Still in development, so it might not work for everyone

Dec 22, 2016 02:48 GMT  ·  By

Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton proudly announced the availability of the Debian-based Raspbian GNU/Linux distribution with the recently introduced PIXEL desktop environment for PC and Mac.

As you might be aware of, Raspbian is the official Linux-based operating system for Raspberry Pi single-board computers. In the same manner, PIXEL is the new interface of Raspbian, launched in September 2016, based on the LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) project.

Until today, users were able to download and install the Raspbian with PIXEL images on their Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3, or Raspberry Pi Zero SBCs, but it looks like there's now an official spin that allows you to install the Debian-based operating system on your laptop or desktop computer.

"After three months of hard work from Simon and Serge, we have a Christmas treat for you: an experimental version of Debian+PIXEL for x86 platforms," said Eben Upton in the announcement. "Because we’re using the venerable i386 architecture variant it should run even on vintage machines like my ThinkPad X40."

Here's how to install Raspbian for PC and Mac right now

If this news is a dream come true for you, you're invited to download the Raspbian for PC and Mac ISO images right now from our website or the project's 2016-12-13 official homepage. To install the OS, you'll have to write the image to either a DVD disc or a USB flash drive using the Etcher utility recommended by Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Then, insert the USB stick or DVD disc on your PC or Mac and boot from it. In a few seconds, you should see the PIXEL desktop of Raspbian. The Live session can be used with persistence (only for the USB version), which can be enabled from the boot screen before booting, allowing you to save various settings or other files and reuse the stick.

Spot the difference: the PIXEL desktop on a PC
Spot the difference: the PIXEL desktop on a PC

Raspbian 2016-12-13 (2 Images)

IBM ThinkPad X40 running Raspbian with PIXEL
Spot the difference: the PIXEL desktop on a PC
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