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This build has been replaced by Build 190903…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…

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

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

RaspEX OSMC Rpi3 with LXDE Desktop and Kodi 18 Media Center “Leia” with Netflix, Plex and Amazon Video addons – Build 181223

Posted on December 23, 2018 by exton

ABOUT RaspEX OSMC
RaspEX OSMC Build 181223 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 OSMC 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 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 OSMC.

About OSMC (short for Open Source Media Center) and the difference between RaspEX OSMC and OSMC original
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 OSMC 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. 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 OSMC is that Kodi 18 Leia is pre-installed in RaspEX OSMC 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 OSMC 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 4.14.78-2-osmc is used.

How do I install RaspEX OSMC in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-osmc-netflix-lxde-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-1520mb-181223.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-osmc-netflix-lxde-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-4050mb-181223.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 OSMC 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-netflix-lxde-amazon-video-plex-kodi18-4050mb-181223.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.

RaspEX OSMC performance
RaspEX OSMC 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 OSMC 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 OSMC 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 osmc
3. The LXDE Desktop logged in as root
4. Wicd running before entering Kodi
5. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 1
6. Netflix running showing very good video quality – 2
7. YouTube running showing very good video quality
8. Choosing video addons in Kodi

DOWNLOAD
This version of RaspEX has been replaced by Build 190117…

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

FedEX Rpi3 (Fedora 29) for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Model B+ :: Build 181206

Posted on December 6, 2018 by exton

NEWS 181206: FedEX Rpi3 for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Model B+ is a “remaster” of the Fedora Project’s Fedora 29 build for ARM

The Raspberry Pi is a credit card-sized ARM based single board computer (SBC). Fedora supports the the Raspberry Pi Model B versions 2 and 3 in all current Fedora releases, the 3+ is supported in Fedora 29 without any requirement of third party kernels or scripts to adjust official images.

FAQ
The documentation on Fedora Project ARM includes a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about what is supported and what isn’t.

Why a remaster of the original Fedora 29 image?
The original Fedora 29 system uses the Gnome desktop. Since the Raspberry Pi 3 computer only has 1GB RAM Gnome is way to “heavy” to run smoothly. I have therefore in my remaster FedEX removed most of the Gnome applications and replaced the Gnome desktop environment with LXDE. LXDE, which stands for Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, is a desktop environment which is lightweight and fast. It is designed to be user friendly and slim, while keeping the resource usage low. LXDE uses less RAM and less CPU while being a feature rich desktop environment. Furthermore I have “blacklisted” newer kernels than the one installed now, which is 4.18.16-300-fc29. Using newer Fedora kernels you won’t have a Wifi connection no matter what you do.

Study all installed packages in FedEX…

FedEX PERFORMANCE
Despite using LXDE the system is not very fast. When running YouTube in Firefox you’ll even have to be a bit patient. For some unknown reason the system performs slightly better when logged in as root. The original Fedora 29 Rpi 3 system has the same problem. If you want to run a real fast system on your Rpi 3 Model B+ computer you should go for RaspEX with BunsenLabs Build 181010 or RaspEX with LXDE Build 181022. A member on raspex.exton.se wrote this “review” the other day: In three days I´ve tried out different Linux distros on a laptop and on my rpi3b, “pure Ubuntu”, Kali, RaspArch, Arch and yours. Finally it feels right on my Rpi with RaspEX, easy to install and with only “2 problems” you get 9/10 (rootfs.sh and no_pubkey). After spending like 14 hours yesterday trying to install Arch on a HP-laptop, with both manual tutorial and some git-hub-pro-script, failing Big Time, this was a relief. Took me like 15min. Kali + HP = nice. RPI + RaspEX = love!

INSTALLATION of FedEX in Windows
In Windows you can use Etcher for installation of FedEX-Rpi3-armhfp-lxde-181206.img to a SD card of at least 8GB. The image file is of 7GB. You will download FedEX-Rpi3-armhfp-lxde-1300mb-181206.raw.xz. Unpack it with 7-Zip. You will then get FedEX-Rpi3-armhfp-lxde-181206.raw. Change the file ending to .img before installing with Etcher. Insert a SD card of at least 8GB and start Etcher. It will look like this.

