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Raspberry PI OS (a.k.a. 'Raspi') Mini-Review

(Slim verion of Linux intended for use with a Raspberry Pi hardware)

DISCOVERY
The Pi-Hole website recommends using Raspberry PI OS as the operating system when using Raspberry Pi hardware.
The Raspberry Pi OS a variant of Debian.

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
NOTE: Actual Rasberry Pi hardware was not available at the time of review.
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Raspi.
Installed Raspi (1) on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO as a learning process.
Located and acquired an old i3 HP desktop (Free)
Desktop had no memory or drive.
Installed 8 gig of memory salvaged from another dead desktop.
Installed a new 512G SSD.
I used Belana Etcher to create a bootable thumb drive from the ISO.
Install Raspi (2) from the thumb drive onto the i3 desktop.
Performance is more than sufficient!
The processor could be upgraded with a used one from eBay that fits the same socket if desired.

SAMBA SUPPORT
The ability to connect to SMB based file shares is already installed! There is nothing to configure.
However, the network does NOT appear when browsing.
You must pull down the (not so obvious) GO menu and select NETWORK.

SOFTWARE
I installed Raspi for the sole purpose of utilizing Pi-Hole software.
I have it on a headless machine that I access remotely via SSH.
I connect via SSH to run a Python script to keep everything updated.
NOTE: SAMBA is much more difficult to install and configure and will prove difficult for beginners.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF RASPBERRY PI OS:
This OS is not really intended to be a daily driver.
It's very stripped down and meant to run things like pi-holes, home automation, small DIY NAS units etc...
The difficulties configuring SAMBA file access is concerning.
If you wan't to use Linux for a daily driver, Mint would be a better choice. (see below)

Mint OS (Cinnamon) Mini-Review

(Full featured Linux distro intended for ease of use)

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine what distros might be worth exploring.
Mint OS was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple websites and on YouTube.

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Mint.
Installed Mint (1) on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO for a quick review and comparison with other distros.
Located and acquired an old i3 HP desktop (Free)
Desktop had no memory or drive.
Installed 8 gig of memory salvaged from another dead desktop.
Installed a new 512G SSD.
I used Belana Etcher to create a bootable thumb drive from the ISO.
Install Mint (2) from the thumb drive onto the i3 desktop.
Performance is quite decent.
The processor could be upgraded with a used one from eBay that fits the same socket.

PRINTER DRIVER
Mint auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network.
No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked.
NOTE: I have NOT attempted to use the scanner.

WI-FI
No initial Wi-Fi connectivity.
Tried a TPLINK EXTERNAL USB Wi-Fi: No luck finding a driver.
Eventually gave up.
My second try was to Locate and installed TPLINK internal Wi-Fi card. This worked first try and was recognized by the OS.
Lesson: Installing Wi-Fi is easy if you have Linux drivers for your Wi-Fi card.

SAMBA SUPPORT
Installs easily via the command line using instructions provided online. Works as expected.

SOFTWARE
Installed various apps from the software manager including: OBS, VLC, LibreOffice, VSCode, Steam, Minecraft, Mahjongg etc.…
My goal is to work with and use the command line (terminal) as much as possible to gain experience.
The Linux command line is vastly different than Windows.
The basic process at this point is to Google and YouTube to search for the answers I need and learn as I go along.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF MINT CINNAMON:
Mint is the easiest Linux distro I have tested to this point.
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
Operation is quite similar to Windows and therefore good for beginner Linux users.
All in all, MINT continues to be my best experience in the Linux world.

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF LINUX IN GENERAL:
System requirements for Linux distros are much smaller than that of Windows. It's a great way to repurpose older Windows machines.
Linux appears to be very reliable. I have yet to experience a system crash. It just works.
Some software is available on both Windows and Linux and it works and looks identical.
Linux is a different world! - Finding software to do what you want takes some exploring as there seems to be less software available.
Once you find the software you need, then you have another learning curve.
At this time, I don't feel confident that I would make the switch from Windows to ANY version of Linux as a daily driver.

Ubuntu GNOME & CINNAMON Mini-Review

(Full featured Linux distro)

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine what distros might be worth exploring.
Ubuntu was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple websites and on YouTube.
Ubuntu has the largest community support of any Linux distro.

INSTALLATION
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Ubuntu GNOME and Ubuntu CINNAMON.
   GNOME has the taskbard on the left side and discourages having icons on the desktop.
   Cinnamon has the taskbar on the bottom like Windows and allows icons on the desktop.
Both versions were installed as Hyper-V virtual machines for a quick review and comparison with other distros.

PRINTER DRIVER
Ubuntu auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network.
No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked.
NOTE: I have NOT attempted to use the scanner.

WI-FI
This was not tested as I only installed Ubuntu as a virtual machine.

SAMBA SUPPORT
Installs easily via the command line using instructions provided on the Ubuntu website.
Works as expected.

SOFTWARE
No problems to report.
Several programs were installed and worked as expected.

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF UBUNTU (GNOME)
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
I had a difficult time navigating the default GNOME desktop as its significantly different than Windows. It seems clumsy with a taskbar on the left.
I'm NOT saying its bad, it's just not for me.

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF UBUNTU (CINNAMON)
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
The Cinnamon version is a HUGE improvement and better for people transitioning from Windows.
It's still not for me.

Debian v12 Mini-Review

(Ultra-Reliable Linux Distro)

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine what distros might be worth exploring.
Debian was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple websites and on YouTube.
Debian is well known for its stability at the expense of NOT having the latest features.

INSTALLATION
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Debian 12.
Installed Debian on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO for a quick review and comparison with other distros.

PRINTER DRIVER
Debian auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network.
No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked.
NOTE: I have NOT attempted to use the scanner.

WI-FI
This was not tested as I only installed Debian as a virtual machine.

SAMBA SUPPORT
The ability to connect to SMB based file shares is already installed! There is nothing to configure.
This is the easist SAMBA implementation yet!

CINNAMON DESKTOP INSTALLATION:
The goal is to replace GNOME desktop with Cinnamon to see if it improves usability.
Apparently the default installation of Debian doesn't grant SUDO access, preventing installation of ANYTHING.
All attempts to gain SUDO access have failed.
Web searches were no help. (I tried instructions from 6 different websites).
I need to spend more time figuring it out.
How is a novice user supposed to get this to work if its that difficult?

SOFTWARE
Untested. (Unable to get SUDO access)

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF DEBIAN v12:
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
The installation has a few questions that may be intimidating to novice users.
I had a difficult time navigating the desktop as the default GNOME style desktop significantly different than Windows. Seems extremely clumsy and things are hard to find.
Debian is not for a novice user.

Other Linux Distros Tested

POP! OS
Intended to be used as a gaming environment and easy graphics drivers.
Unable to install in a Hyper-V environment after multiple (6) attempts.
This OS will require testing on dedicated hardware.

ZORIN OS
Intended for users switching from Windows.
Unable to install in a Hyper-V environment after multiple (5) attempts.
This OS will require testing on dedicated hardware.