Updated: 5 of the most popular Raspberry Pi distros

Introduction

Note: Our Raspberry Pi distros round-up has been fully updated. This feature was first published in May 2015.

Believe it or not, the Raspberry Pi is four years old, and in its relatively short life has ushered in a new revolution in computing that stretches far beyond its original remit – that of helping to promote basic computer science education in schools.

2015 was a particularly fertile year for the Pi. Not only did the Raspberry Pi 2 usher in a quad-core processor and 1GB RAM for under £30 (around $45, AU$60) in February, but the latest iteration – the Pi Zero – has delivered a fully functional computer for under a fiver.

There are a number of Linux kernel-based operating systems designed specifically for the Raspberry Pi. These include fully featured distros such as Raspbian, which offers a fully functional desktop environment and is based on Debian, and even speciality distros like RetroPie, which supports a large number of controllers and is aimed at gaming fans. Plus there are many more besides…

In this article, we're going to look at five of the most popular and distinct Raspberry Pi distros.

• 10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs
• 10 best Linux distros: which one is right for you?
• 5 of the most popular Linux gaming distros
• 10 of the most popular lightweight Linux distros

Raspbian

Raspbian is one of the oldest and most popular mainstream distros for the Raspberry Pi. Although it's developed independently, the Raspberry Pi Foundation also develops its own recommended version of Raspbian that you can install using the Foundation's NOOBS installer.

The latest version is based on the ARM port of the Debian Jessie desktop distro, which improves performance and provides more flexibility over the previous Wheezy-based release.

You'll need a 4GB SD card for installation, and it boots to the lightweight LXDE desktop environment. Here you'll find thousands of software packages, including some pre-installed apps such as LibreOffice and Claws Mail.

The Foundation's version of Raspbian also includes the official app store for the Pi called the Pi Store, which houses apps optimised for the Raspberry Pi.

A minimal version – Raspbian Jessie Lite – is also available.

Pi MusicBox

The Pi MusicBox distro converts your Raspberry Pi into the ultimate music-oozing jukebox. The distro is based on the Mopidy music streaming server that can fetch music from various streaming services including Spotify, Google Play Music, and SoundCloud as well as a host of online radio stations.

Pi MusicBox can also play music stored on the SD Card or on any USB drives attached to the Pi. You can also configure the distro to fetch music by automatically mounting shared folders on the network. Additionally, the distro can also connect to any DLNA and AirPlay devices and can be controlled via any player that supports MPD.

RetroPie

If you're a fan of classic gaming titles, grab a copy of the RetroPie distro and transfer it onto an SD card. The distro can emulate dozens of classic games consoles and home computers such as the Amiga, Amstrad, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy, PlayStation 1 and more.

RetroPie also supports all sorts of gaming controllers, from cheap no-name USB efforts to controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It boots into the Emulation Station software which first helps you set up the controller and then lets you select a game from any of the supported emulators.

The only caveat is that you must get your own ROMs. There are several that can be legally downloaded for free and you can even create your own from old cartridges using adapters like the Retrode in conjunction with your Mac/PC.

• For more details on how to use RetroPie, check out: How to turn your Raspberry Pi 2 into a retro games console.

OSMC

One of the most popular uses for a Raspberry Pi is as a dedicated smart TV box, sitting underneath your big-screen TV to give you access to all kinds of digital media, whether stored locally or hosted online (such as catch-up TV).

OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is based on the renowned media centre Kodi, and is super-easy to install too. Boot up, add your own media to its libraries and install the add-ons you want to add smart TV functionality, then pair it with the Kodi remote app for your Android, iOS or Windows phone for the perfect media centre experience.

OpenMediaVault

Originally designed for the desktop, the OpenMediaVault (OMV) distro has a specially tuned version for the Raspberry Pi that lets you use the little computer as a dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS) device.

Once it's up and running, you can configure and manage the distro remotely using its browser-based admin interface. Attach USB drives and they'll be detected automatically, plus you can manually add your network storage too.

For the best performance make sure you use self-powered removable disks. You can use the disks attached to the OMV NAS individually or assemble them in a RAID array. The distro has ample options to manage other advanced aspects of a NAS too.