RaspArch Rpi4 Build 190809 :: Run Arch Linux on your new Raspberry Pi 4 computer :: Install using Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher in Windows!

Posted on August 9, 2019 by exton

rasparch-logoRaspArch Build 190809 especially for the new Raspberry Pi 4 released 190624
This version (190809) is especially made for the new Raspberry Pi 4, but it can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

RaspArch is a “remaster” of Arch Linux ARM. The original compressed system is of about 230 MB. After I have added the LXDE Desktop environment, PulseAudio, Firefox, Yaourt and Gimp the system increased a lot. RaspArch is a “ready-to-go” ARM system. It must be installed on a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B computer.

Most important change in version 190809: Use Rufus 3.6
This version can be installed in Windows using Rufus 3.6, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. Previous versions could only be installed when running a Linux system. Using Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager has one disadvantage though. Only about 1GB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. The system is of 3GB and the system partition of 4GB. If you use a card of 32GB about 28GB will be unused. A few month ago a member on this site wrote about how to get rid of the 1GB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Win32 Disk Imager
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot during resizing
– resize the DATA partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!
This screenshot shows that RaspArch now has about 25GB free storage.

Writing the image using Etcher. See the screenshot below.

UPGRADE RaspArch
If you have downloaded and installed one of my previous version of RaspArch before you can still use the Micro SD Card with RaspArch on the new Raspberry Pi 4 after a full upgrade of the system. Commands: pacman -Sy followed by pacman -Syu. Most important the old kernel will automatically be replaced by kernel 4.19.64-1-ARCH.

NEWS in RaspArch Build 190809
A new kernel – 4.19.64-1-ARCH. All included packages have been updated to the latest version as of 190809. I have added support for Yaourt – a Pacman Fronted. I have also installed PulseAudio. Finally the sound works very well in RaspArch. Nice if you like YouTube. Note: To be able to install Yaourt I had to install a lot of development tools.

Compatibility :: August 2019
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (190812) only upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

The Raspberry Pi 4 made in June 2019. It has:

    • 2x USB 3.0 ports
    • 2x USB 2.0 ports
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
    • 40-pin GPIO header
    • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
    • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
    • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
    • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
    • DSI display port
    • CSI camera port
    • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
    • Micro-SD card slot
    • USB-C power
    • 4GB RAM

    Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

    Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

    Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

    More about RaspArch
    When you have installed RaspArch to your Micro SD Card you can use the system like any other Arch Linux system. I.e. install new programs etc. Arch motto is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). RaspArch uses kernel 4.19.64-1-ARCH and the LXDE Desktop environment.

    Login and passwords
    After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login page – see the screenshot below. Log in as the ordinary user archpi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. While logged in as archpi you can use Sudo to become root. Example commands: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm.



    Program Management in Arch Linux
    Arch Linux uses a proprietary system called Pacman. It is similar to that found in CRUX Linux. Read about Pacman.
    You can also read all the documentation on Arch Linux. Five commands are basically the only ones you need to use:
    1) pacman -Sy (update the packages database)
    2) pacman -Syu (upgrading the whole system)
    3) pacman -S MyUsefulProgram (the package installation command)
    4) pacman -R UnnecessaryProgram (uninstall a package).
    5) pacman -S –overwrite MyUsefulProgram (in case you get an error about “conflicting packages”)
    Very simple!
    Note: You can also use Yaourt – see below.

    Using Yaourt – a Pacman Frontend
    Yaourt is also very simple to use. Yaourt is a command line interface program which complete pacman for installing software on Archlinux. You should normally use Pacman as described above. If, however, you want to install a special program which can’t be found using Pacman you can try Yaourt. The command is yaourt MyUsefulProgram. Normally you will get a lot of alternatives. Install the one you want. Watch this screenshot when I wanted to install Geany using Yaourt. In the first place I installed Yaourt to be able to install Google Chrome (only to learn that Google Chrome isn’t available for the ARM architecture). NOTE: To be able to use Yaourt you’ll have to log in to LXDE as the ordinary user archpi. (You can’t use Yaourt as root for security reasons).

    How do I install RaspArch?
    Use Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher – see above. Unzip the downloaded file rasparch-rpi4-exton-1210mb-190809.zip. You will get the image file rasparch-rpi4-exton-4300mb-190809.img which is the file you shall install to your micro SD card.

    Different Micro SD Cards
    For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 25 $ respectively 12 $ (in Sweden).

    Wireless connections
    Just change Wicd’s preferences and connect.

    Installing Samba
    A way to reach your Windows computers in your home network is to install Samba. Command: pacman -S samba gvfs gvfs-smb gamin sshfs
    Then start Samba with the command systemctl start smbd nmbd
    After that you can connect to your Windows computers via PCManFM – watch this screenshot. (My Raspberry Pi 3 Model B running RaspArch is connected to two of my computers in my home network).

    Sound in RaspArch
    In Build 190809 I’ve installed alsa-utils, PulseAudio and Pavucontrol. The sound works alright now. From Arch Linux for Raspberry Pi Wiki I learned this. If you want/need sound in RaspArch you should follow the instruction below.

    Run the following command: amixer cset numid=3 X
    Where X corresponds to:
    0 for Auto
    1 for Analog out
    2 for HDMI

    Add the following lines to /boot/config.txt

    dtparam=audio=on

    and

    audio_pwm_mode=2 (if you use the 3.5mm analogue output)

    WHO should run Arch Linux/RaspArch?
    My answer: The system fits the “advanced” Linux user/enthusiast, who would be willing to run an occasional command from time to time.

    BENEFITS of Arch Linux/RaspArch
    “Cutting Edge”-software and speed. A member on this site recently wrote this about RaspArch: I’ve used Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, Ubuntu & Arch. I prefer Arch. Ubuntu is easier to install, Arch is easier to keep up to date. You do not go through big, painful, changes every year instead you just update, once in a while, make changes if instructed. Arch has most of the benefits of Gentoo without the pain of recompiling _everything_. When you do need to build a package in Arch its painless especially if you use one of the tools that support AUR (I like Yaourt). Arch avoids the politics of Debian and Ubuntu and delivers a great Linux distribution. RaspArch now brings these advantages to the Pi 2.

