image

As we get closer to the Raspberry Pi  boards getting into peoples hands there is news on the software coming for the Pi. First there is Arch Linux ARM for the Pi, this is available to download now and is a simple lightweight build that is not for beginners as their is no GUI. They also have Debian “squeeze” which is a Reference root filesystem which containing LXDE, Midori, development tools and example source code for multimedia functions. Both download are available on their download page.

Also developing nicely is Raspmbc the development seems to be progressing well, there is a new wiki at http://wiki.raspbmc.com and the beta should be available soon.  Sadly it looks like it will be mid Arpil before my Pi arrives.

First up, the installing mechanism, RAMDISTRIBUTION is now finished. It can install the target filesystem needed for initialisation and perform dynamic resizing of file systems from memory. What this basically means, is that now development shifts to the target filesystem, the end product, which is getting very close now. Very. Close. For the technically minded, you can read my ramblings here.

Which leads on to the next thing, Raspbmc now has a wiki at http://wiki.raspbmc.com. I’ll be documenting that, with the assistance of others, as I finish the project. It’s not exactly setup yet — the logo needs resizing and I need to add a mod_rewrite rule, but it’s a sign of progress. When the software launches I’ll be offering a forum as well for users so we can build a strong community. It’s not up yet because there isn’t much to discuss, beyond speculation, feature requests and questions to which answers will be immediately obvious upon release.

Leave a Reply