Armbian uses Debian or Ubuntu repositories for userspace, but as with every Linux Distro, you could add extra/other packages repositories. That can be tricky w.r.t. versions, but it can be done. You need to study apt policy, how that works, or apt pinning.I've been using the packages from http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian/ for customizing the RPiOS environment. I noticed your mention of complete images for ARM devices available via Armbian. I'm interested in knowing if I can use my setup, specifically the GUILD I've configured, on other ARM devices listed on the Armbian site. Do these devices also utilize Raspberry Pi packages, or would there be compatibility issues?
The big question mark is, will the GUI speed/performance be acceptable on other Arm hardware. That all depends on what kernel is used. If you know how to combine a userspace from a certain distro and a kernel from somewhere else, it can work very well. If you have a carefully crafted/maintained installation, it can save you a lot of time. You essentially don't need re-installation, you just use a different kernel (and firmware/bootloader). GNOME(Wayland) should work on most modern/current kernels.
Statistics: Posted by redvli — Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:12 pm