    Study all installed packages in RaspArch

    SCREENSHOTS
    Screenshot 1 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as archpi
    Screenshot 2 of RaspArch’s Desktop     – YouTube running
    Screenshot 3 of RaspArch’s Desktop – Wicd running
    Screenshot 4 – Yaourt running (while installing Geany)
    Screenshot 5 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as root

    DOWNLOAD
    This RaspArch Build has been replaced by Build 200304…

    Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

    andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
    and
    about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
    raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspArch | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

RaspEX Rpi4 based on upcoming Ubuntu 19.10 “Eoan Ermine” with LXDE, kernel 4.19.63-raspex-v7l+, Raspotify, RealVNC, PuTTy, Samba and Bluetooth – Build 190807

Posted on August 7, 2019 by exton

NEWS 190807 about RaspEX with LXDE based on (upcoming) Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine. Works on the new Raspberry Pi 4
I have upgraded the whole system and replaced the old kernel 4.19.50-exton-v7+ with kernel 4.19.63-raspex-v7l+. RaspEX Build 190807 is a Linux ARM system for Raspberry Pi 4, 3 Model B, 3 Model B+ and Raspberry Pi 2. It is based on Debian 10 Buster, Ubuntu 19.10 and Linaro (Open Source software for ARM SoCs). In this new version (190807) I’ve installed Wicd Network Manager. Both Firefox and Midori Private Browser are pre-installed. I have also installed Samba and RealVNC so you can connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 or Pi 2 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). Furthermore some extra Network Tools, SMTube (YouTube browser which allows to browse, search and play YouTube videos), PulseAudio for better sound in YouTube and Raspotify – Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi that just works. Study all installed packages in RaspEX Build 190807.

NEWS 181010 about the BunsenLabs version of RaspEX
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX with BunsenLabs Helium Desktop. BunsenLabs Linux is a distribution offering a light-weight and easily customizable Openbox desktop. The project is a community continuation of CrunchBang Linux. The current release is Helium, derived from Debian 9 (Stretch). READ MORE…

Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

Compatibility :: March 2020
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (200304) only upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

Softpedia review
RaspEX version 181010 with BunsenLabs was reviewed by Softpedia 181010.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…


The Raspberry Pi 4 made in June 2019. It has:

    • 2x USB 3.0 ports
    • 2x USB 2.0 ports
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
    • 40-pin GPIO header
    • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
    • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
    • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
    • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
    • DSI display port
    • CSI camera port
    • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
    • Micro-SD card slot
    • USB-C power
    • 4GB RAM

Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

More about RaspEX
RaspEX is a full Linux Desktop system with LXDE (an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment) with many other useful programs pre-installed. Firefox is used as Web Browser and Synaptic as Package Manager. You can use Samba and RealVNC to connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3, Pi 3 Model B+ or Raspberry Pi 2 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). You can use Synaptic to install any extra packages you may need. For example LibreOffice. RaspEX uses Ubuntu’s software repositories so you can install thousands of extra packages if you want.

Kernel
Kernel 4.19.63-raspex-v7l+ is used in Build 190807.

Why shall I use RaspEX?
Eight Operating Systems are recommended by Raspberrypi.org. Among them Noobs, Raspbian (Debian Buster) and Snappy Ubuntu Core. RaspEX is faster (“fast as lightning”), more useful and more fun to use. (In my opinion). One member at this site thought that running RaspEX (for Raspberry Pi 2 Model B) was like running Raspberry Pi on “steroids“. If you use the new Raspberry Pi 4 RaspEX will run even faster!

How do I install RaspEX in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-ubuntu-19.10-rpi4-lxde-1490mb-190807.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-19.10-lxde-4400mb-190807.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.6 in Windows.

How do I install RaspEX in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-19.10-lxde-4400mb-190807.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

How do I use RaspEX?
When you start up your Raspberry Mini computer with RaspEX you will (after a few seconds) end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. The password for raspex is raspex. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. The password for root (superuser) is root. You can log out from LXDE and log in again as root (if you want). This is how it looks at SLiM‘s login page.

You can log in as root with password root. You can of course also create a new ordinary user if you want. Command: /usr/sbin/adduser MyNewUser. If you don’t want to be automatically logged in as raspex you shall edit /etc/slim.conf.

When logged in as the ordinary user raspex your Desktop will look like this.


Click to view a larger picture

First two things to do after installation to your SD card
1. Run the command sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
After that all the space on the SD card will be used.
2. Run the command sudo dphys-swapfile setup
A SWAP file of 2 GB will be created. Then run the command dphys-swapfile swapon Very useful if you want to run many programs at the same time. If you forget to run said command a SWAP file of 2 GB will be created automatically after a reboot.

Error no_pubkey when trying to upgrade the system
When you run the command sudo apt-get update it can happen that you can’t update the sources due to missing pub_keys. The solution is to run the following commands.
$ cd /var/lib/apt
$ sudo mv lists lists.old
$ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$ sudo apt update

After that you can run apt-get update with success even though you still will get the same “no_pubkey” errors. Don’t worry. This error won’t prevent you from upgrading the system regularly with the command sudo apt upgrade.

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 and 3 Model B+ computer has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know).

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards.

Bad sound while running Firefox and YouTube in LXDE?
For better sound performance you can/should replace Firefox with Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). I.e. uninstall Firefox with sudo apt remove firefox. Then get firefox-esr_60.8.0esr-1_armhf.deb and install it with sudo dpkg -i firefox-esr_60.8.0esr-1_armhf.deb.

How to use Raspotify
Raspotify (Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi
that just works) is pre-installed and immediately ready for connections. You’ll need a
Spotify Premium account in order to connect to for example your mobile phone running Spotify.
1. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing Devices available when RaspEX is running
2. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing the possibility to connect to Raspotify
3. Screenshot of my mobile phone when Raspotify is connected and running

About SSH, PuTTY, Samba, RealVNC and VNC Viewer
SSH, PuTTy (Telnet/SSH client for X), Samba and RealVNC are pre-installed in RaspEX Build 190616. You need to install PuTTy and and VNC Viewer in your Windows system if you want to connect to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4/3/2 from Windows the way the below slideshow shows. (Please read the developers information about how to configure PuTTy and VNC Viewer).

Watch this slideshow re. connections between RaspEX and Windows.

Bluetooth connections – working in Build 190807
It seems difficult (maybe impossible) to use the “built in” Bluetooth adapter running RaspEX on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. Using a Bluetooth dongle for example Asus USB-BT400 dongle on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 you should have no trouble using Bluetooth in RaspEX. Watch these two screenshots when Blueman (Graphical Bluetooth Manager) is running. Using the new Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ it should be easier to use Bluetooth.
1. Showing “paring” with my Android phone
2. Showing the sending process of a file from RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 3 Model B to my Android phone

View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 190807

THE IMPORTANCE of RaspEX LXDE now being based on Ubuntu 19.10 “Eoan Ermine” (UNSTABLE/DEVELOPMENT)
I don’t think it is too important since RaspEX doesn’t use complicated Desktop Environments like KDE, Gnome or Unity. Programs won’t crash or anything like that. And I haven’t discovered any bugs to report. Just upgrade your RaspEX installation regularly and you won’t have any problems. I think.

