Raspberry PI OS Review

A slim version of Linux intended for use with a Raspberry Pi hardware

DISCOVERY
If you have purchased or worked with the Raspberry PI hardware, then your probably already familiar with Raspberry Pi OS. The Pi-Hole website recommends using Raspberry PI OS as the operating system when using Raspberry Pi hardware. The Raspberry Pi OS a slimmed down 'light' variant of Debian Linux.

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
Raspi #1 installation was completed on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO as a learning process. (Actual Rasberry Pi hardware was not available at the time of review.) I downloaded the newest ISO file for Raspi and installed it using default settings. No problems were encountered.

My Raspi #2 install, I located and acquired an old i3 HP desktop that I acquired for free. This desktop had no memory or drive. Then I installed 8 gig of memory salvaged from another dead desktop. In order to give it a boost - I added a new 512G SSD that was in my inventory. Then, using the Belana Etcher software, I created a bootable thumb drive from the ISO. I installed Raspi from the thumb drive onto the i3 desktop. Performance is more than sufficient for testing purposes! The processor could be upgraded with a used one from eBay that fits the same socket if desired. Once again, there were no problems encountered during the installation.

Raspberry Pi v4B single board computer (w/o case)

SAMBA SUPPORT
SAMBA is much more difficult to install and configure and will prove difficult for Linux beginners such as myself. Likewise, the network does NOT appear when browsing. You must pull down the (not so obvious) GO menu and select NETWORK. There will be a several second delay and you will eventually see a 'Windows Network' icon. It won't let you browse the Windows network. You must type in the network path to get where you want to go.

SOFTWARE
I installed Raspi for the sole purpose of utilizing Pi-Hole software. It works well for the intended task. I have it on a headless machine that I can access remotely. I connect via SSH to run a Python script to keep the operating system and the Pi-Hole software up to date. The Pi-Hole software is accessed via web-browser.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF RASPBERRY PI OS:
This OS is not really intended to be a daily driver. It's very stripped down to the point of having the desktop with a web browser and thats about it. Naturally you can install other software. The OS is intended to run things like Pi-Holes, home automation, small DIY NAS units etc... The difficulties configuring SAMBA file access may be a concern for anyone who needs it. If you wan't to use Linux for a daily driver, Mint would be a better choice.