The credit card sized Raspberry Pi is a mini-computer aimed at hobbyists. It is a worldwide hit and you can even find a couple on the International Space Station. But, is it powerful enough to replace your desktop PC and to run your office on?

信用卡大小的Raspberry Pi是面向业余爱好者的微型计算机。 这在世界范围内都很受欢迎，您甚至可以在国际空间站上找到一对。 但是，它功能强大到足以取代台式机并可以在办公室上运行吗？

To test this, I ran all my day-to-day office tasks on a Raspberry Pi for a week. It is an experiment I have been meaning to carry out for some time, and I feel guilty for not trying it before. Especially as I live a stone’s throw from where they are manufactured.

为了测试这一点，我在Raspberry Pi上运行了所有日常办公任务一周。 我一直在进行一段时间的实验，但由于没有尝试过而感到内。 尤其是当我从制造它们的地方一箭之遥时。

In the real world, the primary reason someone would look to replace an expensive desktop PC with a Raspberry Pi, is to save money. So, in this article, we will also look at the true costs involved and some of the potential drawbacks.

在现实世界中，有人希望用Raspberry Pi代替昂贵的台式机是节省金钱的主要原因。 因此，在本文中，我们还将研究涉及的实际成本以及一些潜在的缺点。

All the applications I used during my experiment are listed below, along with what I thought of them. As someone who has been using Windows since the very first version of Windows, I must admit the results surprised me.

下面列出了我在实验期间使用的所有应用程序以及我对它们的看法。 自从Windows的第一个版本以来一直使用Windows的人，我必须承认结果令人惊讶。

设置事物 (Getting Things Set Up)

When you get your Raspberry Pi, you will find you need to buy a few cheap bits and pieces to complete your setup. The first things you will need are your keyboard, mouse, and monitor from your old desktop setup, so don’t throw them out.

当您获得Raspberry Pi时，您会发现需要购买一些便宜的零配件来完成设置。 首先，您需要的是旧桌面设置中的键盘，鼠标和显示器，因此请不要将它们扔掉。

To connect to your monitor, you will need a Micro HDMI to HDMI lead (about $9 on Amazon). Surprisingly, the Raspberry Pi is powerful enough to drive dual monitors, so you will need to order 2 leads if you want to use dual monitors.

要连接到显示器，您需要使用Micro HDMI转HDMI导线 (在亚马逊上约为9美元)。 令人惊讶的是，Raspberry Pi具有足以驱动双显示器的强大功能，因此，如果要使用双显示器，则需要订购2条导线。

For the initial set up, you will need a Micro SD Card and SD Card Reader. This is so you can install your operating system and store some files. For most people, a 64Gb micro SD card (about $10) is more than enough. The SD card reader is another $10 and is only used to transfer the operating system from a PC.

对于初始设置，您将需要Micro SD卡和SD卡读取器。 这样，您就可以安装操作系统并存储一些文件。 对于大多数人来说，一张64Gb微型SD卡(约合10美元)绰绰有余。 SD卡读卡器的价格为10美元，仅用于从PC传输操作系统。

That is that — it is all you need to get you up and running! However, you may want to look at some optional storage solutions for extra speed and reliability.

就是这样-这就是您启动和运行所需要的一切！ 但是，您可能希望查看一些可选的存储解决方案以提高速度和可靠性。

其他(可选)存储选项 (Other (Optional) Storage Options)

Note — This is an optional part of your setup. You may want to experiment with these options once you are more comfortable with your Raspberry Pi.

注意—这是设置的可选部分。 一旦您更熟悉Raspberry Pi，您可能想尝试这些选项。

Micro SD cards were originally designed to hold photos and videos from digital cameras. So, they are not designed for the rapid file accessing needed by an operating system. This has caused some reliability issues for some users, but cases are rare.

Micro SD卡最初旨在容纳数码相机中的照片和视频。 因此，它们不是为操作系统所需的快速文件访问而设计的。 这给某些用户带来了一些可靠性问题，但是这种情况很少见。

Luckily, with the latest version of the Raspberry Pi (version 4) you can replace the SD card with a USB 3.0 flash drive or a USB 3.0 external hard drive. A 64Gb flash drive is about $10, but you may want to consider a 128Gb flash drive as it is just a few dollars more.