INSTALLATION of FedEX in Linux
In Linux you can/shall use the dd-command. This is the command to use:
xzcat FedEX-Rpi3-armhfp-lxde-1300mb-181206.raw.xz | dd bs=4M
of=/dev/sdX iflag=fullblock oflag=direct status=progress; sync
(All text in red on one line).
NOTE: Replace sdX with for example sdb, sdc, sdd, sde or… Check in carefully before you run the install command to avoid data losses. NOTE also: For best performance you should use Micro 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).

Increase the size of the system partition
The system is of about 5GB and the system partition of about 6GB. This means that you’ll only have about 1GB for new installations etc. if you don’t do anything. I.e. if you use a card of 32GB about 26GB will be unused. You can however get rid of the 1GB limit after installing FedEX Rpi3 in Linux with the install command or in Windows using Etcher.
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot after resizing

LOGIN to LXDE
When the boot process is ready you will end up at Slim Login Manager. Log in to the LXDE desktop as the ordinary user live with password live or as root with password root. When logged in as live you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su or sudo pcmanfm. At Slim’s login page it will look like this.

SOUND in FedEX
When logged in as root you will have HDMI audio output. For sound to work when logged in as live you’ll have to add live to the Audio group with the command sudo usermod -a -G audio live. After that you’ll have reboot your Raspberry Pi for the changes to take effect.

INSTALLING or removing packages in FedEX/Fedora using DNF
Basically you’ll only need to use four commands:
1) sudo dnf update (upgrade the whole system)
2) sudo dnf install MyNecessaryProgram
3) sudo dnf remove UnnecessaryProgram
4) sudo dnf clean all

WHO SHOULD RUN FedEX Rpi3/Fedora 29 for Raspberry Pi 3?
My answer: The system fits the “advanced” Linux user/enthusiast, who would be willing to run an occasional command from time to time.

Compatibility :: December 2018
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ 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, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (181126) upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspArch, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+…

SCREENSHOTS
FedEX’s LXDE Desktop
DNF running
Firefox and Conky running

DOWNLOAD
FedEX Rpi 3 can be downloaded from SourceForge.net – Fast, secure and free downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory.

md5sum for FedEX-Rpi3-armhfp-lxde-1300mb-181206.raw.xz

 

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 Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, FedEX, Linux | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

EXTON OpSuS Rpi (openSUSE Tumbleweed) for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ with XFCE and kernel 4.19.1-1 – Build 181126

Posted on November 26, 2018 by exton

News 181126 about EXTON OpSuS Rpi
I’ve made a “remaster” of openSUSE’s Tumbleweed image  for Raspberry Pi 3 with the XFCE Desktop and many other more or less necessary packages. Study the full package list.

The Raspberry Pi 3 is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video.

Why a remaster of the original openSUSE image?
I did it mostly because it’s fun. My version has one big advantage though since you can enjoy sound. Good if you like YouTube for example. I’ve also added some “necessary” packages and prevented installations of all KDE packages. Watch this screenshot. KDE is way to heavy to run on the Rpi computer.

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.

How do I install EXTON OpSuS Rpi in Linux?
Download exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw.xz to(for example) /root. Then:
1. cd /root
2. Insert your SD card of at least 8GB.
3. Run the install command xzcat exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw.xz | dd bs=4M of=/dev/sdX iflag=fullblock oflag=direct status=progress; sync (everything marked red on one line)
NOTE: Replace sdX with for example sdb, sdc, sdd, sde or… Check in carefully before you run the install command to avoid data losses. NOTE also: For best performance you should use Micro 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).

How do I install EXTON OpSuS Rpi in Windows?
Use Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager. After downloading exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw.xz you shall decompress the downloaded file which is of 1250MB. For that you can (for example) use 7-Zip. Then change the  decompressed file ending .raw (exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw of 6GB) to .img. Insert a SD card of at least 8GB and start Etcher. It will look like this.

Increase the size of the system partition and create a SWAP partition
The system is of 5GB and the system partition of about 6GB. This means that you’ll only have about 1GB for new installations etc. if you don’t do anything. I.e. if you use a card of 16GB about 10GB will be unused. You can however get rid of the 1GB limit after installing EXTON OpSuS Rpi in Linux with the install command or in Windows using Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher.
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot after resizing
– create a SWAP partition – screenshot
– EXTON OpSuS Rpi running without a SWAP partition
– EXTON OpSuS Rpi running with a SWAP partition
This screenshot shows that EXTON OpSuS Rpi now has about 12GB free storage and a SWAP partition of about 2GB – Conky System Monitor running.

