Legend has it that Raspberry Pi units have vanished from the face of the Earth, but we know it's all due to the semiconductor shortage, and the Raspberry Foundation can barely keep up with immense demand. In other words, we must hold on a little longer with what we have, and if you already own a previous Raspberry Pi variant, you might want to try a much lighter distro in the form of DietPi, which just released version 8.3, also compatible with PC.
The latest news about the Raspberry Pi seems to point in the same direction: No models are available, and the little that appears on sale vanishes in record time. The only options are paying a scandalous surcharge, acquiring the mini computer in complete kits that we don't always need, or trying your luck with the Raspberry Pi 400, which wasn't as affected by the shortage.
However, the software front is more active. There are many distros compatible with Raspberry Pi, some prioritizing the number of available functions, and others focused on efficiency. After all, mini computers are not a shining example of abundance when it comes to resources, and the people behind DietPi understand that perfectly. If what you're looking for is a very lightweight distro for any Raspberry Pi, you should start here:
DietPi: Efficient distro for Raspberry Pi and PC
The installation process for DietPi is slightly different compared to other distros. Its first phase will try to connect to the Internet and get several updates for its package, while the DietPi-Software section will help us define its basic configuration, such as the type of desktop and the browser.
However, these modules must be selected and added manually to the software list. The default configuration of DietPi presents a distro clean to the bone, which personally I celebrate, but it won't be entirely comfortable for new users. I definitely recommend a visit to the Getting Started section of the official page to resolve any doubts.
A reboot and a startx later, DietPi will take you to the desktop chosen in the previous steps. All special configuration menus have available shortcuts, and they work without issues. Now, if you want to experiment a bit before saving DietPi to a microSD card, don't worry: The official page offers builds compatible with x86, and a package of images for the main virtualizers. At the same time, you can download DietPi adapted to other mini computers like the ODROID family, and the Pine64. Give it a try!
Official site and downloads: Click here
