Raspberry Pi as a backup for a conventional PC

Conclusion

In light of the popularity of the Rasp Pi, it is surprising to learn how much work it takes to adapt it for use as a desktop replacement. There is hope on the horizon that such an adaptation will soon require less effort, because more and more classic distributions are envisioning the mini computer as a target platform.

Windows users will still find they have unavoidable problems with the Rasp Pi desktop. Drivers are missing, My Documents is called $HOME, and other differences will require some adjustment. Nonetheless, you can do a lot to avoid the dreaded command line so often associated with minimal Linux systems.

Naturally, the performance of a Rasp Pi cannot compete a normal desktop PC or laptop. In particular, the longer loading times are irritating. The LXDE desktop does not provide any feedback when a program is started, and as a consequence, it remains unclear whether the double-click has had any effect and actually started the program. Still, as an emergency system, the little computer does a very good job if you outfit it with the necessary software.

Infos

  1. Supported WiFi sticks: http://www.elinux.org/RPi_USB_Wi-Fi_Adapters
  2. ISO 3166-2 Country Codes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2

Der Autor

Bernhard Bablok works as a SAP developer at Allianz Insurance. When he is not listening to music, biking, or hiking, he likes to study Linux and object orientated programming. You can contact him at mailto:mail@bablokb.de.

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