幸运的是，使用最新版本的Raspberry Pi(版本4)，您可以用USB 3.0闪存驱动器或USB 3.0外部硬盘驱动器替换SD卡。 64Gb闪存驱动器约为10美元，但您可能要考虑使用128Gb闪存驱动器，因为它仅贵了几美元。

For a real speed boost, look at using an external SSD hard drive. I found my SSD drive to be at least 10 times faster than my flash drive! This can be a massive benefit if the low-powered Raspberry Pi has to process large files. A 500Gb USB 3.0 external SSD drive is about $60.

为了真正提高速度，请考虑使用外部SSD硬盘驱动器。 我发现我的SSD驱动器至少比闪存驱动器快10倍！ 如果低功率的Raspberry Pi必须处理大文件，这将是一个巨大的好处。 500Gb USB 3.0外部SSD驱动器约为60美元。

So, in total, you will be looking at spending $30-$80 on top of the initial $45 cost of the Raspberry Pi. Alternatively, you can buy a Raspberry Pi bundle, including the Raspberry Pi, and most of the items mentioned. These retail for around $120 upwards and (depending on what is in your chosen bundle).

因此，总的来说，您会希望在Raspberry Pi最初的$ 45成本之上花费$ 30- $ 80。 或者，您可以购买Raspberry Pi捆绑包，包括Raspberry Pi和提到的大多数物品。 这些零售价大约为120美元以上(具体价格取决于您所选择的套装)。

我应该期待的最大差异是什么？ (What Are The Big Differences I Should Expect?)

So, now you have fired up your Raspberry Pi, what are the big changes you will notice?

因此，现在您已经启动了Raspberry Pi，您将注意到什么大变化？

Raspberry Pi runs on its own dedicated operating system, which is based on the Debian version of Linux. Although it looks different to Windows, it is actually very similar. Like Windows, you navigate to the software you want to use via a start button or icons on the system tray.

Raspberry Pi在自己的专用操作系统上运行，该操作系统基于Debian版本的Linux。 尽管它看起来与Windows不同，但实际上非常相似。 与Windows一样，您可以通过开始按钮或系统任务栏上的图标导航到要使用的软件。

If you don’t like the look and the quirks of the Raspberry Pi OS, you can install any version of Linux that you like the look of. Ubuntu Mate seems to be a very popular choice with ex-Windows users.

如果您不喜欢Raspberry Pi OS的外观和怪癖，则可以安装任何您喜欢外观的Linux版本。 在以前的Windows用户中，Ubuntu Mate似乎是一个非常受欢迎的选择。

For most users, how an operating system looks and works are not all that important. To them, the operating system is just the mechanism by which they find software and access files. For them, the big important differences are to be found in the software and not the OS.

对于大多数用户而言，操作系统的外观和工作方式并不那么重要。 对他们而言，操作系统只是他们查找软件和访问文件的机制。 对于他们而言，最大的重要区别在于软件而非操作系统。

办公软件 (Office Software)

For most businesses, the first software that they will need to source will be an Office suite to handle their word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and emails. Without these basic tools, the admin side of the business would grind to a halt.

对于大多数企业而言，他们需要采购的第一款软件将是Office套件，以处理其文字处理，电子表格，演示文稿和电子邮件。 没有这些基本工具，企业的管理人员将陷入停顿。

Luckily, there are several excellent solutions available to you.

幸运的是，有几种出色的解决方案可供您选择。

Libre Office —免费/开源 (Libre Office — Free / Open Source)

Libre Office has become the “go-to” office suite to install on the Raspberry Pi.

Libre Office已成为在Raspberry Pi上安装的“首选”办公套件。

It includes Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentations), Draw (diagrams), Base (databases), and Math (a maths formula / graphing tool). No email software is included, but I will cover options for this later in the “Other Useful Software” section.

它包括Writer(文字处理器)，Calc(电子表格)，Impress(演示)，Draw(图表)，Base(数据库)和Math(数学公式/绘图工具)。 不包括电子邮件软件，但是稍后我将在“其他有用的软件”部分中介绍此选项。

Having installed it, the first thing I noticed was its surprising speed. When I opened the Writer word processor, it booted up in a few seconds and I could start typing almost straight away. Far quicker than Microsoft Word booting up a document on my Windows PC.

安装后，我注意到的第一件事就是它的惊人速度。 当我打开Writer文字处理器时，它在几秒钟内启动，几乎可以立即开始输入文字。 比Microsoft Word在Windows PC上启动文档要快得多。

Libre Office is compatible with a wide range of document formats including Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) and Publisher. It also supports the growing Open Document Format (ODF).

