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Raspberry Pi has introduced a giant shift in the best way it gives its eponymous Raspberry Pi OS Linux distribution, transferring away from supporting a single model with the addition of a brand new “Legacy” variant.
Raspberry Pi introduced the discharge of the newest Raspberry Pi OS, based mostly on Debian “Bullseye,” early final month. In addition to newer software program and a refreshed feel and appear, the improve introduced with it a velocity enhance to Raspberry Pi 4 fashions that includes the newest energy administration circuitry – but in addition a choice of compatibility issues, many centering across the introduction of a brand new software program stack for digital camera {hardware} and video acceleration.
Whereas work is underway in resolving these points — together with the event, presently ongoing, of a Python library for digital camera entry beneath the brand new stack — Raspberry Pi has opted to proceed improvement of the older Raspberry Pi OS based mostly on Debian “Buster.”
Raspberry Pi has shifted with custom and can assist two official working system flavors: Commonplace and Legacy. (📷: Gareth Halfacree)
“We have determined to create a legacy model of the Raspberry Pi OS based mostly on the Debian Buster launch (or, to be extra particular, the Debian oldstable launch),” Raspberry Pi’s Gordon Hollingworth explains. “The firmware shall be branched to keep away from de-stabilizing its performance because it continues to assist future {hardware}. Though we is not going to assist new merchandise on the legacy picture, we are going to ensure any new revisions of older merchandise proceed to be supported.”
Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy), because the new-old model is understood, is not an actual duplicate of the outdated launch. The most important change is the elimination of {hardware} acceleration within the Chromium net browser, in favor of software program rendering — a shift which is able to sluggish issues down. These nonetheless working the unique Raspberry Pi OS “Buster” launch, from earlier than the introduction of the legacy variant, will retain {hardware} acceleration – however will cease receiving safety updates, leaving the browser open to assault.
The software program improvement workforce can also be coming on the points from the opposite aspect, releasing an replace for the Raspberry Pi Configuration device, which permits the outdated digital camera software program stack – together with the PiCamera Python library — for use in Raspberry Pi OS “Bullseye.” “These digital camera interfaces are deprecated,” Hollingworth notes, “and we aren’t supporting them going forwards.”
A promised 64-bit model of Raspberry Pi OS “Bullseye”, in the meantime, remains to be in progress: “That is coming subsequent,” Hollingworth says, “we’re simply fixing some points in Bullseye earlier than we launch it.”
The brand new-old Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy) is accessible, in desktop and lite variants, on the official software program obtain web page now. Extra info, in the meantime, could be discovered within the official announcement.
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