Raspberry Pi foundation in late September this year Released a new operating system called PIXEL for them, you guessed it, the Raspberry Pi. PIXEL OS is based on Debian Linux and powered by productivity software and programming tools such as Libre Office Suite, BlueJ Java IDE and Geany’s programmer editor. It also comes with utilities like RealVNC and SenseHat emulator. In an interesting event, the company announced that Debian-based operating systems can be tested on macOS and Windows. So if you are interested in trying PIXEL OS on your MacBook or Windows PC/laptop, Here are the steps to run PIXEL OS on macOS or Windows 10:
note: Before we get started, it’s worth noting that PIXEL OS is still in a very early development phase and things may or may not work as expected.
Running PIXEL OS using VirtualBox
We will run the PIXEL ISO file inside an emulator. I recommend using VirtualBox as it is free and lightweight, but feel free to use other alternatives. Here I will demonstrate the process using VirtualBox on macOS Sierra 10.12, but the same is true for Windows 10 or any other version of macOS or Windows.
Firstly, grab the ISO (~1.3GB) from Raspberry Pi’s official website and by the way, also Download and install VirtualBox (~90MB) for your platform. Open VirtualBox and you will be greeted with a welcome screen.
one. Click “newPress the ” button in the upper left corner of the VirtualBox window.
This will quickly open the wizard. set up a virtual machine. Make the following changes to make it look exactly as shown in the image below:
- Name: PIXEL
- Medicine: Linux
- version: Debian (64-bit)
2. Next, it will ask: amount of memory to be allocated. While this totally depends on the case, a general rule of thumb is: don’t allocate more than half of the RAM your system has. But PIXEL is not very resource intensive, so we can eliminate a little less allocation. For example, if you have 4GB of RAM installed, you might want to allocate 1024MB. 8GB of RAM etc. if available, this can be increased up to 2 GB. Click “Go on“.
3. Next, “Now create a virtual hard diskClick “” and “To create“.
4. Next, “VirtualBox Disk ImageClick ” (VDI) in the hard disk file type window and select “Go on“.
5. On the next screen, select “.dynamically allocated” and “Go on“.
6. Next, type the name you want and set the virtual HDD size (recommended 8GB). Finally, “To create“.
7. Now that you have successfully configured your new virtual machine, you should see it. listed in the left sidebar. Select this VM from the sidebar and click “Start” at the top of the window.
8. Now, “Search” icon and Choose the ISO file you downloaded before and “Start“.
IT it should start booting now and in about a few minutes you will see PIXEL OS running as shown below.
Once you’re done navigating around, click on it. close button (red stop bar on mac)->Save machine status->OK. This ensures that the current machine state (all your open working directories) is resumed the next time you power on this virtual machine. If you think you are unlikely to use PIXEL in the near future, “Send shutdown signalThe ” option allows PIXEL OS to cold boot the next time you start it (think of it as hibernation or shutdown in Windows).
Running PIXEL OS using Live Bootable USB
Creating a live bootable USB requires you to have at least a 4GB USB drive. (Can work with flash drives under 4GB, but no guarantee). This is important back up any important files that may be on the drive as it will be formatted and all data will be deleted.
Before proceeding, get the necessary tools you will need. If you’re on a Mac, consider downloading Etcher (Free). Windows users should check out Rufus (Free).
Installation on Windows
one. Open Rufus and select the USB drive where you want to install PIXEL OS.Device” tab.
2. Then check the box that says “Create a bootable disk usingSelect ” and “ISO image“.
3. Browse and select the downloaded ISO file.
4. Click “Start“.
note: Leave all other boxes to their default settings.
The process took a little over a minute to complete on my computer, yours may vary. Now that we’ve successfully created a live USB, it’s time to boot from the USB drive.
For this you need to do Boot into BIOS and change the boot order. Typically, pressing the F12 button on your keyboard while your computer is booting will present a boot sequence similar to the one shown below. you belong Choose your USB drive at this point and press enter. An important point to note is that, given the myriad of Windows devices, your key may be different. In this case, Google “
After pressing Enter, you will be greeted with a welcome screen:
Installation on Mac
Installation on MacUsing Etcher on Mac is pretty simple. in step 1, Choose the ISO file. Next Plug in the USB drive and it should automatically appear on “.select driver“. Next, “Flash!“. The process should not take more than a minute or two.
Now Restart your Mac. Hold this time Option key (⌥) On your keyboard as soon as you hear the start-up bell. you should see one EFI/PIXEL option next to “Macintosh HDD”. Choosing the same will launch you directly into PIXEL OS. After you finish exploring, shut down PIXEL OS and you can boot into MacOS normally.
note: The development team says some new Mac models, such as the MacBook Air 2015, may have trouble recognizing the drive and a fix is in progress. As always, you should try your luck.
Early Thoughts on PIXEL OS
I’ve been running PIXEL OS on my Mac using VirtualBox for a few days now. PIXEL OS comes preloaded with many utilities, but The feature list is pretty simple.. For now, you can only choose from 16 wallpapers for the personalization part. Libre Office Suite also comes pre-installed so you can edit your presentation or work with data in tabular form. It also comes with a handful of games that you can play, such as Tetris and puzzles, built using Python. In terms of programming, you have IDEs for the Java and Python shell. This version of PIXEL comes with a Chromium browser for your web browsing needs.
The company is committed to making it the best desktop platform. Sure, they’re miles away from installing this, but they’ve taken a step in the right direction by bringing PIXEL OS to macOS and Windows devices. I will be following future developments with excitement and will try to cover this issue as much as possible on Beebom.
SEE ALSO: How to Install and Get Started Raspberry Pi 3 (Beginner’s Guide)
Have You Used PIXEL OS on Windows or Mac?
The Raspberry Pi foundation says they will create an installable version if there is enough interest in time. As of now, these are the two ways you can easily try PIXEL OS on your Mac or Windows system. Sure, it’s not ready for primary use, but still, the foundation is determined to make it one.
Let me know what you think of PIXEL OS in the comments. If you get stuck somewhere in the process, feel free to comment and I will do my best to resolve it!