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 – raspex’s Desktop 190807
Screenshot 2 – root’s Desktop 190807
Screenshot 3 – running YouTube in Firefox
Screenshot 4 – RaspEX connected to Windows via Samba
Screenshot 5 – RaspEX connected to Windows via PuTTy
Screenshot 6 – RaspEX “running on” Windows with VNC-viewer
Screenshot 7 – RaspEX using Pavucontrol (for sound control)
Screenshot 8 – RaspEX running SMPlayer
Screenshot 9 – RaspEX running the Bluetooth Manager
Screenshot 10 – RaspEX running Raspotify
Screenshot 11 – Resizing system

DOWNLOAD
This RaspEX LXDE build has been replaced by Build 203024…

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Pie 9.0 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

READ also about my RaspEX Build 190812 (for Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 Model B, Model B+ and 2 Model B) with OpenCPN pre-installed
OpenCPN is a free software (GPLv2) project to create a concise chart plotter and navigation software, for use underway or as a planning tool. OpenCPN is developed by a team of active sailors using real world conditions for program testing and refinement.

Compatibility :: March 2020
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (200304) only upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

 

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

RaspEX Kodi Rpi4 with LXDE and Kodi 18.3 Media Center “Leia” with Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video addons – Build 190803

Posted on August 3, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspEX Kodi
RaspEX Kodi Build 190803 with LXDE/Kodi Desktops can be downloaded from SourceForge.net for free. The system is made especially for the new Raspberry Pi 4, but can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and on a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. RaspEX Kodi is based on Debian 10 Buster, Raspbian and Kodi Media Center. In RaspEX Kodi I’ve added the LXDE Desktop with many useful applications such as VLC Media Player and NetworkManager. Makes it easy to configure your wireless network. I’ve also upgraded Kodi to version 18.3 Leia, which makes it possible to include useful addons such as Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video. Which I’ve done. Study all included packages in RaspEX Kodi.

Replacements
My first version of RaspEX Kodi from 190124 was a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version (190124) of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that version 190124, 190321 and 190803 are as good as the old one from 190117. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXDE. For version 190124 I charged 9 $. This new version (190803) can be downloaded for free from SourceForge.net. People should not refrain from downloading RaspEX Kodi because of the money issue. I want all Linux and Raspberry Pi enthusiasts to enjoy the system. It runs very well on a Raspberry Pi. I.e. fast and responsive. Especially good on the new Raspberry Pi 4  with 4GB RAM – released June 24, 2019.


Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

More about RaspEX Kodi
Running RaspEX Kodi you will immediately end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user pi. After the first boot you shall use NetworkManager for configuring your network connection. Just click on the network icon in the upper right panel and chose your wireless network. Watch this screenshot. The big difference between Raspbian and RaspEX Kodi is that Kodi 18.3 Leia is pre-installed in RaspEX Kodi together with some really useful addons (Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video). Those addons need Widevine to run. While you are logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can use Synaptic Package Manager to install all extra packages you may need. Since RaspEX Kodi is based on Raspbian/Debian you’ll have about 30000 packages to chose between. When logged in as pi you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. While logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can (of course) go on to Kodi directly. Just open Kodi like any other program. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root.

Log in as root (super admin)
If you for some reason want to run RaspEX as root you can do so. Just log out from LXDE and in again as “other” from LightDM‘s login screen. Log in as root with password root. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root. And you can also not run Chromium as root. I have therefore installed Firefox so you will have a Browser while logged in as root.

Passwords
pi/raspberry and root/root

Kernel
Kernel 4.19.63-exton-v7l+ is used.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-rpi4-kodi18.3-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-2340mb-190803.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-rpi4-kodi18.3-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-6400mb-190803.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.6 in Windows.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-rpi4-kodi18.3-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-6400mb-190803.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

Kodi 18 in action – see below…

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 4 and 3 Model B+, 3 Model B computers has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Just use NetworkManager to configure your connection. You may have to enable wireless first. Watch this screenshot. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know). NOTE: When using WiFi you may have to reconnect after every reboot.

Why can’t I start Kodi?
If you install certain (faulty) add-ons it can happen that you can’t start Kodi anymore. In that case the file profiles.xml (/home/raspex/.kodi/userdata/profiles.xml) is corrupted or empty. Replace it with this file – download. The file shall have this content.
<profiles>
<lastloaded>0</lastloaded>
<useloginscreen>false</useloginscreen>
<autologin>-1</autologin>
<nextIdProfile>1</nextIdProfile>
<profile>
<id>0</id>
<name>Master user</name>
<directory pathversion=”1″>special://masterprofile/</directory>
<thumbnail pathversion=”1″></thumbnail>
<hasdatabases>true</hasdatabases>
<canwritedatabases>true</canwritedatabases>
<hassources>true</hassources>
<canwritesources>true</canwritesources>
<lockaddonmanager>false</lockaddonmanager>
<locksettings>0</locksettings>
<lockfiles>false</lockfiles>
<lockmusic>false</lockmusic>
<lockvideo>false</lockvideo>
<lockpictures>false</lockpictures>
<lockprograms>false</lockprograms>
<lockgames>false</lockgames>
<lockmode>0</lockmode>
<lockcode></lockcode>
<lastdate></lastdate>
</profile>
</profiles>

Error when trying to run Kodi on a Rpi 3
When you try to run Kodi 18.3 on a Rpi 3 Model B+ you will get this error: Unable to create GUI. Exiting.
Fix it by editing /boot/config.txt. Command: sudo nano /boot/config.txt
The last line looks like this: #dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
Change it to look like this: dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
Reboot. After that you can run Kodi 18.3 without problems.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when said command is running.

Running the Netflix add-on
When you try to start Netflix for the first time you will probably see this error message. That’s because you haven’t logged in to Netflix yet. Just log in and that won’t happen again. When logged in to Netflix it will look like this. Sometimes it can happen that a movie start with the “wrong” subtitle. Change it to your liking as this screenshot shows. Germans (in particular) like to dub English movies (and movies in other languages) to German. Change the audio language as this screenshot shows.

Set up subtitles for Netflix
From Kodi’s home screen, go to Settings -> Player settings -> Language – screenshot. Select the languages you want to get when searching for subtitles – screenshot. That’s it!

Bad sound while running Firefox and YouTube in LXDE?
For better sound performance you can/should replace Firefox with Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). I.e. uninstall Firefox with sudo apt remove firefox. Then get firefox-esr_60.8.0esr-1_armhf.deb and install it with sudo dpkg -i firefox-esr_60.8.0esr-1_armhf.deb.

RaspEX Kodi performance
RaspEX Kodi is a very fast and responsive Rpi system. Much due to very low memory (RAM) usage. About 120 MB as this screenshot shows. I’ve said that RaspEX LXDE Build 181015 is very fast. RaspEX Kodi is even faster especially if you use the new Raspberry Pi 4  to run it. The video and sound quality is also very very good. Even while running RaspEX Kodi on big TV screens. I.e. you can really enjoy Netflix and YouTube running on your Rpi mini computer!

