Operating Systems - Element 14 Raspberry Pi User Manual

Operating Systems

Let's take a look at a sweet selection of
tasty operating systems for the Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi phenomenon appears to go from
strength to strength; like a runaway train, it's ploughing
ahead and forging itself a place in the record books.
It's hardly surprising – the hardware
alone is developed perfectly for the goals
of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the
pricing is pitched perfectly, and having
the unique versatility of Linux as the
operating system seals the deal nicely.
Most buyers, once they get their hands
on their new RPi, make a move towards
the official Raspberry Pi site and follow the
getting started instructions therein; the
end result is the user running Raspbian
'Wheezy', the Foundation's recommended
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operating system, creating, learning and
programming, and strapping the poor wee
beast on to a weather balloon and sending
it to the outer edge of the atmosphere.
What many RPi users don't realize, though,
is that there's a wealth of other operating
systems available for their beloved Pi.
We thought, therefore, that those users who
aren't aware of these other sweet toppings
for the Raspberry Pi need to be informed,
and what's more, they need to have a
chocolate box selection presented to them.
How we tested...
Therefore, to get a true all-round
perspective, we took the time to install
the operating systems on a fresh 8GB
microSD Card card. The areas we're
looking at are installation, default
software, media playback (out-of-the-
box), looks and usability, the community
behind the OS and their respective
attitudes toward software freedom.
Basically, the very stuff that makes a Linux
user decide on what system to use.
We also want to gauge this from the point
of view of someone who's not as familiar
with Linux as other people are, so that
they can jump into the project without too
much hassle, and not end up leaving it
feeling disheartened.
› OUR SELECTION
Raspbian
■
Risc OS
■
Arch
■
RaspBMC
■
OpenELEC
■
Pidora
■
08/07/2014 14:44