This morning, The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the release of an app store for their $35 Linux-based learning computer. The purpose of the store is to “make it easier for developers of all ages to share their games, applications, tools and tutorials with the rest of the community.” The store is launching with both free and commercial content:

At launch, we have 23 free titles in the store, ranging from utilities like LibreOffice and Asterisk to classic games like Freeciv and OpenTTD and Raspberry Pi exclusive Iridium Rising. We also have one piece of commercial content: the excellent Storm in a Teacup from Cobra Mobile.

The commercial aspect of the store might provide some motivation for younger programmers. Eben Upton, the founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, had this to say about it in an interview on IT PRO:

It’s also a way for kids to develop programs, share them and potentially make some money. It’s hard to tell a child to study hard and that they’ll make a lot of money in their twenties. It’s easier to say study hard because you can make a bit of money today.