Ubuntu 24.04 on the Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Desktop
© Lead Image © Svetlana Gucalo, 123RF.com
Not just for PCs, Ubuntu 24.04 supports the Raspberry Pi, bringing a fully-fledged Gnome system to the single-board computer. You can even run x86 apps in an emulator on the Pi 5.
Today's single-board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi, are so powerful that they can be used for both special applications and – in many cases – to replace a desktop PC. The processor's compute power is the least of the problems; instead, the actual issue is whether this small but mighty computer is compatible with your software.
Linux users who are used to working with free and open source software can build the applications they need from the source code if in doubt, but it makes life so much easier if you have access to ported versions of complete Linux distributions. Several fully-fledged distributions are available for the popular Raspberry Pi. You can choose between the official Raspberry Pi OS (which is based on Debian), Manjaro Linux, Arch Linux, and openSUSE Leap – this list is not exhaustive. But there is only one classic PC Linux distribution that has found its way into the official Raspberry Pi installer, and that's Ubuntu (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Ubuntu is the only classic desktop distribution offered by the official Raspberry Pi Imager.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AI Fixes Linux Bottlenecks Using “Hideous” Code
A Linux developer used AI to fix bottlenecks that caused problems when building the kernel. The resulting AI-generated code needed a lot of work.
-
Advanced Video Coding Still Under Patent
Brazilian patent BRPI0109962B1 has expired, which means that DivX and Xvid are no longer problematic for Linux, but it doesn’t mean that video is all of a sudden fully unleashed.
-
2,000 Vulnerabilities per Linux Release
Thanks to AI bug hunters, the Linux kernel is seeing record numbers of vulnerabilities, and it's overwhelming developers.
-
Linux Exempt from California’s Age Verification Law
So long as Linux is distributed under the GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses, the OS is exempt from being required to verify the age of its users in California.
-
Roll Out the Cake: Linux Turns 35
35 years ago, a Finnish student began a humble project that would forever change the course of technology.
-
China Switching from Windows to Linux
China has ordered several government agencies to drop a Chinese-developed version of Windows 10 in favor of either KylinOS or UOS.
-
Pine64 Halts Production of Linux Devices
With continued DRAM and eMMC shortages, Pine64 has decided to discontinue production of Linux devices.
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.