Linked by David Adams on Mon 5th Mar 2012 22:35 UTC
"The Linux operating system for the Raspberry Pi bare-bones computer is ready to download. The Arch Linux ARM download is based on Arch Linux, which the Raspberry Pi Foundation says 'provides a lightweight base structure that allows you to shape the system to your needs'."
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RE[3]: They've also got a Debian build...
by Laurence on Tue 6th Mar 2012 11:36
in reply to "RE[2]: They've also got a Debian build..."
Member since:2007-03-26
As far as "slap it on the card, slap the card in the Pi, and go" goes, yes, the Debian build is more complete for the average user.
But that's not who the Pi is designed for anyway - in fact it's completely against the whole ethos of Pi's mission statement!!
Edited 2012-03-06 11:40 UTC
RE[4]: They've also got a Debian build...
by sparkyERTW on Tue 6th Mar 2012 14:14
in reply to "RE[3]: They've also got a Debian build..."
Member since:2010-06-09
But that's not who the Pi is designed for anyway - in fact it's completely against the whole ethos of Pi's mission statement!!
Now you're the one who's making outlandish claims. The foundation's most often touted goal is to create a low cost computer that can be "used by kids all over the world to learn programming". Debian is a perfectly adequate platform for this goal, as are many other distributions. While I agree that Arch is an excellent distribution and well-suited to tinkering, to suggest that Debian is somehow the antithesis of that is ludicrous.
Edited 2012-03-06 14:20 UTC
RE[3]: They've also got a Debian build...
by Morgan on Tue 6th Mar 2012 17:54
in reply to "RE[2]: They've also got a Debian build..."
Member since:2005-06-29
I guess it's a difference of opinion on the meaning of "complete". What you just said is exactly true: Debian is the "slap it on the card and go" distro for sure. Once again though, I would say that makes it user friendly compared to Arch, not any more complete.
Arch as released for the Pi (or for x86 for that matter) is a complete operating system in every sense of the word: It boots the computer from disk, it supplies drivers and configuration for all hardware, it gives you a fully working userland environment, the ability to connect to networks, the ability to build software from source, and the ability to install software via the package manager. Not having a mouse-driven GUI interface right away simply means it's not for beginners.
Now, if someone attempts to put Linux From Scratch on it, I'd say they are starting with an incomplete OS, as it has to be bootstrapped from a chrooted instance until you've built enough of it to self-boot and continue the build process natively. Come to think of it, that sounds like a fun project! 
Edited 2012-03-06 17:55 UTC
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As far as "slap it on the card, slap the card in the Pi, and go" goes, yes, the Debian build is more complete for the average user.