Compatibility :: August 2019
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (190812) only upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

SCREENSHOTS
1. Running Kodi
2. The LXDE Desktop logged in as the ordinary user pi
3. Netflix running showing very good video quality
4. YouTube running showing very good video quality
5. Choosing program addons in Kodi
6. The LXDE Desktop logged in as root (super admin)
7. Kodi system info
8. VLC running showing very good video quality
9. Root’s Desktop
10. LibreOffice Writer running

DOWNLOAD
This version of RaspEX Kodi has been replaced by Build 191117…

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Kodi is a trademark of XBMC Foundation

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Pie 9.0 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

RaspEX based on upcoming Ubuntu 19.10 “Eoan Ermine” with LXDE, kernel 4.19.50-exton-v7+, Raspotify, RealVNC, PuTTy, Samba and Bluetooth – Build 190616

Posted on June 16, 2019 by exton

NEWS 190616 about RaspEX with LXDE based on (upcoming) Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine
I have upgraded the whole system and replaced the old kernel 4.14.74-v7+ with kernel 4.19.50-exton-v7+. RaspEX Build 190616 is a Linux ARM system for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, 3 Model B+ and Raspberry Pi 2. It is based on Debian 9 Stretch, Ubuntu 19.10 and Linaro (Open Source software for ARM SoCs). In this new version (190616) I’ve installed Wicd Network Manager. Both Firefox ESR and Midori Private Browser are pre-installed. I have also installed Samba and RealVNC so you can connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 3 or Pi 2 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). Furthermore some extra Network Tools, SMTube (YouTube browser which allows to browse, search and play YouTube videos), PulseAudio for better sound in YouTube and Raspotify – Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi that just works. Study all installed packages in RaspEX Build 190616.

NEWS 181022
I’ve made an extra version of RaspEX LXDE. RaspEX Build 181022 uses a 64 bit kernel – 4.14.76-v8+. You can very easy switch back to the original 32 bit kernel (4.14.74-v7+) if you don’t find the 64 bit kernel useful. Since the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and B+ only have 1GB RAM it’s perhaps useless to run a 64 bit kernel, but who knows…

View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 181022

First things to do after installing RaspEX Build 181022
1. You won’t be automatically logged in to LXDE because the system is “full” (100 %). Log in to LXDE from Slim’s login page as root with password root.
2. Start up a terminal and run the command sh resize_rootfs.sh. Before that you can’t do anything because the system is full as this screenshot shows. After that all the space on the SD card will be used. Everything will be alright then.
3. Run the command dphys-swapfile setup
A SWAP file of 2 GB will be created. Then run the command dphys-swapfile swapon. Very useful if you want to run many programs at the same time.

When you have done step 1 – 3 you can use RaspEX Build 181022 in the same way as Build 181015. If you (for some reason) don’t like the 64 bit kernel (4.14.76-v8+) you can very easy change back to the original 32 bit kernel. Just edit /boot/config.txt to look like this (in relevant parts) and reboot your Raspberry Pi.

#####################################################
### 64 bit exton 181022
#device_tree=dtbs/4.14.76-v8+/broadcom/bcm2710-rpi-3-b-plus.dtb
#overlay_prefix=dtbs/4.14.76-v8+/overlays/
#kernel=kernel8.img
### end exton

### 32 bit exton 181022
kernel=kernel7.img
# end exton
###########################################

NEWS 181010 about the BunsenLabs version of RaspEX
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX with BunsenLabs Helium Desktop. BunsenLabs Linux is a distribution offering a light-weight and easily customizable Openbox desktop. The project is a community continuation of CrunchBang Linux. The current release is Helium, derived from Debian 9 (Stretch). READ MORE…

NEWS 190616 about Firefox and RaspEX
As all of you who have downloaded RaspEX Build 180328 or 181010 may have noticed that YouTube doesn’t work very well in Chromium or Midori. Furthermore the newest versions of Firefox doesn’t work on a Raspberry Pi computer. The solution is to download and install Firefox 52.7.3 ESR. Unzip raspex-firefox.zip and install Firefox ESR with the command sudo dpkg -i libevent-2.1-6_2.1.8-stable-4_armhf.deb firefox-esr_52.7.3esr-1_armhf.deb. After that you can really enjoy YouTube in Firefox/RaspEX! Note: For some unknown reason the sound works better when logged in as root. Note also: In RaspEX LXDE Build 190616 I have preinstalled Firefox ESR.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

Compatibility :: August 2019
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (190807) only upgraded RaspEX, and RaspEX Kodi. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4 .

Softpedia review
RaspEX version 181010 with BunsenLabs was reviewed by Softpedia 181010.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

RASPBERRY_PI_2-small
The Raspberry Pi 3 model B made in February 2016. It has a 1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core ARMv8 CPU and 1GB RAM. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ was out on the market March 14, 2018. The Pi 3 Model B+ packs a 1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex A53 CPU made by Broadcom, dual-band 802.11ac wireless LAN support, Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, and Gigabit Ethernet support over USB 2.0 connectivity (that’s up to 300Mbps).

More about RaspEX
RaspEX is a full Linux Desktop system with LXDE (an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment) with many other useful programs pre-installed. Firefox ESR is used as Web Browser and Synaptic as Package Manager. You can use Samba and RealVNC to connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 3, Pi 3 Model B+ or Raspberry Pi 2 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). You can use Synaptic to install any extra packages you may need. For example LibreOffice. RaspEX uses Ubuntu’s software repositories so you can install thousands of extra packages if you want.

Kernel
Kernel 4.19.50-exton-v7+ is used in Build 190616. Kernel 4.14.76-v8+ (64 bit) is used in Build 181022.

Why shall I use RaspEX?
Eight Operating Systems are recommended by Raspberrypi.org. Among them Noobs, Raspbian (Debian Stretch) and Snappy Ubuntu Core. RaspEX is faster (“fast as lightning”), more useful and more fun to use. (In my opinion). One member at this site thought that running RaspEX (for Raspberry Pi 2 Model B) was like running Raspberry Pi on “steroids“. If you use the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ RaspEX will run even faster!

How do I install RaspEX in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-ubuntu-19.10-lxde-1260mb-190616.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-ubuntu-19.10-lxde-4400mb-190616.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Etcher  or Rufus in Windows. When running Etcher it will look like this.

How do I install RaspEX in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-ubuntu-19.10-lxde-4400mb-190616.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

How do I use RaspEX?
When you start up your Raspberry Mini computer with RaspEX you will (after a few seconds) end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. The password for raspex is raspex. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. The password for root (superuser) is root. You can log out from LXDE and log in again as root (if you want). This is how it looks at SLiM‘s login page.

