Looking for a manner to get the maximum from your Raspberry Pi? Running an assignment that desires something extra? Odd as it can appear, Linux is probably the hassle, so why not consider a non-Linux operating gadget? Several have been launched or adapted to be used by the Raspberry Pi.
Released as an open-supply working machine in 1992, Plan 9 has a small footprint targeted at developers. Its lightweight presence makes it ideal for the Raspberry Pi.
Plan nine is a descendant of UNIX, straightforward to put in on the Pi, much like every other well-suited operating machine. Download the disk picture and write it to the microSD card.
Once jogging, you’ll see a command line earlier than the mouse-pushed consumer interface (a windowing system) called “Rio,” hundreds up. Beware, Plan Nine appears rudimentary and has very little visible courting with any working device you’ve previously used. There is, possibly, a similarity with RISC OS (underneath), which requires a 3-button mouse). However, Plan 9’s UNIX background will help everyone with the revel in its forerunner.
Also derived from UNIX are NetBSD and OpenBSD, which can be more intently related to BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), a UNIX extension. Several versions of BSD are to be had, all of which offer a variation on a topic.
But what does BSD offer the Raspberry Pi consumer? Well, like Linux, BSD is open-source and Unix-like. Many of the equal apps and utilities will include paintings on each, so switching to BSD is the easiest choice for this listing. BSD has specific strengths that Linux does not, consisting of higher connectivity through the GPIO, as an instance. It’s also a great choice for a network server.
However, with numerous variations of BSD for the Raspberry Pi, which of these strengths you enjoy will rely on which fork you pick out.
Download: RaspBSD for Raspberry Pi 2 and 3
Download: FreeBSD for Raspberry Pi B and 2
Download: OpenBSD for Raspberry Pi 3 (Requires a USB tool for setting up)
Our Linux vs. BSD evaluation will help if you’re new to BSD.
Another high-quality choice is RISC OS, which has its roots in the Nineteen Eighties’ domestic computing growth. Interestingly, it advanced in Cambridge, near where the Raspberry Pi was conceived and where the Raspberry Pi Foundation has its headquarters (which we visited in 2013).
Indeed, RISC OS is one of the two handiest running systems in this listing to be on the various “approved” list if you’re putting in thru the NOOBS installation tool. RISC OS is rapid, has a steady person interface, and consists of a based BASIC interpreter. If you revel in programming is firmly rooted in the Nineteen Eighties, and BASIC is your only anchor to coding, this will prove pretty beneficial.
Despite its age, a few proper packages are available for RISC OS, including a web browser. Note that you’ll want a three-button mouse to apply RISC OS; this should suffice if your mouse has a clickable scroll wheel.
Download: RISC OS for Raspberry Pi
You’ll discover more about RISC OS (including a way to install and use it) in our dedicated setup manual.
Amazingly, it’s possible to run Android on the Raspberry Pi. While Android uses the Linux kernel, the jury is unsure whether it can be considered a Linux distribution.
Although now not a reliable version (and missing optimization for the Raspberry Pi), deploying Android is a large plus. Combine Android with the Raspberry Pi and a touchscreen tool, and you have an awesome new way to apply the Raspberry Pi. Installing the Google Play store is viable, giving you access to all of your favored games and apps.
Several Raspberry Pi-primarily based initiatives are to be had, and if you find one prepackaged for a selected Pi version, the better.
Meanwhile, Android Things is likewise available for the Raspberry Pi. This embedded operating system is geared toward low-memory and energy-limited IoT devices. It helps Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi networking, and Weave capabilities, which Google hopes become the default protocol for IoT gadgets.
Finally, it’s Windows 10. However, it’s not the version you’re used to, a devoted Net of Things version from Microsoft. Compatible with the Raspberry Pi (and an alternative in NOOBS), Windows 10 IoT Core is consistent with Microsoft: “…a model of Windows 10 that is optimized for smaller gadgets with or without a show, and that runs at the Raspberry Pi 2 and three, Arrow DragonBoard 410c & MinnowBoard MAX. Windows 10 IoT Core uses the wealthy, extensible Universal Windows Platform (UWP) API for building top-notch solutions.”
This makes it similar to lots of approaches to Android Things.
The distinction between Windows 10 IoT Core and the other operating structures listed here is much less a working device as a deployment machine. Once you’ve deployed an app (from the default selection or one you’ve built in Visual Studio), the Raspberry Pi essentially will become the app. This should have big implications for your DIY tasks!
Trong Alternatives to Linux on the Raspberry Pi
There are other alternatives if seeking an opportunity to run structures for the Raspberry Pi. However, those are almost all Linux distributions ported to the ARM structure. Even those who declare it to be something else (which includes the Raspberry Pi version of AROS, an open-source version of AmigaOS 3.1 from the early 1990s) are based on Linux for drivers.
Instead, in case you clearly must eschew Linux, use this type of operating structure:
Plan nine
A well-suited fork of BSD
RISC OS
Android, or Android Things
Windows 10 IoT Core
Android apart, those working systems are lightweight alternatives to Raspbian Stretch. If you’re wedded to Linux but searching out a Raspberry Pi distro with a small footprint, our manual to light Raspberry Pi operating systems is well worth reading.
