune.
The scenario is a familiar one: Company A seeks bids to build a power plant and Company B, under a non-disclosure agreement, submits its proposal. Company A decides to pull the bidding and awards the contract to itself.
Many years and one trade secrets lawsuit later, Company A finds itself on the wrong side of $134 million verdict based on the contention that it used Company Bas trade secrets to build the power plant.
Company A is PacifiCorp (doing business in Utah as Rocky Mountain Power) and Company B is USA Power.
Now USA Power wants to double the verdict to $267 million.
Thatas a big one by trade secrets standards and weall let you know how it turns out.The Trade Secrets Dilemma a Sue and Disclose
News & Insight on an age-old problem in trade secrets, the fact that bringing suit often requires disclosing the trade secrets.
The article concerns a case in New York state court, MSCI v. Jacob and Axoma. MCSI, a software maker, claimed that its former employee, Jacob, misappropriated trade secrets in its software on behalf of his new employer, Axoma.
The judge overseeing the case made a critical ruling in a discovery dispute requiring the plaintiff to identify awith reasonable particularitya the trade secrets it contends were misappropriated. Only this, the judge ruled would allow the court to distinguish abetween the general knowledge in their field and trade secrets.a
An earlier ruling, now changed, had allowed the plaintiff to identify only those portions of its computer source code that were not trade secrets. That, defendants contended, was unfair since it essentially required them to deduce which trade secrets were at issue, possibly from millions of lines of computer source code.
The judge came around to defendantsa point of view:
Plaintiffs who have brought this action, bear the burden of proving their allegations. Merely providing defendants with plaintiffs' "reference library" to establish what portions of their source code are in the public domain shifts the burden to defendants to clarify plaintiffs' claim.
One of the defense lawyers claimed that to do otherwise would be like allowing a person to claim that he had been robbed by a suspect and then walk around the suspectas apartment to identify what was taken.
Before bringing any trade secrets case, it's always necessary to consider what disclosure may be required and its implications for the business and the trade secrets themselves.How to Easily Install a Full Bitcoin Lightning Node on a Raspberry Pi
I recently installed a full bitcoin node on our home network, and lucky for me, I got everything up and running quickly without bumping into some issues. Before I will show you the steps on how to install a full bitcoin node, allow me to explain some of my reasons why I ended up doing this.
As some of you may already know, bitcoin is a network composed of thousands of nodes. A record of every bitcoin transaction is verified and maintained inside a node. So if you are running one, you will essentially be hosting and sharing a copy of the bitcoin blockchain and you will help maintain the network decentralized.
What are the benefits of running a bitcoin node?
Unlike mining, you will not be rewarded with a bitcoin when running a node because you are simply giving support to the network instead of solving complex computational math problems. However, one of the main advantages of running your own node is that you can do some transactions on the Bitcoin network without the need for a third party provider thus allowing you to save money for the fees. For added peace of mind, you can connect your wallet and forward all your transactions through your own node, making sure that every transaction is safe and secure.
For me, another reason for running a node is for educational purpose and taking a deep dive on the blockchain technology. I am very passionate about this emerging tech because it is already shaping up to change the world for the better.
Without further ado, here are some of the steps that I have followed to easily install and run a bitcoin node:
Step 1: Prepare the hardware
You donat need an expensive mining rig to run a bitcoin node. I bought the following items, but you can always use your existing hardware provided that you have all the recommended system specs:
1. Raspberry Pi Model 4 (Particularly, I bought the Model B with 4GB RAM starter kit that includes the power adapter, 16GB microSD card, and case)
2. 1 TB SSD (SanDisk SSD Plus 2.5a 1 TB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive)
3. SSD Enclosure (SENDA Transparent USB 3.0 SATA III 2.5 HDD/SDD Enclosure)
Note: I bought all the items at Lazada and the total cost is around 10,000 Philippine Pesos (200 USD).
Step 2: Download the software
Download Umbrel OS HERE and extract the file. Download Balena Etcher HERE and install it on your computer.
Note: For downloading the software, obviously you will need a laptop or desktop computer. A microSD card reader is needed for flashing the software to the microSD card.
Step 3: Flashing Umbrel OS
Put the microSD card on your card reader, open Balena Etcher, and flash the downloaded Umbrel OS to your microSD card. After flashing, remove the card and insert it into the Raspberry Pie.
Step 4: Plug it up
Put the SSD drive into the enclosure and plug it into any of the blue colored ports (USB 3.0) of your Raspberry Pi. Connect the Raspberry Pi to your Internet connected router via ethernet cable. Connect the power supply and power up your Raspberry Pi.
