Fedora and the Seneca Centre for Development of Open Technology released an optimized Fedora 18 Remix for the Raspberry Pi, and unveiled a new name for the remix. “Pidora 18,” based on a new build of Fedora optimized for ARMv6, features speedier performance and includes packages from the Fedora 18 package set, says the Pidora project team.



Pidora 18 is the fourth Fedora remix for the Raspberry Pi SBC, and the first to be specifically optimized for ARMv6 architecture. Its predecessor, Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix 18, was based on ARMv5 architecture.





Raspberry Pi models A (left) and B (right)

(click each image to enlarge)

What’s new in Pidora 18?

According to its release notes, these are the main differences from the previous version of Fedora for the Raspberry Pi:

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Almost all of the Fedora 18 package set available via yum (thousands of packages were built from the official Fedora repository and made available online)

Compiled specifically to take advantage of the hardware already built into the Raspberry Pi

Graphical firstboot configuration (with additional modules specifically made for the Raspberry Pi)

Compact initial image size (for fast downloads) and auto-resize (for maximum storage afterwards)

Auto swap creation available to allow for larger memory usage

C, Python, and Perl programming languages are available and included in the SD card image

The initial release of headless mode can be used with setups lacking a monitor or display

IP address information can be read over the speakers and flashed with the LED light



For graphical operation, the Gedit text editor can be used with plugins (python console, file manager, syntax highlighting) to serve as a mini-graphical IDE

For console operation, easy-to-use text editors are included (nled, nano, vi) plus Midnight Commander for file management

Includes libraries capable of supporting external hardware, such as motors and robotics (via GPIO, I2C, SPI)

Further information

Pidora is a project of the Seneca Centre for Development of Open Technology (CDOT). As a Fedora remix, Pidora combines Fedora packages with other software. The Fedora Project calls its home here.

More information about Pidora may be found at the Pidora project wiki.

