Have you got a Raspberry Pi tucked in a drawer and don't know what to do with it? Don't waste it! With a good memory card and a little of your time, that hardware can transform into many things, from the perfect emulation platform to an unrestricted media center, or a BitTorrent box. In all these cases, you need an operating system, and if you have doubts about which one to choose, here are our five recommendations.
The Raspberry Pi has undoubtedly become a beautiful "creature", thanks to its low cost, flexibility, the enormous amount of available software, its giant community, hundreds of home projects, modifications, cases, accessories, and a very long etcetera. The variety of models is also quite wide, so it can adapt to any budget, but no matter how good the work of the project leaders is, every computer needs an operating system, and the Raspberry Pi can't escape that. Even the installation process is different from what we are used to, since basically we must write the image onto a memory card and power on the device. So, which is the best operating system? That depends on the use you want to give the hardware. Some systems have a "traditional" profile, while others lean toward more specific tasks. Let's see.
Raspbian
Raspbian is considered the "vanguard" among operating systems compatible with the Raspberry Pi, and the foundation's page presents it as the "official distro" of the mini computer. At present, its essence is based on Debian Jessie, and it comes in two versions: Standard and Lite. If you've crossed swords with Debian before, mastering Raspbian will be a matter of seconds, and even if you know nothing about Linux, it is highly recommended for beginners.
Ubuntu MATE
Another highly suggested option that doesn't stray too far from the Debian universe and at the same time modifies the experience in several aspects is Ubuntu MATE. Traditional Ubuntu images are a bit "out of reach" for a Raspberry Pi, but with the intervention of the MATE environment, the scales balance perfectly. It requires a card of at least 8 gigabytes, and the faster it is, the greater the response of this distro.
RetroPie
The situation of RetroPie is quite curious. I'm not yet convinced that it's appropriate to call this software a "distro", since its general distribution is done on a Raspbian image, and it has other elements like the EmulationStation frontend and RetroArch. Anyway, it's the fastest way to turn your Raspberry Pi into a complete emulation platform with the least amount of work possible, even on basic hardware versions, starting with the Raspberry Pi Zero.
Recalbox
Unlike RetroPie, Recalbox does identify itself as a distro, even though the goal is the same in both cases: console emulation. The idea behind Recalbox is to simplify configuration processes and interface handling, but it also has an extra twist. It's about Kodi, the "ex XBMC", and its presence opens the possibility of playing multimedia content, taking advantage of all the acceleration resources on the Raspberry Pi.
RISC OS
Our last recommendation is an act of rebellion. Break the mold or bend the line, if you will. Why do I say this? Because RISC OS for Raspberry Pi is not Linux, but something different, a bit strange, and maybe not as polished, but no less interesting for that. RISC OS is quite an old-timer in computing, with almost thirty years on its shoulders. If you want to explore, experiment, and even feel frustrated (read as "learn") for not knowing how to do something at first, the answer is here.
Our list has come to an end, but I'll make two honorable mentions for Arch Linux and Fedora, which are out there, compatible with the Raspberry Pi, and have very loyal communities. Want to add any other distro? Comments are always open. Good luck!
