RetroPie forum home
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Home
    • Docs
    • Register
    • Login
    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    So many options to choose for installation, what is ideal for a linux newbie?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Help and Support
    setupinstallfirst time instfirst timerfirst install
    4 Posts 3 Posters 834 Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • P
      poja9
      last edited by

      Long story made short, I'm an IT professional (entry-level) and I want to get some more linux experience under my belt. I've done a bit of ubuntu server tinkering and setup but I want to expand it to a personal project.

      1. I want to create a semi-portable emulation device that I can bring to and from various locations.
      2. This will be built on either a laptop or small desktop.
      3. I was considering an ubuntu installation, which flavors are supported and does it have to have a GUI? I was considering lubuntu but after checking the documentation I've no idea where to start haha.

      For the Raspbian installation, can this be built on a non-Pi device? Bare metal? What are the advantages of setting it up vs just using the image itself provided? Is the pre-made image all I would need, it comes with the OS or is this itself its own OS?

      mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • mituM
        mitu Global Moderator @poja9
        last edited by

        @poja9 You can install RetroPie on-top of an existing Linux installation, Debian/Ubuntu are supported, see https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Debian/
        The Raspbian is a Debian based Linux distro specially created for the Raspberry PI, so it's not really meant for non-RPI installations, you can use Debian/Ubuntu/Arch, any other distro.
        The image provided by RetroPie is based on Raspbian Lite, over which RetroPie was installed (just like in https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Manual-Installation/). The advantage of using the image over installing Raspbian is that it's less hassle, the OS is already configured with a good known state and RetroPie was tested and validated in this configuration. It's ideal for people starting from scratch with the Raspberry PI, since they can just write the image and then just start using RetroPie.

        P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • P
          poja9 @mitu
          last edited by poja9

          @mitu Oooh I see now. I misunderstood that Raspbian is an OS designed for Raspberry Pi. Raspbian and RetroPie are separate things.

          So there are no images for a non Raspbian based installation then?

          Thank you.

          herb_fargusH 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • herb_fargusH
            herb_fargus administrators @poja9
            last edited by

            @poja9 said in So many options to choose for installation, what is ideal for a linux newbie?:

            So there are no images for a non Raspbian based installation

            Nope. Not any official ones anyways.

            If you read the documentation it will answer 99% of your questions: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/

            Also if you want a solution to your problems read this first: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • First post
              Last post

            Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.

            Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.