Re: Is there a 'plain vanilla Debian' version for RaspberryPi-5?
At Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:46:15 -0700 "Rick Thomas" <rick.thomas@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> The RaspberryPI-5 now comes with enough RAM to make it a reasonable choice
> for a desktop personal computer. It comes with a version of Raspbian OS that
> works quite well. However, I would prefer to have a plain-vanilla Debian OS,
> because that's what I'm most familiar with. Does such a thing exist? If so,
> where can I download it?
I don't know if a "stock" aarch64 Debian kernel would work. All of my
(limited) experience with ARM Linux suggests that, unlike x86/x86_64 machines,
ARM processors each have special (unique) system I/O SOC and need "custom"
drivers compiled into the kernel in order to boot. There might also be
system-specific firmware and boot overlays, needed. The RPi's also have their
own "unique" boot rom logic, requiring a VFAT boot partition. (Other ARM
systems use some sort of uboot system for booting.)
That said, once you start talking about user-mode code, Raspberry Pi OS is
pretty much valila Debian. Yes, there is some GUI "branding" and the
pre-installed GUI desktop is not the "standard" one that comes with "vanilia"
Debian, but any of the desktop environments (eg KDE, Gnome, Mate, etc.) are
available to be installed (eg "sudo apt install gnome-desktop"). Aside from
the kernel and a few other RPi specific utils, Raspberry Pi OS ises the
standard Debian repositories, so anything there is fair game to be installed.
*I* use my Raspberry Pi5 as my main desktop system. And I did change the GUI
sub-system (I have my own "custom" desktop environment, probably unlike *any*
of the "modern" desktop environment typically offered by "mainstream" Linux
distros). I basically started with a "stock" uSD image from the Raspberry Pi
Foundation, and used apt to install / uninstall things to get the set up that
works for me.
I believe one can just use apt to install any of the desktop environments
"vanila" Debian normally offers.
>
> While I'm asking, I hear rumors that the RPi5 can run Windows. Does anybody
> have experience with that? How does it work for you? Is it compatible enough
> with PC-Windows for me to recommend it to my friends who are life-time
> Windows users?
As for running MS-Windows on a Raspberry Pi, there have always been rumors of
running some version of MS-Windows on Raspberry Pis since the Rpi 1. I have no
clue where you would get such a thing. I also am not sure what application
software is actually available. Which it is possible to *emulate* x86_64 code
on a aarch64 system, it is rather slow -- I use qemu-system-x86 to implement a
Debian amd64 virtual machine -- I use this to compile code targeting i686 and
x86_64 processors -- it is slow, but it gets the job done and is strictly
command line / shell, no GUI -- eg start the build script and let it run in
the background and check the build log (hours) later.
While I suspect there is an aarch64 MS-Windows uSD impage out there someplace,
getting an aarch64 version of commonly used MS-Windows application. might be
harder. Although there are SnapDragon Laptops running MS-Windows currently for
sale and being advertized on the boobtube -- SnapDragon is Qualcom's "desptop"
/ laptop ARM processor (basically a "PC" answer to Apple Silicon) and Qualcom
has been working with Microsoft. The SnapDragon is Microsoft's answer to
moving beyond Intel/AMD...
On the other hand, Microsoft, Adobe, and Intuit are moving off the
laptop/desktop to the cloud with web-based versions of their software.
Gaming in general is also moving in that direction as well, so the O/S on
one's desktop or laptop may become a non-issue before too long. *I'd* recomend
RPi 5's with some sort of Linux install on them. I don't know if Linux Mint's
Cinnamon desktop is available for aarch64 as installable debs. It is almost
certian that it is possible to get the sources and build it on a RPi5.
>
> Thanks!
> Rick
>
>
>
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