Great article. Both devices are proclaimed to provide easy entry into the world of coding and physical computing (usually by people who are already well versed in electronics, Linux and programming of course!), but for a completely raw noob, it can be very daunting at first. It shouldn't be.

I am just over three months into both the Pi and Arduino. In fact, my Arduino runs off one of my Pi's. I had no previous experience in coding or Linux (except for using Ubuntu desktop on an old laptop). Today I am comfortable navigating Linux in headless mode and have built a custom web server on my other Pi.

I have now discovered the power of Python and the Pi's physical computing capabilities with all those pins. Not that I could code for ****, but give me a year! It's been a great journey so far and I am still obsessed.

I must mention that, even though desktop Raspbian comes with everything you'll need to keep you learning and playing for a year, the true power of the Pi/Linux lies in the command line interface. Not the easiest thing when you've been a desktop end-user all your life, but once you get into it, other operating systems start looking like toys.

If you want to avoid frustration and focus on electronics while learning the fundamentals (and more) of coding, go for the Arduino first. And as @robotics101 mentioned, they are bulletproof compared to the Pi, especially the insanely complex current model 3.

This rookie is looking forward to more articles from you!