Libre Office与多种文档格式兼容，包括Microsoft Word(.doc，.docx)，Excel(.xls，.xlsx)，PowerPoint(.ppt，.pptx)和Publisher。 它还支持不断增长的开放文档格式(ODF)。

The only compatibility issues you are likely to experience is if you use Word/Excel files that include Macros. Libre Office will still be able to open the files and you will be able to edit them. You just won’t be able to run the macros.

您可能会遇到的唯一兼容性问题是，如果您使用的是包含宏的Word / Excel文件。 Libre Office仍然可以打开文件，您将可以对其进行编辑。 您只是将无法运行宏。

As a power user of Excel, I’ve been really impressed by the Calc application. It is far more powerful than I expected. A lot of my word processing, spreadsheet work, and studying will be done on Libre Office in the future.

作为Excel的高级用户，Calc应用程序给我留下了深刻的印象。 它远比我预期的强大。 将来，我的许多文字处理，电子表格工作和学习工作都将在Libre Office上完成。

Microsoft 365(在线)—每年起价60美元 (Microsoft 365 (Online) — Starts at $60 a year)

For those that find weaning themselves off Microsoft products is more difficult than expected, there is some good news. You can still access the online versions of the Microsoft 365 packages via your browser.

对于那些发现要摆脱Microsoft产品的戒备比预期困难的人来说，有一些好消息。 您仍然可以通过浏览器访问Microsoft 365程序包的联机版本。

The suite includes Word (word processor), Excel (spreadsheets), PowerPoint (presentations), OneDrive (cloud storage), and Outlook (email). The exact contents of your suite will depend on the subscription you have with Microsoft.

该套件包括Word(文字处理器)，Excel(电子表格)，PowerPoint(演示文稿)，OneDrive(云存储)和Outlook(电子邮件)。 套件的确切内容将取决于您与Microsoft的订阅。

A major advantage of this approach is that most subscriptions include 1Tb of OneDrive online cloud storage. This reduces the need for a large external hard drive attached to your Raspberry Pi.

这种方法的主要优势在于，大多数订阅都包含1Tb的OneDrive在线云存储。 这样就减少了将大型外部硬盘驱动器连接到Raspberry Pi的需要。

As this is browser-based software it is not as powerful as the desktop version of Microsoft Office. For example, the use of Macros is not possible and one or two of the more powerful features are not available. However, most users won’t be power users and they won’t meet this issues.

由于这是基于浏览器的软件，因此不如Microsoft Office的桌面版强大。 例如，无法使用宏，并且一个或两个更强大的功能不可用。 但是，大多数用户将不是超级用户，他们将不会遇到此问题。

Compared to its desktop big brother, the online version of Office can seem laggy at first (this will depend on your internet speeds). A negative that is far outweighed by the many positives offered by the rest of the package.

与台式机的老大哥相比，Office的在线版本乍一看似乎比较落后(这取决于您的互联网速度)。 包的其余部分所提供的许多积极因素远远超过了其负面因素。

Google G-Suite(在线)—免费 (Google G-Suite (Online) — Free)

As well as using a PC and a Raspberry Pi, I also use a Chromebook when I’m traveling for work, and as a result I’m already a bit of a G-Suite convert. G-Suite’s super power for me is, no matter what I do in G-Suite, it seamlessly follows me everywhere I go. It’s instantly on my desktop, my Raspberry Pi, my phone and on my Chromebook.

除了使用PC和Raspberry Pi外，我在出差时还使用Chromebook，因此，我已经有点像G-Suite转换了。 无论我在G-Suite中做什么，G-Suite的超级能力都是无处不在。 它可以立即在我的台式机，Raspberry Pi，手机和Chromebook上显示。

The G-Suite contains an eclectic collection of applications including Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheets), Calendar (appointment organizer/scheduler), Meet (online meetings), Slides (presentations), Keep (note keeping), Drive (cloud storage starting at 30Gb) and Contacts (phone book).

G-Suite包含折衷的应用程序集合，包括Docs(文字处理)，Sheets(电子表格)，Calendar(约会组织者/日程安排程序)，Meet(在线会议)，幻灯片(演示)，Keep(记笔记)，Drive(云)存储容量从30Gb开始)和通讯录(电话簿)。

Some more eclectic applications you can include in your G-Suite suite are Google Translate, Google Earth, and Google Forms.