Step 5: Starting up
Around 5 minutes after powering up, Umbrel OS can be accessed at http://umbrel.local on the web browser of your device (smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop) that is connected to the same network as the Raspberry Pi.
Follow the initial set up of Umbrel and enjoy running your very own bitcoin node.
I am still exploring some of the features of Umbrel and might write a quick review about it soon, so watch out!
The Bitcoin Revolution is Here
Since 2014, Iave been talking about bitcoin here (read: Is Bitcoin The Next Open-source Software Revolution?, Best Bitcoin Applications for Linux). Back then, bitcoin was still very much in its infancy and our articles about it were some of the least popular posts weave ever had. However, I have already seen its potential and proclaimed that it could become a revolutionary open-source software project and that it has the potential to be bigger than Linux.
Today, bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general have already gone mainstream in terms of popularity. Although widespread adoption could still be a few years away, different personalities like social media icons, hip hop moguls, top athletes, famous actors, financial gurus, and several billionaires are already talking about it incessantly.
Speaking about widespread adoption, different countries have already started recognizing the value of cryptocurrency. In fact, one country has recently passed a law to make bitcoin its official currency. I believe more countries will follow after we will all be able to clearly see the positive economic impact of having a legal tender in bitcoin.
Recently, we have witnessed institutional investors or publicly traded companies that have started filling their balance sheets with bitcoins. To name a few, thereas Tesla (invested around 1.5 billion dollars worth of bitcoin), Microstrategy (250 million dollars), Galaxy Digital Holdings (176 million dollars), and Square (50 million dollars).
Although I am not a financial advisor and this site is not about making money, I encourage you to consider investing it bitcoin. Forgive me for not telling you this in 2014 when 1 bitcoin was equivalent to around 500 dollars. At that time, buying and selling cryptocurrency was difficult because there were very few trusted exchanges and wallets so the possibility of losing your investment was enormous. If ever you decide to invest in cryptocurrency today, I suggest that you do your own research first because, like all others investments, there are still risks involved, albeit much lesser than before.
After promoting Linux and other free and open-source software in the past, I have decided from now on to focus most of my time here in writing about bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and other interesting blockchain projects. I think it is about time to enlighten people that bitcoin is not purely a speculative asset, but something that is more valuable because of its capability to empower people from around the world. Like most of you, I find joy in freedom and for me bitcoin is freedom. Now, I can safely say that the cryptocurrency revolution is underway, and we are just getting started.
25 (More) Funny Computer Quotes
I have been reading some of my old posts here and noticed one that is still quite popular simply because a lot of us love humor. If you are a new site visitor, kindly check out "My Top 50 Funny Computer Quotes" post to know what I mean. Inspired by that one and since itas been a long time that I wrote or posted some funny stuff here, I decided to collect a few more amusing quotes.
So without further delay, here is a brand new collection of funny computer quotes:
25. What if one day Google got deleted and we could not Google what happened to Google?
24. Never trust a computer you canat throw out a window.
23. The attention span of a computer is only as long as its power cord
22. Microsoft has a new version out, Windows XP, which according to everybody is the amost reliable Windows ever.a To me, this is like saying that asparagus is athe most articulate vegetable ever.
21. Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.
20. "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso
19. If you think patience is a virtue, try surfing the net without high-speed Internet.
18. The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.
17. aThe Internet? We are not interested in it.a - Bill Gates, 1993
16. The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards.
15. "Being able to break security doesnat make you a hacker any more than being able to hotwire cars makes you an automotive engineer." - Eric S. Raymond
14. I'm sorry that I'm not updating my Facebook status, my cat ate my mouse.
13. "I am not out to destroy Microsoft, that would be a completely unintended side effect." - Linus Torvalds
12. Dear humans, in case you forgot, I used to be your Internet. Sincerely, The Library.
11. My wife never gives up. She is so insistent that she entered the wrong password over and over again until she managed to convince the computer that she's right!
10. Computer dating is fine if you're a computer.
9. I love my computer because all my friends live inside it!
8. The only relationship I have is with my Wi-Fi. We have a connection.
7. The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back.
6. Why can't cats work on the computer? They get too distracted chasing the mouse around.
5. My wife loves me so much, she tries her best to attract me to her. The other day she put on a perfume that smells like a computer.
4. I changed my password everywhere to 'incorrect.' That way when I forget it, it always reminds me, 'Your password is incorrect.'
3. A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history--with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila."
2. Life is too short to remove USB safely.
1. Passwords are like underwear: you donat let people see it, you should change it very often, and you shouldnat share it with strangers.
