This really comes down to a matter of preferences, but I've never used the GPIO either. The reason is that a microcontroller board makes a much better GPIO for my use. Then I can unplug it and put it away when I'm done, use it with any PC -- desktop or laptop -- give it away, and carry it into the room where my soldering station is. A microcontroller also opens up the whole world of stand-alone gadgets.
Naturally software / firmware support is an issue. If the stuff you want to do is easy to code on your preferred platform, that's a reason to keep using it.
A lot of hardware startups/projects use Raspberry Pis. You program in a real Linux environment and still have access to I2C, SPI, and serial ports, which lets you talk to all kinds of chips out there.
I am aware. But I don't program, I have no interest in hardware hackery like this, and one of the things I most like about the Pi range is that I can run OSes that are not Linux. I think two of my Pis currently run RISC OS. I could also run NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Plan 9, Windows IoT, or Inferno. I do not know of any other SBC with so many options.
I am not saying these things are not valid, but they are not unique selling points -- other Pi-style SBCs offer them too.
However, the Pi has other merits that other SBCs don't: price, range of OSes, long-term OS support, a vast range of special-purpose distros for everything from server to dedicated special-purpose client stuff.
This really comes down to a matter of preferences, but I've never used the GPIO either. The reason is that a microcontroller board makes a much better GPIO for my use. Then I can unplug it and put it away when I'm done, use it with any PC -- desktop or laptop -- give it away, and carry it into the room where my soldering station is. A microcontroller also opens up the whole world of stand-alone gadgets.
Naturally software / firmware support is an issue. If the stuff you want to do is easy to code on your preferred platform, that's a reason to keep using it.
I've owned 7, no, 8 of them so far. One is running in my "server room" right now, as my Pi-Hole.
I have never ever connected anything to the GPIO.
A lot of hardware startups/projects use Raspberry Pis. You program in a real Linux environment and still have access to I2C, SPI, and serial ports, which lets you talk to all kinds of chips out there.
I am aware. But I don't program, I have no interest in hardware hackery like this, and one of the things I most like about the Pi range is that I can run OSes that are not Linux. I think two of my Pis currently run RISC OS. I could also run NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Plan 9, Windows IoT, or Inferno. I do not know of any other SBC with so many options.
I am not saying these things are not valid, but they are not unique selling points -- other Pi-style SBCs offer them too.
However, the Pi has other merits that other SBCs don't: price, range of OSes, long-term OS support, a vast range of special-purpose distros for everything from server to dedicated special-purpose client stuff.
I connect various devices over I2C and SPI bus for evaluation.
USB from any PC to an Arduino is like $0.50.