You can log in as root with password root. You can of course also create a new ordinary user if you want. Command: /usr/sbin/adduser MyNewUser. If you don’t want to be automatically logged in as raspex you shall edit /etc/slim.conf.

When logged in as the ordinary user raspex your Desktop will look like this.


Click to view a larger picture

First two things to do after installation to your SD card
1. Run the command sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
After that all the space on the SD card will be used.
2. Run the command sudo dphys-swapfile setup
A SWAP file of 2 GB will be created. Then run the command dphys-swapfile swapon Very useful if you want to run many programs at the same time. If you forget to run said command a SWAP file of 2 GB will be created automatically after a reboot.

Error no_pubkey when trying to upgrade the system
When you run the command sudo apt-get update it can happen that you can’t update the sources due to missing pub_keys. The solution is to run the following commands.
$ cd /var/lib/apt
$ sudo mv lists lists.old
$ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$ sudo apt update

After that you can run apt-get update with success even though you still will get the same “no_pubkey” errors. Don’t worry. This error won’t prevent you from upgrading the system regularly with the command sudo apt upgrade.

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 3 and 3 Model B+ computer has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know).

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards.

How to use Raspotify
Raspotify (Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi
that just works) is pre-installed and immediately ready for connections. You’ll need a
Spotify Premium account in order to connect to for example your mobile phone running Spotify.
1. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing Devices available when RaspEX is running
2. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing the possibility to connect to Raspotify
3. Screenshot of my mobile phone when Raspotify is connected and running

About SSH, PuTTY, Samba, RealVNC and VNC Viewer
SSH, PuTTy (Telnet/SSH client for X), Samba and RealVNC are pre-installed in RaspEX Build 190616. You need to install PuTTy and and VNC Viewer in your Windows system if you want to connect to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 3/2 from Windows the way the below slideshow shows. (Please read the developers information about how to configure PuTTy and VNC Viewer).

Watch this slideshow re. connections between RaspEX and Windows.

Bluetooth connections – working in Build 190616/181022
It seems difficult (maybe impossible) to use the “built in” Bluetooth adapter running RaspEX on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. Using a Bluetooth dongle for example Asus USB-BT400 dongle on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 you should have no trouble using Bluetooth in RaspEX. Watch these two screenshots when Blueman (Graphical Bluetooth Manager) is running. Using the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ it should be easier to use Bluetooth.
1. Showing “paring” with my Android phone
2. Showing the sending process of a file from RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 3 Model B to my Android phone

View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 190616
View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 181022

THE IMPORTANCE of RaspEX LXDE now being based on Ubuntu 19.10 “Eoan Ermine”  (UNSTABLE/DEVELOPMENT)
I don’t think it is too important since RaspEX doesn’t use complicated Desktop Environments like KDE, Gnome or Unity. Programs won’t crash or anything like that. And I haven’t discovered any bugs to report. Just upgrade your RaspEX installation regularly and you won’t have any problems. I think.

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 – root’s Desktop 190616
Screenshot 2 – raspex’s Desktop 190616
Screenshot 3 – RaspEX connected to Windows via Samba
Screenshot 4 – RaspEX connected to Windows via PuTTy
Screenshot 5 – RaspEX “running on” Windows with VNC-viewer
Screenshot 6 – RaspEX using Pavucontrol (for sound control)
Screenshot 7 – RaspEX running SMPlayer
Screenshot 8 – RaspEX running the Bluetooth Manager
Screenshot 9 – RaspEX running Raspotify
Screenshot 10 – Resizing system and creating SWAP space
Screenshot 11 – RaspEX Build 181022 running the the 64 bit kernel

DOWNLOAD
This version of RaspEX has been replaced by Build 190807 with support for the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer.

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Pie 9.0 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

READ also about my RaspEX Build 180331 (for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Model B+ and 2 Model B) with OpenCPN pre-installed
OpenCPN is a free software (GPLv2) project to create a concise chart plotter and navigation software, for use underway or as a planning tool. OpenCPN is developed by a team of active sailors using real world conditions for program testing and refinement.

Compatibility :: August 2019
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (190807) only upgraded RaspEX, and RaspEX Kodi. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4 .

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RaspAnd Pie 9 for Raspberry Pi 3 B and B+ :: Build 190429 :: with Google Chrome, YouTube, Evie Launcher, Yalp Store and Aptoide App Manager. All working very well!

Posted on April 29, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspAnd Pie 9 – a new extra build 190429
RaspAnd Pie 9 runs very well on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and 3 Model B+. I.e. the system is pretty responsive if you use a micro SD card of good quality. RaspAnd Pie Build 190429 has the following apps pre-installed: Google Chrome, Yalp Store, Aptoide App Manager, Aida64, Rotation Control, Evie Launcher, Termux and ES File Explorer. Unfortunately not Google Play Store, but Yalp Store and Aptoide work as good replacements for it.

ABOUT Android Pie 9, which was released 180806…

Differences
My first RaspAnd Pie Build is from 190315. In Build 190429 I’ve added Yalp Store and replaced Nova Launcher with Evie Launcher. You will get both builds of RaspAnd Pie 9.0 for $ 9.

About Yalp Store
Yalp Store lets you download apps directly from Google Play Store as apk files. It can search for updates of installed apps and lets you search for other apps. The point of Yalp Store is to be small and independent from Google Services Framework. By default Yalp Store connects to Google services using a built-in account, so you do not have to own a Google account to use it. The only reason to use a live Google account is to access the paid apps you own or leave reviews. So Yalp Store works as a pretty good replacement for Google Play Store. I think.

About Evie Launcher
Read a complete review of Evie Launcher…
Evie Launcher works very well in RaspAnd Pie.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The new Desktop using Evie Launcher in Build 190429
2. Using Yalp Store in Build 190429 find utilities
3. Using Yalp Store to find games

RaspAnd Pie performance screenshots
AndEX Pie RAM running in Rpi 3 B+
AndEX Pie CPU running in Rpi 3 B+
AndEX Pie Android System

This build has been replaced by Build 190903…

Posted in Android, Exton Linux, Linux, RaspAnd | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

RaspEX Kodi Rpi3 with LXDE and Kodi 18.1 Media Center “Leia” with Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video addons – Build 190321

Posted on March 21, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspEX Kodi
RaspEX Kodi Build 190321 with LXDE/Kodi Desktops can be downloaded from SourceForge.net for free. The system is made especially for the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, but can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. RaspEX Kodi is based on Debian, Raspbian and Kodi Media Center. In RaspEX Kodi I’ve added the LXDE Desktop with many useful applications such as VLC Media Player and NetworkManager. Makes it easy to configure your wireless network. I’ve also upgraded Kodi to version 18.1 Leia, which makes it possible to include useful addons such as Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video. Which I’ve done. Study all included packages in RaspEX Kodi.