EXTON OpSuS Rpi Tumbleweed’s performance
The system is not very fast. When running YouTube in Firefox you’ll even have to be a bit patient. Especially if you don’t create a SWAP partition as I’ve described above. With a SWAP partition the system will function better. It will still not be fast, but faster. For some unknown reason the system performs slightly better when logged in as root. The original openSUSE Rpi system has the same problem. If you want to run a real fast system on your Rpi 3 Model B+ computer you should go for RaspEX with BunsenLabs Build 181010 or RaspEX with LXDE Build 181022. A member on raspex.exton.se wrote this “review” the other day: In three days I´ve tried out different Linux distros on a laptop and on my rpi3b, “pure Ubuntu”, Kali, RaspArch, Arch and yours. Finally it feels right on my Rpi with RaspEX, easy to install and with only “2 problems” you get 9/10 (rootfs.sh and no_pubkey). After spending like 14 hours yesterday trying to install Arch on a HP-laptop, with both manual tutorial and some git-hub-pro-script, failing Big Time, this was a relief. Took me like 15min. Kali + HP = nice. RPI + RaspEX = love!

Package management in openSUSE
You can use YaST (YaST is both an extremely flexible installer and a powerful control center. It’s an all-purpose tool for computing) or the command line using Zypper. Basically you’ll only need three commands:
1. sudo zypper dup (a total upgrade of all installed packages)
2. sudo zypper install MyNecessaryPackage
3. sudo remove AnyUnnecessaryPackage

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 live with password live or as root (“other”) with password root. While logged in as live you can use Sudo to become root.

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). NOTE: The wireless connection is not very stable. You may have to reconnect from time to time.

About openSUSE Tumbleweed
The Tumbleweed distribution is a pure rolling release version of openSUSE containing the latest stable versions of all software instead of relying on rigid periodic release cycles. The project does this for users that want the newest stable software.

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

Compatibility :: December 2018
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ 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, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (181126) upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspArch, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+…

SCREENSHOTS
The XFCE Desktop when logged in as the ordinary user live
The XFCE Desktop when logged in as root (superadmin)

DOWNLOAD
EXTON OpSuS Rpi Tumbleweed  can be downloaded from SourceForge.net – Fast, secure and free downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory.

Alternative DOWNLOAD location
The IMAGE file exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw.xz can also be downloaded from the Swedish Linux Society’s server.

md5sum for exton-opsus-rpi-tumbleweed-xfce4-aarch64-181126.raw.xz which is of 1250MB.

 

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 Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

RaspEX especially for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ – based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – with OpenCPN 4.8.8 pre-installed ::: Build 181120

Posted on November 20, 2018 by exton

raspex-16.04-opencpn-4.4.0-touchscreen-20160702-smallRaspEX – Build 181120 based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – with OpenCPN 4.8.8 (latest stable version released 181107) – especially made for the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, but it can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

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.

Replacement
This build (181120) replaces build 180331. Ubuntu has been upgraded to version 18.04 LTS and OpenCPN to version 4.8.8 – latest stable version released 181107. RaspEX Build 181120 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 Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. Study the full RaspEX package list of 181120…

The Desktop environment LXDE is used. The “Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment” is an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment. LXDE uses less CPU and less RAM than other environments. It is especially designed for cloud computers with low hardware specifications, such as netbooks, mobile devices (e.g. MIDs) or older computers.

ABOUT RaspEX Build 181120
RaspEX is a Linux ARM system for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Model B+ and Pi 2 model B. It is based on Debian Stretch (Debian 9), Bionic Beaver (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) and Linaro (Open Source software for ARM SoCs). In this new version (181120) I’ve installed OpenCPN 4.8.8 from source.

Read this OpenCPN Review….

How do I install RaspEX with OpenCPN?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-ubuntu-18.04-LTS-opencpn-lxde-1240mb-181120.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-ubuntu-18.04-LTS-opencpn-lxde-4400mb-181120.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 8GB. For that you shall use Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher in Windows. When running Win32 Disk Imager it will look like this.



