Linux vs Raspbian

Overview

Raspbian

Stacks141

Followers178

Votes10

Linux

Stacks3.1K

Followers2.5K

Votes46

Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?

Introduction

Linux and Raspbian are both operating systems based on the Linux kernel. While Linux is a generic term referring to various distributions, Raspbian is specifically designed for the Raspberry Pi single-board computer. Although they share similarities, there are key differences that set them apart.

Hardware Compatibility: Raspbian is optimized to run on Raspberry Pi hardware, providing better compatibility and support for various peripherals. Linux, on the other hand, can run on a wide range of devices, including computers, servers, and mobile devices, offering more versatile hardware compatibility options.
Package Management: Raspbian utilizes the APT (Advanced Package Tool) package manager and includes the apt-get command for software installation and updates, making it straightforward for users to manage packages and dependencies. While Linux also supports APT, other package managers like yum, dnf, and pacman are commonly used, offering different package management approaches.
Default Software: Raspbian comes pre-loaded with software specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi. It includes the Chromium web browser, Python programming language, Scratch visual programming language, and Sonic Pi music synthesizer, among others. Linux distributions, on the other hand, typically provide a wider range of software options and allow users to choose which packages to install during the setup process.
User Interface: Raspbian uses the PIXEL (Pi Improved Xwindows Environment, Lightweight) desktop environment, which is designed to be user-friendly and lightweight. It offers a familiar desktop experience similar to traditional operating systems. Linux distributions, however, provide a variety of desktop environments like GNOME, KDE, XFCE, and more, allowing users to customize their interface according to their preference.
Community Support: Linux has a large and active community of users and developers, making it easy to find support, tutorials, and resources for various distributions. Raspbian, being a specific distribution for Raspberry Pi, benefits from its own dedicated community, providing targeted support and resources for Raspberry Pi users.
Security Updates: While both Linux and Raspbian regularly receive security updates, Raspbian focuses on providing timely updates specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi, ensuring the security of the device and its supported hardware. Linux, being a broader term, receives updates for a wide range of hardware and software configurations.

In summary, key differences between Linux and Raspbian include hardware compatibility, package management, default software, user interface options, community support, and security updates tailored for Raspberry Pi.

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CLI (Node.js)

Manual

Advice on Raspbian, Linux

Jennifer

Mar 16, 2020

Needs advice

Netdata introduces Linux eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) monitoring. With this enabled, monitor real-time metrics of Linux kernel functions and actions from the very same monitoring and troubleshooting dashboard used for watching entire systems, or even entire infrastructures.

This collector uses eBPF to monitor system calls inside your operating system’s kernel. For now, the main goal of this plugin is to monitor IO and process management on the host where it is running.

67.2k views67.2k

Comments

Justin

Open Source Program Manager at Reblaze

Aug 15, 2019

Review

If you have a file (demo.txt) that has 3 columns:

Column-1    Column-2    Column-3
Row-1a      Row-2a      Row-3a         
Row-1b      Row-2b      Row-3b
Row-1c      Row-2c      Row-3c
Row-1d      Row-2d      Row-3d
Row-1e      Row-2e      Row-3e

and you want to only view the first column of the file in your CLI, run the following:

awk {'print $1'} demo.txt

Column-1
Row-1a
Row-1b
Row-1c
Row-1d
Row-1e

If you want to print the second column of demo.txt, just replace $1 with $2

96.5k views96.5k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Raspbian	Linux
It is optimized for the Raspberry Pi hardware. It provides more than a pure OS: it comes with over 35,000 packages, pre-compiled software bundled in a nice format for easy installation on your Raspberry Pi.	A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.
pre-compiled software; comes with over 35,000 packages	Portable(Multiplatform); Multitasking; Multi User; Multiprocessor SMP Support; Multithreading Support; Virtual Memory; Hierarchical File System; Graphical User Interface (X Window System)
Statistics
Stacks 141	Stacks 3.1K
Followers 178	Followers 2.5K
Votes 10	Votes 46
Pros & Cons
Pros 7 Runs well on rpi 2 Easy to use with little experience 1 Very Lightweight Cons 4 Desktop enviroment is unstable 1 Uses ARMHF architecture, not commonly supported	Pros 19 Open Source 12 Free 9 Reliability 6 Safe
Integrations
Raspberry Pi OpenCV	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Raspbian, Linux?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

CentOS

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

CoreOS

It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Manjaro

It is an accessible, friendly, open-source Linux distribution and community. Based on Arch Linux, it provides all the benefits of cutting-edge software combined with a focus on getting started quickly, automated tools to require less manual intervention, and help readily available when needed.

Related Comparisons

Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?

Introduction

Hardware Compatibility: Raspbian is optimized to run on Raspberry Pi hardware, providing better compatibility and support for various peripherals. Linux, on the other hand, can run on a wide range of devices, including computers, servers, and mobile devices, offering more versatile hardware compatibility options.
Package Management: Raspbian utilizes the APT (Advanced Package Tool) package manager and includes the apt-get command for software installation and updates, making it straightforward for users to manage packages and dependencies. While Linux also supports APT, other package managers like yum, dnf, and pacman are commonly used, offering different package management approaches.
Default Software: Raspbian comes pre-loaded with software specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi. It includes the Chromium web browser, Python programming language, Scratch visual programming language, and Sonic Pi music synthesizer, among others. Linux distributions, on the other hand, typically provide a wider range of software options and allow users to choose which packages to install during the setup process.
User Interface: Raspbian uses the PIXEL (Pi Improved Xwindows Environment, Lightweight) desktop environment, which is designed to be user-friendly and lightweight. It offers a familiar desktop experience similar to traditional operating systems. Linux distributions, however, provide a variety of desktop environments like GNOME, KDE, XFCE, and more, allowing users to customize their interface according to their preference.
Community Support: Linux has a large and active community of users and developers, making it easy to find support, tutorials, and resources for various distributions. Raspbian, being a specific distribution for Raspberry Pi, benefits from its own dedicated community, providing targeted support and resources for Raspberry Pi users.
Security Updates: While both Linux and Raspbian regularly receive security updates, Raspbian focuses on providing timely updates specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi, ensuring the security of the device and its supported hardware. Linux, being a broader term, receives updates for a wide range of hardware and software configurations.

Linux vs Raspbian

Overview

Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?