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Distros
On one hand the Pi is about mucking around to learn, but on the other hand it can also be a pretty cool, cheap and quick to deploy solution for some of those common "how could I ..." questions around the edge of IT, media, gaming, robotics, security, etc, etc
The quick to deploy bit hinges on the Ready to Rock Distributions (or 'Distro' s) that kindly geeks out there have already Rolled on your behalf (well their behalf, normally, but in a very altruistic way :)
Here is a collection of some of the interesting Distros we have come across
see also:
- If your application is outgrowing the Pi hardware
- If you decide to just start installing the default operating system
Sitting in front of a screen and speakers to consume audio and video (AV) content, especially with a simple interface that works with a handful of remote buttons.
For a list of Distros see the Dedicated Distros section of MuGammaPi Media Centre which includes notables like OSMC, OpenELEC, LibreELEC, XBian, etc
Throwing sound to where it is wanted - see MuGammaPi Audi Hub for full details, but here are a couple of examples:
- Volumio (was RaspyFi) - Quick and simple audio server - MPD sends sound out of the headphone jack, and media is served over the Network via Samba and other protocols.
- PiMusicBox is also audio, more focused on social and streaming music - see Audio-Hub article
- OpenWRT - http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi - or see step by step OpenWRT on Pi
- IPFire - dedicated firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) and numerious other features including Content Filtering, VPN. There is also Dialup modem support, but that would rely on a USB ADSL modem with compatible drivers. Unfortunately IPFire state that they are not strong on ARM architecture, and currently support only the Pi 1 B, with no plans to support the Pi2.
- pfSense ?
- (or ZeroShell? or NST? or PacketFence?)
- OPNsense - https://github.com/artmg/lubuild/blob/master/help/configure/network-appliance-firmware.md#opnsense
- support is currently informal
- Images for Pi2 have been around for v19
- Images for Pi3 likely to appear for v20
- or you can cross-compile them https://github.com/opnsense/tools#cross-building-for-other-architecures
- e.g. https://nekoprog.github.io/pieSense/
Some of these might be better if you added a second Ethernet - check out some different performance measures via Wifi vs. Fast Ethernet vs. Gigabit Ethernet. If you want to do fancy switching or routing you might want to make sure your USB adapter supports 802.1Q for VLAN tagging, which the Pi 2 does, but not all do.
- RetroPie - play old fashioned games using a variety of proper game controllers (including PlayStation and XBox) (see MuGammaPi RetroPie)
- Minecraft Pi is a great, fun and visually engaging introduction to coding using Python. It is built onto the 'default' NOOBS distro, but you can also find it on the slimmed down Kano distro along with Chromium browser.
Don't overlook the ones that can turn their hand to anything
- Raspberry Pi OS (formerly known as Raspbian) is the official OS for the device, and therefore has the best support, and has a reasonable range of packages via the Debian archives
- Ubuntu Server allows you to tap into the wide world of Ubuntu software repositories, community resources and peer-published help from a vast number of users https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi
Keeping things light and quick, with only the minimum required - these are good for building on to make dedicated devices for a specific project.
- Raspbian Lite is a cut down image, but with the full library of Raspbian applications available if you need - a great balance for many purposes - see [https://github.com/artmg/MuGammaPi/wiki/Raspbian-basics]
- Minibian - starting from a command line terminal with only the bare essentials, you can add in your own choice of components from the rich variety of packages in the Raspbian universe (backed by Debian).
Other candidates to be reviewed for this section include:
Yocto, Tiny Core Linux (using a more 'embedded' style of running in memory), DietPi, Arch
Also rans include:
- SliTaz tries to be lightweight but still cram in as many mini server tools as it can, and a smattering of clients too.
The Embedded Linux project has an extensive list of distributions that have been customised or adapted for the Raspberry Pi:
See also:
The simple way to check the versions of a package available in repositories when you are NOT in the OS itself is to browse the repos yourself. For example:
- Raspberry Pi OS – http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/pool/main/s/
- Raspbian - http://archive.raspbian.org/raspbian/pool/main/s/
- Debian (incl. Raspi) – http://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/
If you want to check availability from within an installed OS, use the command
apt list packagename
Raspberry Pi OS is the recommended operating system produced by the hardware vendor, so you are expecting to get the best compatibility with built-in hardware. It offers a good balance of availability, features and reliability. It also provides the best architectural support if you really want to use all capabilities of the underlying processors, such as 64-bit where supported.
These 'official' images are based off Debian. However the distribution does not include such a wide range of packages in its repositories as some others, including Raspbian before it.
There are historical reasons why Raspbian developed independently, and market-related reasons why Raspberry Pi OS continues to have an independent approach, but for more modern boards like the Pi3 and Pi4 the core Debian should just work (as long as you don't need device overlays or other special configs).
Debian is likely a sensible choice for a solid, stable system, whereas ArchLinuxArm will give you the latest, rolling-release version of everything you want – hoping you can keep it working as you wish.
Although not an 'official' Debian project, this is maintained by the 'Raspi team' of Debian developers and some of those involved in the original Raspbian spins. Conveniently it uses the reliable Debian infrastructure. It also adheres to sensible principles, like adding only the minimal packages required on to of Debian to get going. Most importantly, though, from a usability point of view, this will feel the most like the official OS, as that is another Debian image (albeit with additional packages installed, thought fewer in the repos)
See
- Instructions
- Raspi Debian defaults and settings
- FAQ but do note that the 'daily' images are not exactly daily, and the 'tested' images have not been produced frequently, of late. For the latest support status check their Pi4 wiki
This might not feel as comfortable as installing or using Debian-like systems, but ArchLinux is rarely about comfort - see ArchLinux install
Although different Distros have their own specific installation instructions, most of them are based on the following process:
- download the distro image
- write the image to an SD card
- insert the SD card into your Pi
- (optionally expand partitions where required)
- continue with the distro-specific installation instructions
For help with writing your distro image to the SD card please see:
- https://github.com/artmg/lubuild/blob/master/help/configure/write-Distro-to-flash.md
- https://github.com/artmg/MuGammaPi/wiki/Disks#distro-images
For instruction on writing images from Windows PCs see https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/windows.md