Bear in mind that the OpenELEC version available through NOOBS and from the Raspberry Pi site is out of date you’ll need to get the latest Raspberry Pi image, and install it with Win32 Disk Imager. This is an OS that boots straight into the Kodi media centre application (formerly XBMC). There is a way to get around the multimedia problems, and that’s to use the OpenELEC operating system. The fact that it’s now even in contention is impressive enough. The list of things the Pi can’t do is growing shorter, but it’s not quite ready to be your only computer. ![]() We also couldn’t find a way to play YouTube videos, either in-browser or with dedicated software such as MiniTube. We found it impossible to play video files, as the Pi’s VLC build seems to be broken. ![]() For example, multitasking performance is pretty dire if you’re installing software with aptitude, for example, you can forget about doing much else at the same time. Of course, sometimes you’re reminded that your computer is a £30 credit card with passively-cooled components. On the Pi 2, the page loads in a far more manageable 20 seconds. The graphics-heavy takes around five seconds to load and render on a powerful PC, but a glacial two minutes on a Pi B+. Web pages were a big Achilles heel for previous Pi models and, while the Pi still won’t replace your PC (or even tablet) for browsing smoothness, it’s far more usable. We could even just about edit large images in Gimp. LibreOffice runs far better on the new model, for example LibreOffice Writer keeps up properly with your typing and it’s now feasible to make and manipulate charts in Calc. The Pi 2 has moved beyond being a vehicle for embedded applications and for learning basic programming to being very nearly a proper everyday computer. This extra grunt makes a big difference in real-world use. ^ There’s plenty you can get done in Raspbian thanks to the extra power of Pi 2 We also ran Roy Longbottom’s Whetstone test on both models – see The Pi B+ scored 263 Millions of Whetstone Instructions Per Second (MWIPS) while the Pi 2 managed a huge 525 MWIPS. For a start, with our Class 10 microSD card, the B+ took 53s to boot to the Raspbian Linux desktop, but the Pi 2 did it in 34s. Running Raspbian on a Pi 2 and B+ side by side, the performance difference is obvious. You can also use OpenELEC to turn the Pi into a highly efficient media centre – more on that below. Most people should start with the Debian-based Raspbian, which is simple to use, but more adventurous types can use the highly configurable Arch Linux or blow their minds with RISC OS. The best way to experiment is to download NOOBS from which gives you a choice of several operating systems to install. When it comes to operating systems, you have a few choices for the Pi.
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