Microcontroller vs. Linux Computer

Chapter: 11 — Booting, the Desktop, and the Linux Terminal on the Pi 500+

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About This Poster

This chapter calls the shift from a bare microcontroller to a full Linux computer "the biggest hardware jump in this book" — this poster makes that paradigm shift memorable rather than something to skim past in a table.

How to Use

• Explore — click a device to see how it runs programs, users, and storage.
• Quiz Me — test whether you can match a fact to the right device.
• Edit mode — open main.html?edit=true to drag the zone corner handles and calibrate boundaries once the poster image is generated.

Zones

1. Pico / Pico W — runs one program, no operating system
2. Raspberry Pi 500+ — boots Linux, runs many programs at once