Recommended Apps Management Tools

You can put already-installed apps on the menu:

  go to "Preferences"  / "Main Menu Editor"

You can install Raspberry Pi recommended apps:

  go to "Preferences" / "Recommended Software"  

You can install other Debian software with "Preferences" / "add/remove software" but it can be complicated.

Use Raspi config to make setting changes

   sudo raspi-config

You can install "Botspot PiApps" - Raspberry Pi App Store for Open Source Projects

  https://github.com/Botspot/pi-apps
  
  git clone https://github.com/Botspot/pi-apps

  ~/pi-apps/install

Recommended Apps

TBD

Recommended Utilities

pisafe - create and flash sd images with a GUI

  wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RichardMidnight/pi-safe/main/pisafe
  bash pisafe install

"sd" - create and flash sd images

  www.github.com/RichardMidnight/sd

neofetch - show system info

  sudo apt install newfetch

  neofetch

rpi-imager - write image files to sd card

  sudo apt install rpi-imager

gparted - partition disks

  sudo apt install gparted

catfish - file search

  sudo apt install catfish

Other

great reference: https://www.ubuntupit.com/useful-raspberry-pi-commands/

pikiss

CommanderPi

block 60fps videos in chromium

NTFS support: ntfs-3g

Resource monitor alternative: gnome-system-monitor

System info GUI: hardinfo (lshw-gtk, sysinfo)

System info CLI: inxi (inxi -Fx), lshw, hwinfo

Stacer

Desktop environments

Install standard Linux Desktop Environments. watch out - unstable! seems to break wifi and other things

Install other desktop environments:

  sudo tasksel

Switch to a different desktop environment:

  sudo update-alternatives --config x-session-manager

For a Windows-like experience:

  Install the "KDE/Plasma DE"
  For even more: you can install a windows theme with "global theme"

Other options

BotSpot Windows 10 theme - Easy light-weight windows theme

  https://github.com/Botspot/Windows-10

Twister OS offers great customization to Raspberry pi OS. But not small images

  www.twisteros.com

.

Helpful commands

Switch to root: sudo su

Add user to sudo group: sudo adduser [user] sudo

Hardware and OS: uname -a

hardware: uname -m (shows if you are running 64 bit)

hardware: gpio -v

CPU: uname -p

OS: uname -o

computer name: hostname

serial number: cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep Serial

OS: cat /etc/os-release | grep PRETTY | cut -d'"' -f2

Networking:

IP address: hostname -i

LAN IP : ifconfig eth0 | grep "inet "

WAN IP: ifconfig wlan0 | grep "inet "

list wifi AP (may need sudo): iwlist wlan0 scan | grep ESSID | grep -v '""' | cut -d: -f2 | sort | uniq

Update software:

Generally includes distribution and firmware updates

    sudo apt update

    sudo apt upgrade

    sudo apt autoremove  (optional)

    sudo reboot

upgrade and autoremove

    sudo apt full-upgrade

script to update kernal and firmware to bleading edge

    sudo rpi-update  (only if needed)

Update Firmware Pi4 and up newer?

Update repositories lists

  sudo apt update

Fully upgrade your installation

  sudo apt dist-upgrade -y

Update Raspberry pi 4 firmware

  sudo apt install rpi-eeprom

  sudo rpi-eeprom-update

  sudo reboot

Upgrade to bullseye-from-buster

  https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/upgrade-raspberry-pi-os-to-bullseye-from-buster

Raspberry pi 5 boot nvme

  Make sure your Raspberry Pi 5 firmware is up to date with the 2023-12-06 or later version. Software update on the RPi OS should do this for you, but you can force it by running sudo rpi-eeprom-update in the Terminal. 

  If you have updated your firmware and want to boot from the NVMe drive, you might have to get technical and run 
  
  sudo rpi-eeprom-config --edit 
  
  from the Terminal and change the BOOT_ORDER to be 0x416 instead of 0x41.

  To enable experimental and not-officially-supported PCIe 3 mode, add the follow line to the [all] section at the end of your Raspberry Pi /boot/config.txt file like this:

  [all]
  dtparam=pciex1_gen=3
  
  Save and reboot - your drive is ready to use!

Printing (2019)

Printer support: cups and system-config-printer

HP drivers including P1606DN and C3600 basic: hplip

HP Color 3600 driver: printer-driver-pxljr

Brother printer – https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=lpql810weus&os=130

DYMO: printer-driver-dymo

Zebra:

Raspberry Pi OS 64 bit (in beta as of Jan 2021)

Get the 64bit image

  https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspios_arm64/images/

How do I know if I am running 64-bit Kernel?

  Use neofetch
  
  or
  
  uname -m

How do I know if a program is 64-bit?

  which [filename]
  
  file [filename]
  
  example, determine which version of zip you are running
  
  which bash
  
  file \usr\bin\bash