Raspberry Pi OS works well on any Raspberry Pi model. I put it first in this ranking because it has many advantages, such as compatibility, reliability, and adaptability to most beginner projects. By the way, it’s also possible to directly install Debian on your Raspberry Pi (click on the link to learn more about it). If you are used to Debian or Ubuntu, it should be pretty straightforward for you. Installing additional packages or a different desktop environment is facilitated by the presence of the APT Packet Manager.

Today Raspberry Pi OS comes with the PIXEL desktop (based on LXDE), which makes the Raspberry Pi usable as a daily desktop computer.įor preinstalled applications, you’ll find essentials like Chromium, Minecraft Pi (on the legacy version only), Scratch, and LibreOffice. Since its first release in 2012, there have been a lot of improvements. Many Debian packages are available on Raspberry Pi.

It’s based on Debian and is built on the same philosophy, i.e., stability and performance. Raspberry Pi OS is the official distribution of Raspberry Pi Get all the information on this page if you are interested. You’ll also do your first project with me, just to make sure you are ready for the next level. I’ll help you use the perfect hardware, plug everything in and install your first system.

If you need help getting started on Raspberry Pi, I have an entire course to guide you through your first steps. By the way, note that most of these distributions can be installed on an external SSD drive ( this one on Amazon is the best), to improve the boot and daily usage speed. I will introduce the 15 distributions that stand out and deserve to be tested if you’re looking for the ideal system. I tested all of the other options and share my favorites in this post, which should be a great starting point for you.

Depending on the model you use, your goals, and your personal preferences, it might be a good idea to examine other options. It’s the official distribution, but is far from being the only one. The Raspberry Pi is not limited to Raspberry Pi OS.

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