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The Cabin >> Raspberry and Other Pies >> The Problerm with Orange Pi...
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Message started by Fernando on Apr 5^th, 2017, 12:41pm

Title: The Problerm with Orange Pi...
Post by Fernando on Apr 5^th, 2017, 12:41pm

As stated before, Orange Pi is constantly producing new boards, but is providing little in terms of OS Support for them. This last month alone they had released 4 new boards: Orange Pi 2g-IoT, Orange Pi Zero Plus2 H5, Orange Pi Prime and Orange Pi Win Plus. On the OS Download board, they also hint on two more that I could not find: Orange Pi Win and Orange Pi Zero Plus2 H3.

Lets take the odd ball Orange Pi 2g-IoT. Like all the Orange Pi boards, they have a link for Android, which they call Orange OS. But the only OS they have for it is Ubuntu Server. Android would make the Orange Pi 2g-IoT operate like a smartphone/tablet inactive with the user, but the Ubuntu server would only be text based server where you would need to connect to it from another machine on the network. No other OS is supported for the system, and Ubuntu Server does not support the GPIO.

Other newer systems are in the same boat but they have more OS Options. With the Orange Pi Zero Plus2 H5 they do have Ubuntu Desktop and Debian Jessie (possibly Armbian from the looks of it). Thing is, only if they have updated their links and the OS is still there to download. A lot of the times the files were updated and put onto another link location which is not updated on the site, giving you a dead or broken link.

Raspbian (Debian for the Raspberry Pi) is made for some of their boards but it is an extreme joke of an OS. It works, barely. There is no access to the GPIO, no sound processing, though USB works, there are issues with built-in networking, especially with wireless (if the system supports it). Furthermore, the Rasppiconifg system, which allows you to make changes to the OS configuration does not work and can even crash the system. It is said that this Raspbian system was "stolen from the Banana Pi OS List" as there are many references to the Banana Pi. At least with the Banana Pi, much the 'converted' Raspbian works on the Banana Pi and there is extra software for it, like: Open Libre Office Suite and Arduino Development system.

It is for these reasons why the Orange Pi community has taken "Arms" in getting things done themselves. With the help from Debian directly, they created Armbian OS, Debian Linux for the ARM CPUs which includes many boards, not just the Orange Pies. BeagleBone, Cubie Board, Banana Pi, Nanao Pi, Orange Pi and many other boards that have the ARM CPU is supported on Armbian. And it is through them that you can have an OS that can use the whole board, not just the basic system. Video, sound, GPIO, networking, all works under Armbian.

The only system not supported by Armbian is Raspberry Pi. This is because Raspbian and Armbian are so much alike and Raspbian is a branch of Debian Linux's ARM OSes. Only difference is Raspbian adds their own tings to it like software, and Armbian is just the plain OS with a few system tools - software you need to select and choose what you what and download it. This is a major plus to the experience user but a major minus to the novice user.

Title: Re: The Problerm with Orange Pi...
Post by Hondo I. Sackett on Apr 6^th, 2017, 9:11pm

At least someone is stepping up! Be interesting to see how orange pi evolves and if the company ever steps up and helps with the is. I know I like several of their board lay outs.