Back in September, we covered the launch of PIXEL, the operating system backed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation for its popular mini computer. Running PIXEL on the Pi unlocks special resources such as Wolfram Mathematica and a Minecraft license. But the foundation concluded that PIXEL shouldn't be locked to official hardware, and now it has announced a new variant compatible with x86 architecture.
One of the best things about a Raspberry Pi is experimenting with different operating systems. After all, the process boils down to swapping cards or USB drives, and with its low associated cost, it's accessible to anyone. The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced PIXEL as its flagship environment (though Raspbian hasn't gone anywhere), and it's especially recommended for the latest editions of the mini computer. However, there are no major technical reasons preventing PIXEL from appearing on other platforms. At the end of the day, PIXEL is based on Debian, one of the most stable and compatible flavors of Linux. With a few general adjustments, PIXEL could be used on conventional computers, and that's exactly what the foundation has just announced.
The x86 version
From this moment on, PIXEL has an x86 version. The two PIXEL images are almost identical in terms of interface and general functionality, but due to licensing there are two high-profile absences. The first is Wolfram Mathematica, and the second is Minecraft, which arrived on the Raspberry Pi in February 2013. This version of PIXEL is based on the 'i386' build, so it can run on a wide range of computers, as long as they have at least 512 megabytes of RAM. In fact, PIXEL x86 can run on computers as old as the ThinkPad X40, which has more than twelve years on its shoulders.
How to use PIXEL
The process to use PIXEL is very similar to any other system: Download the image, and flash its content to a USB drive or an optical disc. Now, when we say 'x86', this also includes Apple platforms. Technically, PIXEL is a prototype, and it's likely we'll find a rough edge or two, but they'll be corrected over time. For now, welcome PIXEL to the desktop.
