@neverdie said in A $6.61 "linux computer" that's about the size of an Arduino Pro Mini...:
@nca78 At least in the past, the trouble I had with non-raspberry pi SBC's is that the linux software coverage for them was typically spotty/buggy. Has that improved at all, or is it still a big risk?
Things have improved a lot the last few years, as long as you are careful in device selection.
Don't become enamoured with hardware specs only. Some of these SBCs look great "on paper" but the software (driver) support is awful and they are stuck on some old kernel because the Chinese mfr. do not understand anything about what is Free Software and do not cooperate with the community in releasing documentation so we can write drivers, etc. Also look for good community support around the device in question. But typicaly this will be ~= the above (the more open the device, the more, better, and longer term support).
If you do a little homework though, you will be alright. Some good resources to get started are Armbian (stick to their Supported Devices list, and you will have a good result), https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/single-board-computers, and linux-sunxi, etc...