What are we waiting for to start using a Debian based Radxa Zero Linux mini PC – a YouTube demo about it which strikes us?

Last Updated on March 31, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org

LibreOffice and Firefox not recommended for Raspberry Pi OS, according to Jesse Smith from DistroWatch who reviewed Raspbian in 2015:

“Though I did not intend to run the Raspberry Pi as a desktop computer, the Raspbian operating system does provide users with the LXDE desktop environment. The Pi does not have a great deal of processor speed or memory, but it does have enough resources to run LXDE and a handful of applications. So long as the user does not wish to do a lot at once, the Pi offers a fairly responsive desktop interface. I probably would not run heavier programs such as LibreOffice or Firefox on the Pi, but Raspbian does provide the Epiphany web browser and a few other desktop programs.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi_OS

This review was written 8 years ago. But after what we have learned from Mark John Cockerill, developer of the Radxa Zero based off-road mini PC about the Radxa Zero and how it can be used:

Radxa Zero off grid, hackable mobile computer version 2 with Debian & Bluetooth keyboard & mouse developed by Ex solder Mark John Cockerill who uses it for off-road applications – but where can we find a YouTube demo which proofs that this device works?

what speaks against immediately choosing a Debian Radxa Zero mini PC instead of a Raspberry Pi? Eventually

• that Debian has no touch support
• we do not have any tests about Debian running on the Radxa Zero
• And would not Armbian be better for this device than Debian?
• Armbian has the advantage that it allows the installation of Home Assistant on it.
• this setup yet. The Radxa Zero can even be used with a Debian SSD:

https://jamesachambers.com/radxa-zero-debian-ssd-boot-guide/

which can be found on

James A. Chambers Legendary Technology Blog

He publishes professional guides as for instance how to migrate Home Assistant to orange Pi 5:

https://jamesachambers.com/migrate-home-assistant-to-orange-pi-5/

and has 137 followers on his GITHUB page:

https://github.com/TheRemote

This is the second Radxa Zero user we have get to know who uses a Radxa Zero. Are these two demo makers who want to sell as a product? We do not have any evidence for it. So what are we waiting for to start using the Radxa Zero with Debian and have a Linux mini PC?

The PinePhone Pro specifications:

• Rockchip hexa-core SoC operating at 1.5GHz
• 4GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM
  -128GB of internal eMMC flash storage.

Radxa Zero specifications:

• CPU: Quad Cortex-A53 1.8 GHz, 12nm process
• RAM: LPDDR4 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB
• Storage: eMMC 5.1 8/16/32/64/128GB
• The Radxa Zero can be upgraded with a Debian SSD