Replacements
My first version of RaspEX Kodi from 190124 was a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version (190124) of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that version 190124 and 190321 are as good as the old one from 190117. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXDE. For version 190124 I charged 9 $. This new version (190321) can be downloaded for free from SourceForge.net. People should not refrain from downloading RaspEX Kodi because of the money issue.  I want all Linux and Raspberry Pi enthusiasts to enjoy the system. It runs very well on a Raspberry Pi. I.e. fast and responsive.

More about RaspEX Kodi
Running RaspEX Kodi you will immediately end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. After the first boot you shall use NetworkManager for configuring your network connection. Just click on the network icon in the upper right panel and chose your wireless network. Watch this screenshot. The big difference between Raspbian and RaspEX Kodi is that Kodi 18.1 Leia is pre-installed in RaspEX Kodi together with some really useful addons (Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video). Those addons need Widevine to run. While you are logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can use Synaptic Package Manager to install all extra packages you may need. Since RaspEX Kodi is based on Raspbian/Debian you’ll have about 30000 packages to chose between. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. While logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can (of course) go on to Kodi directly. Just open Kodi like any other program. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root.

Log in as root (super admin)
If you for some reason want to run RaspEX as root you can do so. Just press Ctrl Alt F1 and/or Ctrl Alt F2 simultaneously and you will leave LXDE and X. Log in as root with password root. Then run the command startx and you will enter LXDE as root. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root.

Passwords
raspex/raspex and root/root

Kernel
Kernel 5.0.2-raspex-v7+ is used.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-kodi18.1-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-1760mb-190321.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-kodi18.1-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-4400mb-190321.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.4 in Windows. When running Rufus it will look like this.



How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-kodi18.1-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-4400mb-190321.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

Kodi 18 in action – see below…

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 3 and 3 Model B+ computer has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Just use NetworkManager to configure your connection. You may have to enable wireless first. Watch this screenshot. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know). NOTE: Using Wifi you may have to reconnect after every reboot.

Why can’t I start Kodi?
If you install certain (faulty) add-ons it can happen that you can’t start Kodi anymore. In that case the file profiles.xml (/home/raspex/.kodi/userdata/profiles.xml) is corrupted or empty. Replace it with this file – download. The file shall have this content.
<profiles>
<lastloaded>0</lastloaded>
<useloginscreen>false</useloginscreen>
<autologin>-1</autologin>
<nextIdProfile>1</nextIdProfile>
<profile>
<id>0</id>
<name>Master user</name>
<directory pathversion=”1″>special://masterprofile/</directory>
<thumbnail pathversion=”1″></thumbnail>
<hasdatabases>true</hasdatabases>
<canwritedatabases>true</canwritedatabases>
<hassources>true</hassources>
<canwritesources>true</canwritesources>
<lockaddonmanager>false</lockaddonmanager>
<locksettings>0</locksettings>
<lockfiles>false</lockfiles>
<lockmusic>false</lockmusic>
<lockvideo>false</lockvideo>
<lockpictures>false</lockpictures>
<lockprograms>false</lockprograms>
<lockgames>false</lockgames>
<lockmode>0</lockmode>
<lockcode></lockcode>
<lastdate></lastdate>
</profile>
</profiles>

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when said command is running.

Running the Netflix add-on
When you try to start Netflix for the first time you will probably see this error message. That’s because you haven’t logged in to Netflix yet. Just log in and that won’t happen again. When logged in to Netflix it will look like this. Sometimes it can happen that a movie start with the “wrong” subtitle. Change it to your liking as this screenshot shows. Germans (in particular) like to dub English movies (and movies in other languages) to German. Change the audio language as this screenshot shows.

Set up subtitles for Netflix
From Kodi’s home screen, go to Settings -> Player settings -> Language – screenshot. Select the languages you want to get when searching for subtitles – screenshot. That’s it!

RaspEX Kodi performance
RaspEX Kodi is a very fast and responsive Rpi system. Much due to very low memory (RAM) usage. About 120 MB as this screenshot shows. I’ve said that RaspEX LXDE Build 181015 is very fast. RaspEX Kodi is even faster especially if you use the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ to run it. The video and sound quality is also very very good. Even while running RaspEX Kodi on big TV screens. I.e. you can really enjoy Netflix and YouTube running on your Rpi mini computer!

SCREENSHOTS
1. Running Kodi
2. The LXDE Desktop logged in as the ordinary user raspex
3. Netflix running showing very good video quality
4. YouTube running showing very good video quality
5. Choosing program addons in Kodi
6. The LXDE Desktop logged in as root (super admin)
7. Kodi system info
8. VLC running showing very good video quality

DOWNLOAD
This version (190321) has been replaced by RaspEX Kodi Build
190803 especially made for the new Raspberry Pi 4

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Kodi is a trademark of XBMC Foundation

 

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and AndEX Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

and about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

RaspAnd Pie 9 for Raspberry Pi 3 B and B+ :: Build 190429 and 190315 :: with Google Chrome, YouTube, Yalp Store, Aptoide App Manager and Evie Launcher. All working very well!

Posted on March 15, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspAnd Pie 9 – a new extra build 190429
RaspAnd Pie 9 runs very well on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and 3 Model B+. I.e. the system is pretty responsive if you use a micro SD card of good quality. RaspAnd Pie Build 190429 has the following apps pre-installed: Google Chrome, Yalp Store, Aptoide App Manager, Aida64, Rotation Control, Evie Launcher, Termux and ES File Explorer. Unfortunately not Google Play Store, but Yalp Store and Aptoide work as good replacements for it.

Differences
My first RaspAnd Pie Build is from 190315. In Build 190429 I’ve added Yalp Store and replaced Nova Launcher with Evie Launcher. You will get both builds of RaspAnd Pie 9.0 for $ 9.

About Yalp Store
Yalp Store lets you download apps directly from Google Play Store as apk files. It can search for updates of installed apps and lets you search for other apps. The point of Yalp Store is to be small and independent from Google Services Framework. By default Yalp Store connects to Google services using a built-in account, so you do not have to own a Google account to use it. The only reason to use a live Google account is to access the paid apps you own or leave reviews. So Yalp Store works as a pretty good replacement for Google Play Store. I think.

About Evie Launcher
Read a complete review of Evie Launcher…
Evie Launcher works very well in RaspAnd Pie.

ABOUT RaspAnd Pie 9 – Build 190429/190315
RaspAnd Pie 9 runs very well on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and 3 Model B+. I.e. the system is pretty responsive if you use a micro SD card of good quality. RaspAnd Pie has the following apps pre-installed: Google Chrome, Aptoide App Manager, Aida64, Rotation Control Pro, Nova Launcher, Termux and ES File Explorer. Unfortunately not Google Play Store, but Yalp Store and Aptoide App Manager work as good replacements for it.