您可以在G-Suite套件中包括的其他折衷应用程序包括Google Translate，Google Earth和Google Forms。

Even more applications (website hosting, basic automation, etc) and extra cloud storage can be added by opting for one of the paid-for G-Suite subscriptions.

通过选择付费的G-Suite订阅之一，可以添加更多的应用程序(网站托管，基本自动化等)和额外的云存储。

At first sight, each of the applications seems under-powered when compared to their equivalents in Microsoft 365 and Libre Office. However, the true power of the G-Suite applications is how integrated they are with one another and the cloud.

乍一看，与Microsoft 365和Libre Office中的同等应用程序相比，每个应用程序似乎功能不足。 但是，G-Suite应用程序的真正功能在于它们彼此之间以及云之间的集成程度。

Everything just works together over whatever platforms you put it on. Microsoft 365 attempts this level of integration, but, in my opinion, doesn’t pull it off as well as G-Suite does.

一切都可以在您安装的任何平台上协同工作。 Microsoft 365尝试了这种级别的集成，但是我认为它并没有像G-Suite那样实现。

在Raspberry Pi上编辑图形 (Editing Graphics on a Raspberry Pi)

Some businesses will need to occasionally use more power-hungry software in their business for things like editing graphics. There are several options for this on the Raspberry Pi.

一些企业有时需要在企业中使用更多耗电的软件来进行诸如编辑图形之类的事情。 Raspberry Pi上有几种选择。

While it is perfectly possible to edit graphics on a Raspberry Pi, it would be foolish to think your experience will be the same as someone’s on a $5,000 Apple Mac. You will be using all the processing power of the Raspberry Pi can muster, so you should expect some things to need a bit of time to process.

尽管完全可以在Raspberry Pi上编辑图形，但认为您的体验与使用$ 5,000的Apple Mac上的用户相同是很愚蠢的。 您将使用Raspberry Pi可以发挥的所有处理能力，因此您应该期望某些事情需要一些时间来处理。

All of which is perfectly okay for the occasional user, but if you need to process graphics on a daily basis, it’s safe to say the Raspberry Pi is not for you!

所有这些对于偶尔的用户来说都是完全可以的，但是如果您需要每天处理图形，可以肯定地说Raspberry Pi不适合您！

To help speed up processing times, it is worth buying a Raspberry Pi with as much RAM as possible. The Raspberry Pi comes in 2Gb, 4Gb and 8Gb RAM flavours, each costing slightly more than the one before.

为了加快处理时间，值得购买具有尽可能多RAM的Raspberry Pi。 Raspberry Pi有2Gb，4Gb和8Gb RAM两种口味，每种价格都比以前的价格略高。

When handling larger images performance can be improved even further by using an external SSD drive.

处理较大的图像时，可以使用外部SSD驱动器进一步提高性能。

编辑新闻通讯和组织结构图 (Editing Newsletters and Organisational Charts)

If you are looking at simple graphic work such as producing a newsletter, the Draw application in the Libre Office suite is more than up to the task. It can also be used for organizational graphics such as flowcharts and process maps.

如果您正在查看简单的图形工作(例如制作新闻稿)，那么Libre Office套件中的Draw应用程序不仅可以完成任务。 它也可以用于组织图形，例如流程图和流程图。

编辑矢量图形 (Editing Vector Graphics)

Inkscape is a powerful open-source package for creating and editing vector graphics. It can handle Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and with some additional extensions it can handle PostScript or EPS files.

Inkscape是用于创建和编辑矢量图形的功能强大的开源软件包。 它可以处理可伸缩矢量图形(SVG)，并具有一些其他扩展名，可以处理PostScript或EPS文件。

编辑栅格图形和照片 (Editing Raster Graphics and Photos)

GIMP Is the granddaddy of open source photo editing packages and is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi. However, this is an area that the Raspberry Pi struggles with because of its lack of power. It produces results as good as the desktop version of GIMP, but you will need to allow yourself extra time to complete the work.

GIMP是开源照片编辑包的祖父，并且与Raspberry Pi完全兼容。 但是，由于缺乏功能，Raspberry Pi在这方面很难解决。 它产生的结果与GIMP桌面版本的结果一样好，但是您需要留出更多时间来完成工作。

其他有用的软件 (Other Useful Software)

We’ve looked at the main applications you can run on your Raspberry Pi, but what about all those smaller applications that we rely on each day? What about zipping files? Sending emails? Or Accessing FTP sites? There are also open source solutions for them.