I hope you enjoyed our latest list of amusing computer quotes!
How to Install Raspbian OS on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
After my Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ First Impressions, allow me to share with you how I installed Raspbian OS on this tiny computer as promised. But first a quick introduction about Raspbian. This lightweight Unix-like operating system is based on Debian Linux and is highly optimized to run on Raspberry Pias ARM CPU. Its desktop environment is called PIXEL (Pi Improved X-Window Environment, Lightweight), which is made up of a modified LXDE desktop environment and the Openbox stacking window manager. It comes pre-loaded with useful applications such as web browser, office suite, programming tools, and several games among others.
Now, letas get down to business and give you some of the requirements needed to install Raspbian OS. If your Raspberry Pi is not bundled with a microSD card you should get one with at least 8GB of space. Some of the basic PC accessories required for setup are USB keyboard, USB mouse, and a computer or TV monitor (preferably with HDMI port). The Raspberry Pi Model B+ has an HDMI port for video output. So if your monitor has DVI or VGA port, you should have an HDMI-to-DVI or HDMI-to-VGA cable. You will also need an extra desktop or laptop computer for downloading the OS and then flashing it to the microSD card.
The next thing that you should prepare is the installer. You can download it from HERE. It is recommended to Download the NOOBS version, but if you are adventurous enough you can go for the full Raspbian version of the installer. The file that you will download is compressed in ZIP format so you will need to extract the OS image (.img) to use it. After extracting, you may now proceed to flash the OS image to your SD card. To do that, you will need to download the recommended tool for the job HERE. Install it, and then follow the simple step by step process of flashing the OS image to your microSD card. It is also worth noting that you will need an SD card adapter and an SD card reader if your laptop or PC donat have one built-in.
Finally, the Raspbian OS is now installed, and all you have to do is eject the microSD card from your computer and plug it in your Raspberry Pi. Connect all the needed Raspberry Pi peripherals and power up your tiny but very capable Linux desktop machine.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ First Impressions
I have always been curious about the tiny computer called Raspberry Pi but I didnat have the time or opportunity to buy one until now. I got the latest version (Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+) along with bundled accessories from AliExpress for $65. I think it was a good deal considering what I got which I will explain to you later on. But before that and for your convenience, here are some quick facts about Raspberry Pi that I got from Wikipedia:
* The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation
* It aims to promote teaching of basic computer science in schools and in developing countries.
* The original model became far more popular than anticipated, selling outside its target market for uses such as robotics.
* According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, more than 5 million Raspberry Pis were sold by February 2015, making it the best-selling British computer.
* In March 2018, sales reached 19 million.
* On the CPU level, the first generation Raspberry Pi is similar to a 300 MHz Pentium II of 1997a99. While its graphical capabilities are roughly equivalent to the performance of the Xbox of 2001.
* More info about Raspberry Pi including tech specs can be found HERE
First Impressions
I have only seen a Raspberry Pi in photos before so I was quite in awe of its size when I finally opened the box. It measures just 85.60mm by 56.5mm or around 3 by 2 inches.
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| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ beside my iPhone 6 and glasses for size comparison |
As I said, I got the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ rather cheap since it is bundled with a case, power cord, 32GB micro SD card + adapter, HDMI cable, heatsink, USB cable, and 3.5 inch touchscreen display. It is loaded with a 1.4 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, 1 GB RAM, gigabit Ethernet, on-board dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Power over Ethernet (PoE) feature, and USB and network boot capabilities.
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| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ running Raspbian OS |
The first thing that I did after unboxing the package was placed the Raspberry Pi inside the included plastic case. The plastic case needs to be assembled and it didnat come with instructions so I had to figure it out myself. Next, I searched on Google on how to install an OS into my Raspberry Pi. So, I downloaded Raspbian, a Debian-based OS highly optimized for the Raspberry Pi and installed it. On my next post I will be sharing with you more about Raspbian and will guide you on how to install it and give you tips on some of the things that I did after installation.
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| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ setup alongside my iPad Pro |
As you can see from the photos above, I now have a full-pledged desktop powered by a tiny computer. I connected my Raspberry Pi to my 13-inch HD display and it runs smoothly without lag or graphics issues. I also connected a wireless mini keyboard with built-in touchpad and an external hard drive to complete the setup. As of now, I am using my Raspberry Pi as file and VNC server (set up my iPad Pro as VNC viewer). I also intend to use it for testing Linux distros and for doing a bit of Python programming.
As Iave said, my next post will be all about installing and setting up Raspbian on Raspberry Pi so watch out.
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