ABOUT Android Pie 9, which was released 180806…

My sources
You can find my sources for RaspAnd Pie at brobwind.com. From there you can also download the “original” image from 190302, which was compiled by the man behind brobwind.com. He calls himself hazak – a Chinese IT engineer. Following hazak’s instructions you can compile your own Android Pie 9 system for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

RASPBERRY_PI_2-small
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ made in March 2018. It has a 1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core processor, dual-band wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2/BLE, faster Ethernet, and Power-over-Ethernet support (with separate PoE HAT). Read more…

MORE NEWS 190429 ABOUT RaspAnd Pie 9
RaspAnd Pie 9 can be installed to a Micro SD card (preferable a class 10 card) in Windows 10 using Win32 Disk Imager, Etcher or Rufus. You can alternatively (of course) use the dd-command in a Linux system. Unzip the downloaded file raspand-pie-9.0-chrome-youtube-yalp-aptoide-372mb-190429.zip. Then open a terminal and run the command dd if=raspand-pie-9.0-chrome-youtube-yalp-aptoide-4000mb-190429.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4MiB
(Change X to b, d or…).

Using Rufus it will look like this.

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

You shall see the boot animation below when RaspAnd Pie start up on your Raspberry Pi 3. If not something is wrong. Please try again and install RaspAnd the way I’ve described above.


Kernel
Kernel 4.14.61 is used in RaspAnd Pie Build 190429 and 190315.

Wifi support
The newer versions of RaspAnd has excellent support for WiFi (on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Model B+). Previous problems with the WiFi connection are gone. I.e. the WiFi connection will automatically be re-established after every reboot.

Sound settings
The sound is generally good while running RaspAnd Pie. Go to Settings >> Sound and change the Media volume – screenshot.

Spotify
Spotify works very well in RaspAnd Pie. Just log in and play your favorite music! Install Spotify via Aptoide App Manager. It can look like this.

NOTE/WARNING
PLEASE NOTE that you must be aware of the fact that the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Model B+ computer has its limitations and that Android Pie 9 is a very advanced Linux system. Having said that I must also say that the apps I have included in this Build (see above) work very well.

KNOWN ISSUES
1. Bluetooth doesn’t work.
2. You can’t run Netflix.

SCREENSHOTS re. Build 190315
1. The Desktop after first boot
2. Changing wallpaper with ES File Manager
3. Installing Spotify with Aptoide – (Spotify works very well)
4. Running Spotify
5. Running Termux – you can use Apt!
6. WiFi Settings – (WiFi works very well)
7. Aida64 running showing the system info
8. Screenshot showing all pre-installed apps

SCREENSHOTS re. Build 190429
1. The new Desktop using Evie Launcher in Build 190429
2. Using Yalp Store in Build 190429 to find utilities
3. Using Yalp Store to find games

RaspAnd Pie performance screenshots
AndEX Pie RAM running in Rpi 3 B+
AndEX Pie CPU running in Rpi 3 B+
AndEX Pie Android System

DOWNLOAD
This build has been replaced by Build 190903…

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Posted in Android, Exton Linux, Linux, RaspAnd | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 97 Comments

17 Best Browsers for Android Tested – News 190313

Posted on March 13, 2019 by exton

When Android became available in 2008, it featured a couple of basic apps such as calculators, email, notepad etc… Back then, Android only had one app to surf the internet and it’s called “Browser.”

Now, things have changed. The advancement of technology brought Android to far greater heights. Due to this, surfing the web was not as simple as how it was before. Now, it’s also about using the best and the fastest browser app available for Android.

Must Read: Top 7 Lightweight Browsers for Android

Speaking of fast, one of the most searched information on Google is about the fastest Android browser. With this in mind, JoyofAndroid.com selected and tested 17 of the most downloaded Android internet browser app on the Google Play store.

What’s left now is the answer to the ultimate question of “What is the fastest browser for Android?”

17 Best Browsers for Android Tested by JoyofAndroid.com.

READ MORE about it…

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RaspEX Kodi Rpi3 with LXDE and Kodi 18 RC4 Media Center “Leia” with Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video addons – Build 190124

Posted on January 24, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspEX Kodi
RaspEX Kodi Build 190124 with LXDE/Kodi Desktops is made especially for the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, but can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. RaspEX Kodi is based on Debian, Raspbian and Kodi Media Center. In RaspEX Kodi I’ve added the LXDE Desktop with many useful applications such as VLC Media Player and NetworkManager. Makes it easy to configure your wireless network. I’ve also upgraded Kodi to a BETA version (Kodi 18 RC4 Leia), which makes it possible to include useful addons such as Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video. Which I’ve done. Study all included packages in RaspEX Kodi.

Replacement
RaspEX Kodi is a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that my new version is as good as the old one. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXDE.

About RaspEX Kodi
Running RaspEX Kodi you will immediately end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. After the first boot you shall use NetworkManager for configuring your network connection. Just click on the network icon in the upper right panel and chose your wireless network. Watch this screenshot. The big difference between Raspbian and RaspEX Kodi is that Kodi 18 RC4 Leia is pre-installed in RaspEX Kodi together with some really useful addons (Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video). Those addons need Widevine to run. While you are logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can use Synaptic Package Manager to install all extra packages you may need. Since RaspEX Kodi is based on Raspbian/Debian you’ll have about 30000 packages to chose between. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. While logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can (of course) go on to Kodi directly. Just open Kodi like any other program. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root.

Log in as root (super admin)
If you for some reason want to run RaspEX as root you can do so. Just press Ctrl Alt F1 and/or Ctrl Alt F2 simultaneously and you will leave LXDE and X. Log in as root with password root. Then run the command startx and you will enter LXDE as root. NOTE:  You cannot run Kodi as root.

Passwords
raspex/raspex and root/root

Kernel
Kernel 4.20.1-raspex is used.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-kodi18-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-1490mb-190124-E2.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-kodi18-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-4400mb-190124-E2.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Etcher in Windows. When running Etcher it will look like this.



How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-kodi18-lxde-netflix-plex-amazon-video-4400mb-190124-E2.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

Kodi 18 in action – see below…

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 3 and 3 Model B+ computer has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Just use NetworkManager to configure your connection. You may have to enable wireless first. Watch this screenshot. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know). NOTE: Using Wifi you may have to reconnect after every reboot.

