We don't serve pies, but we do like a Pi

There are old IT adages, stating that the top advice anyone can give is to turn it off and turn it on again. Unexpectedly, this tip was given to the employees at a London pub. The machine that tipped was malfunctioning, spotted by a keen Register reader. Tipping customs haven't taken hold in the UK to the same degree as in the United States, but they are gaining popularity.

Instead of tossing a few coins into a jar or murmuring 'and one for yourself' while trusting the employee at the bar not to take a free drink, customers can simply tap their payment card on the machine to reward excellent service discreetly. The pub did not serve pies, but the machine had a Raspbian GNU/Linux screen logged in as 'pi'.

Clearly, the bork fairy had visited the device and exposed its inner workings. A Raspberry Pi is indeed running behind the scenes, complete with an automatic login as 'pi' and the generic hostname 'raspberrypi'. It is probable that the password has been secured. This device exemplifies TiPJAR hardware, modestly described as a 'ground-breaking system' that relieves the operational pain-point of tipping and empowers staff to control tips.

While it did deliver on the 'breaking' part, the only tip staff will be collecting is from those making humorous remarks about turning it off and on again. We were also pleased to see 'rc.local' on the screen, a clear reference to one's local hostelry rather than some tedious startup script. The marvels of technology never cease to amaze.