Watch a YouTube video that shows the performance of OpenCPN on a Raspberry Pi…
NOTE: Please don’t ask me technical questions about how to use OpenCPN. I’m no expert on OpenCPN. You can search the Internet for answers. There is a lot written about OpenCPN and Raspberry Pi. The Cruisers Forum (World Cruising and Sailing Wiki) is a good starting point.

Kernel
Kernel 4.14.80-v7 is used.

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.

How do I use RaspEX?
When you start up your Raspberry Pi Mini computer with RaspEX you will (after a few seconds) end up at SLiM‘s login page. The first time you start up RaspEX you shall log in as root with password root – see below under Important: First things to do. 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.

Important: First things to do
1) When you end up at Slim’s login page for the first time you shall log in as root with password root.
2) Start up a terminal and run the command ./resize_rootfs.sh
Before doing that you can’t do anything because the system is full (100 %) – watch this screenshot. That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 16 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards – watch this screenshot.
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 – watch this screenshot. If you get error messages when trying to create a SWAP file just reboot your Rpi and try again. Maybe you’ll have to delete the file /var/swap first.

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

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and 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).

About SSH, PuTTY, Samba, VNC4Server and VNC Viewer
SSH, Samba and VNC4Server are pre-installed in RaspEX Build 181120. 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. (Please read the developers information about how to configure PuTTy and VNC Viewer).

The 7″ Touchscreen Monitor for Raspberry Pi
To my great joy also this version of RaspEX work together with the 7″ Touchscreen Monitor for Raspberry Pi “out of the box”. Some fixes to be done:
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Adding a virtual keyboard – Matchbox
Install it with sudo apt-get install matchbox-keyboard
Screenshot when Matchbox Keyboard is running

How do I enable right click?
Paste in the following lines in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

Section “InputClass”
Identifier “calibration”
Driver “evdev”
MatchProduct “FT5406 memory based driver”

Option “EmulateThirdButton” “1”
Option “EmulateThirdButtonTimeout” “750”
Option “EmulateThirdButtonMoveThreshold” “30”
EndSection

Rotate the touch screen
Depending on your display stand you might find that the LCD display defaults to being upside-down, you can fix this by rotating it in /boot/config.txt.
Add: lcd_rotate=2

Scrolling with a finger in Firefox and/or Chromium Browser
Can’t be fixed. It is also not working in Raspbian.
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Advanced configuration with raspi-config
Run the command sudo raspi-config and you will get a menu with different configuration alternatives. You can for example expand the filesystem on the SD card. You can also enable an experimental GL driver for the Desktop. Perhaps useful if you have a big screen/monitor. You can also enable overscan. Useful if you use the 7″ touchscreen. See under Advanced Options.

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. See also above under Important: First things to do.

Installed packages
Besides from LXDE and OpenCPN a lot of ordinary Debian/Ubuntu packages are pre-installed. I can mention Firefox, Chromium Web Browser, Midori Private Browser, SMTube (YouTube browser which allows to browse, search and play YouTube videos), PulseAudio for better sound in YouTube, Synaptic Package Manager and Gimp. Study the full package list of 181120…

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-get update

After that you can run apt-get update with success even though you still will get the same “no_pubkey” errors.

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“. RaspEX Build 181022, 181010 (with BunsenLabs Desktop) and 181120 (current with OpenCPN) are of course even faster, especially if you run the systems on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ computer.

SCREENSHOTS
1. RaspEX version 181120 running OpenCPN as the ordinary user raspex
2. RaspEX version 181120 running OpenCPN as root
3. OpenCPN 4.4.0 running on the 7″ Touchscreen Monitor for Raspberry Pi (old version OpenCPN)
4. OpenCPN 4.4.0 – Boston (old version OpenCPN)
5. OpenCPN World Map (old version of OpenCPN)
6. OpenCPN Florida – Cape Canaveral (old version of OpenCPN)
7. OpenCPN New York – Approaches to New York (old version of OpenCPN)
8. OpenCPN Stockholm Archipelago (old version of OpenCPN)

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, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

DOWNLOAD
This build of RaspEX OpenCPN has been replaced by Build 190812…

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 (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)!

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