Why can’t I start Kodi?
If you install certain (faulty) add-ons it can happen that you can’t start Kodi anymore. In that case the file profiles.xml (/home/raspex/.kodi/userdata/profiles.xml) is corrupted or empty. Replace it with this file – download. The file shall have this content.
<profiles>
<lastloaded>0</lastloaded>
<useloginscreen>false</useloginscreen>
<autologin>-1</autologin>
<nextIdProfile>1</nextIdProfile>
<profile>
<id>0</id>
<name>Master user</name>
<directory pathversion=”1″>special://masterprofile/</directory>
<thumbnail pathversion=”1″></thumbnail>
<hasdatabases>true</hasdatabases>
<canwritedatabases>true</canwritedatabases>
<hassources>true</hassources>
<canwritesources>true</canwritesources>
<lockaddonmanager>false</lockaddonmanager>
<locksettings>0</locksettings>
<lockfiles>false</lockfiles>
<lockmusic>false</lockmusic>
<lockvideo>false</lockvideo>
<lockpictures>false</lockpictures>
<lockprograms>false</lockprograms>
<lockgames>false</lockgames>
<lockmode>0</lockmode>
<lockcode></lockcode>
<lastdate></lastdate>
</profile>
</profiles>

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when said command is running.

Running the Netflix add-on
When you try to start Netflix for the first time you will probably see this error message. That’s because you haven’t logged in to Netflix yet. Just log in and that won’t happen again. When logged in to Netflix it will look like this. Sometimes it can happen that a movie start with the “wrong” subtitle. Change it to your liking as this screenshot shows. Germans (in particular) like to dub English movies (and movies in other languages) to German. Change the audio language as this screenshot shows.

Set up subtitles for Netflix
From Kodi’s home screen, go to Settings -> Player settings -> Language – screenshot. Select the languages you want to get when searching for subtitles – screenshot. That’s it!

RaspEX Kodi performance
RaspEX Kodi is a very fast and responsive Rpi system. Much due to very low memory (RAM) usage. About 120 MB as this screenshot shows. I’ve said that RaspEX LXDE Build 181015 is very fast. RaspEX Kodi is even faster especially if you use the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ to run it. The video and sound quality is also very very good. Even while running RaspEX Kodi on big TV screens. I.e. you can really enjoy Netflix and YouTube running on your Rpi mini computer!

SCREENSHOTS
1. Running Kodi
2. The LXDE Desktop logged in as the ordinary user raspex
3. The LXDE Desktop logged in as root (super admin)
4. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 1
5. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 2
6. YouTube running showing very good video quality
7. Choosing program addons in Kodi
8. RaspEX Kodi showing system INFO

DOWNLOAD
This version has been replaced by version 190321, which can be downloaded for free…

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Kodi is a trademark of XBMC Foundation

 

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Oreo 8.1!

and about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0!

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RaspEX Kodi Rpi3 with LXDE/OSMC Desktops and Kodi 18 RC5 Media Center “Leia” with Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video addons – Build 190117

Posted on January 17, 2019 by exton

ABOUT RaspEX Kodi
RaspEX Kodi Build 190117 with LXDE/OSMC Desktops is made especially for the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, but can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. OSMC is based on Debian and Kodi Media Center. In RaspEX Kodi I’ve added the LXDE Desktop with many useful applications such as Wicd and NetworkManager. Makes it easy to configure your wireless network. I’ve also upgraded OSMC to a BETA version (Kodi 18 RC5 Leia), which makes it possible to include useful addons such as Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video. Which I’ve done. Kodi 18 RC5 was released 190114. Study all included packages in RaspEX Kodi.

About OSMC (short for Open Source Media Center) and the difference between RaspEX Kodi and OSMC
OSMC is based on Debian and Kodi Media Center. It is an embedded, minimal, self updating Linux distributing which ships a Kodi front-end for a variety of devices. The project was founded by Sam Nazarko in 2014 and is maintained by a group of volunteers in their spare time. OSMC can be downloaded for free for all supported platforms on their official Download page. So OSMC has no real Linux Desktop. After the boot process and some configurations are ready you will end up directly in Kodi. Running RaspEX Kodi you will immediately end up at LightDM‘s login page – see below how it will look. From there you can log in to the LXDE Desktop as the ordinary user osmc or as root. Passwords: osmc/root. As user osmc you can alternatively log in directly to Kodi 18 RC5. However after the first boot you should chose to log in to the LXDE Desktop and use Wicd and/or NetworkManager for configuring your network connection. The big difference between OSMC and RaspEX Kodi is that Kodi 18 RC5 Leia is pre-installed in RaspEX Kodi together with some really useful addons (Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video). Those addons need Widevine to run. While you are logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can use Synaptic Package Manager to install all extra packages you may need. Since OSMC/RaspEX Kodi is based on Debian you’ll have about 30000 packages to chose between.


The picture above shows the LightDM login page. While logged in to the LXDE Desktop you can (of course) go on to Kodi directly. Just open Kodi like any other program. Log in to the LXDE Desktop as the ordinary user osmc or as root. Passwords: osmc/root. NOTE: You cannot run Kodi as root.

Kernel
Kernel 4.20.1-exton is used.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-osmc-lxde-netflix-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-rc5-1530mb-190117.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-osmc-lxde-netflix-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-rc5-4050mb-190117.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Etcher in Windows. When running Etcher it will look like this.



How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-osmc-lxde-netflix-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-rc5-4050mb-190117.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

Kodi 18 in action – see below…

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 3 and 3 Model B+ computer has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN. Just use NetworkManager and/or Wicd to configure your connection. You may have to enable wireless first. Watch this screenshot. Using Raspberry Pi 2 you have to have a Wireless USB Adapter. The only one which works for Raspberry Pi 2 is Edimax EW-7811Un (as far as I know). NOTE: Using Wifi you may have to reconnect after every reboot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo sh /root/resize_rootfs.sh
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when said command is running.

Running the Netflix add-on
When you try to start Netflix for the first time you will probably see this error message. That’s because you haven’t logged in to Netflix yet. Just log in and that won’t happen again. When logged in to Netflix it will look like this.

RaspEX Kodi performance
RaspEX Kodi is a very fast and responsive Rpi system. Much due to very low memory (RAM) usage. About 100 MB as this screenshot shows. I’ve said that RaspEX LXDE Build 181015 is very fast. RaspEX Kodi with OSMC Desktop is even faster especially if you use the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ to run it. The video and sound quality is also very very good. Even while running RaspEX Kodi on big TV screens. I.e. you can really enjoy Netflix and YouTube running on your Rpi mini computer!

SCREENSHOTS
1. Running Kodi
2. The LXDE Desktop logged in as the ordinary user osmc
3. The LXDE Desktop logged in as root (super admin)
4. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 1
5. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 2
6. YouTube running showing very good video quality
7. Choosing program addons in Kodi
8. Running Wicd Network Manager
9. RaspEX Kodi OSMC running INFO

DOWNLOAD
This RaspEX build can’t be downloaded anymore. I have, however, made a replacement for Build 190117.
RaspEX Kodi Build 190124 is a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that my new version is as good as the old one. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXDE.

READ MORE…

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

OSMC is a registered trademark of Sam Nazarko Trading Ltd

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX Oreo 8.1!

and about my Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Oreo 8.1!

Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments