There are various operating systems (or system images) that may be installed on the Raspberry Pi. These range from application-specific operating systems, such as audio players, to various general purpose operating systems. The power behind Raspberry Pi is the way it can be used for various applications and projects.
The following is a list of just a few of the operating systems (system images) available for the Raspberry Pi:
- Volumio: Do you have a desire to set up a networked audio system where you access your music list using a computer or cell phone? Volumio may be what you are looking for. Installing it on a Raspberry Pi creates a headless audio player (a system that does not require a keyboard and mouse) that connects to your audio files either over USB or a network. A special audio Hardware Added on Top (HAT) may be added to your Pi to provide a pristine audio connection to an amplifier and speakers. There is even a plugin to add Spotify so that you can set up your Raspberry Pi to access this service and play music over your sound system.
- PiFM radio transmitter: The PiFM radio transmitter turns your Raspberry Pi into an FM transmitter, which you can use to send audio files over the air to a standard FM radio receiver. Using a simple wire connected to one of the GPIO pins (we will learn more about GPIO later), you can create an antenna for the transmitted FM signal, which is surprisingly strong.
- Stratux: ADS-B is the new standard in aviation where geo-location and weather information are shared with ground controllers and pilots. The Stratux image with additional hardware turns the Raspberry Pi into an ADS-B receiver of this information.
- RetroPie: RetroPie turns your Raspberry Pi into a retro game console by emulating gaming consoles and computers from the past. Some of the emulations include Amiga, Apple II, Atari 2600, and the Nintendo Entertainment System of the early 1980s.
- OctoPi: OctoPi turns your Raspberry Pi into a server for your 3D printer. Through OctoPi, you may control your 3D printer over the network, including viewing the status of your 3D printer using a webcam.
- NOOBS: This is arguably the easiest way to install an operating system on the Raspberry Pi. NOOBS stands for New Out-Of-the Box Software, and we will be using NOOBS to install Raspbian.