This page catalogues operating systems used for personal robots.
Linux-Based Operating Systems#
"Raspian", a portmanteau of "Raspberry" and "Debian", was the original Linux-based OS for the Raspberry Pi. The current version is still Debian-based, but has been renamed as "Raspberry Pi OS".
To install the Raspberry Pi OS, it is copied onto an SD card using an application like the balenaEtcher
or the preferred method, a cross-platform desktop application called the Raspberry Pi Imager, a free download from the Raspberry Pi OS home page. You basically select an image file, select a drive to copy to, then push a button. Done. Then the first time you boot with the SD card you go through an interactive configuration process.
See:
- Installing operating system images from the Raspberry Pi Foundation
- How to Backup an SD Card
Alternatives to Raspberry Pi OS#
Many Debian-based Linux distributions like Ubuntu can be used on a Raspberry Pi. Most of the differences between these are in the desktop environment, not the Linux kernel, so if your Pi is being used as a server, or command line only, there's little benefit in an alternative to the "standard".
- 20 Best Operating Systems You Can Run on Raspberry Pi in 2021
- Top 10 Best Alternatives to Raspberry Pi OS for Your Raspberry Pi Computer
32 or 64 bit?#
The default Raspberry Pi OS (including all historical versions of Raspbian) has been 32 bit but in late 2020 the beta version of the 64 bit OS became available.
To determine which is running on a Pi type:
% uname -mIf it responds with "aarch64" then it is 64 bit. If it responds with "armv7l" then it is 32 bit.
Other Operating Systems#
- Armbian is a Debian-based OS used for ARM architecture, non-Raspberry Pi boards (it has not been and is not likely to be ported to the Raspberry Pi)
- CircuitPython or MicroPython, a programming language, not an operating system but effectively used as such on microcontrollers (when powered on they run a single program)
- JavaScript (as used on the Espruino)