我们已经研究了可以在Raspberry Pi上运行的主要应用程序，但是我们每天所依赖的所有较小的应用程序呢？ 压缩文件呢？ 正在发送电子邮件？ 或访问FTP站点？ 也有针对他们的开源解决方案。

浏览器 (Browsers)

Browsers are a matter of personal preference — what one person likes, another will hate.

浏览器是个人喜好问题，一个人喜欢，另一个人会讨厌。

As standard, the Raspberry Pi operating system comes pre-installed with Googles Chromium browser. Personally, I think it’s a great browser, but others may prefer the Vivaldi browser, which is another popular browser on Raspberry Pi.

作为标准，Raspberry Pi操作系统预装有Google的Chromium浏览器。 就个人而言，我认为这是一个很棒的浏览器，但其他人可能更喜欢Vivaldi浏览器，这是Raspberry Pi上另一种流行的浏览器。

There is nothing between them spec or performance-wise, so it is just down to personal preference.

他们之间没有任何规格或性能方面的信息，因此这取决于个人喜好。

电子邮件 (Email)

If you are using Microsoft 365 or G-Suite, Outlook or G-Mail, they will cover most of your emailing requirements. If you need an email client to be installed on your Raspberry Pi, the most popular option is Thunderbird.

如果您使用的是Microsoft 365或G-Suite，Outlook或G-Mail，它们将满足您的大多数电子邮件要求。 如果需要在Raspberry Pi上安装电子邮件客户端，则最受欢迎的选项是Thunderbird 。

Users of Microsoft Outlook will feel instantly at home as it looks and operates very similarly to Outlook. They also share a lot of similar features like Calendars, Add-ons, Search Tools, Address Books, and so on.

Microsoft Outlook的外观和操作与Outlook非常相似，因此用户会立即感到宾至如归。 他们还共享许多类似的功能，例如日历，加载项，搜索工具，通讯簿等。

FTP客户端 (FTP Client)

FileZilla is not officially available for Raspberry Pi; however, an unofficial version is available and easy to install. If you are moving over from a Windows system, it is worth hunting out and installing, as it looks and acts the same as the PC version.

FileZilla不适用于Raspberry Pi。 但是，可以使用非官方版本，并且易于安装。 如果您要从Windows系统进行迁移，那么它的外观和功能与PC版本相同，因此值得一试并进行安装。

The Raspberry Pi operating system has its own built-in FTP client, but in my experience, it is nowhere near as user friendly as FileZilla.

Raspberry Pi操作系统具有自己的内置FTP客户端，但是根据我的经验，它远没有FileZilla那样易于使用。

压缩/压缩软件 (Compression / Zipping Software)

Archiver, AKA Xarchiver, is preinstalled with the Raspberry Pi operating system and there is very little to compete with its ease of use.

Raspberry Pi操作系统已预装了Archiver，即AKA Xarchiver，在易用性方面几乎没有竞争。

It will open and compress files in a wide range of formats (including .zip, .tar and .rar)

它将以多种格式(包括.zip，.tar和.rar)打开和压缩文件。

摘要 (Summary)

So, can you replace your desktop PC with a $45 Raspberry Pi?

那么，您能用45美元的Raspberry Pi取代台式机吗？

For 95% of people, the answer will be a simple “Yes” and they could start the transition today.

对于95％的人，答案将是简单的“是”，他们可以从今天开始过渡。

The other 5% will be split into two camps. Those that use specialist software not available on the Raspberry Pi, and those who are power users of power-hungry applications (graphics, video editing).

其余5％将分为两个阵营。 那些使用Raspberry Pi上不提供的专业软件的人，以及那些需要大量电能的应用程序(图形，视频编辑)的高级用户。

As more and more software is converted into online services, we will see less and less need for powerful desktops to run power-hungry applications. Instead, if you have a browser, you will be able to use the most powerful software out there. Maybe this is the future of single-board mini-computers like the Raspberry Pi.

随着越来越多的软件转换为在线服务，我们将越来越需要功能强大的台式机来运行耗电的应用程序。 相反，如果您有浏览器，则可以使用最强大的软件。 也许这就是像Raspberry Pi这样的单板微型计算机的未来。

First published on my personal blog (click here)

首次发布在我的个人博客上( 单击此处 )