Raspberry Pi Stretch - 2018 Tricks

= Introduction =

It has been a while since I last set up a Raspberry Pi from scratch. Some things have changed ( pretty much for the better ). This instructable outlines some of the new things, either new in the system or maybe just newly learned by me. This will be quick it is heads up sort of thing. Note that this is an article started by Russ Hensel, see "http://www.opencircuits.com/index.php?title=Russ_hensel#About My Articles" About My Articles

= New OS Stretch =

Seems better to me. All I plan to use from now on. All the rest applies to this version. Beware that some setup files may have moved or been renamed.

= Leafpad =

Ok this is an old one. Lots of directions say edit a file with the command like nano foo.txt. Leafpad is an easier editor as it has a graphical user interface. So use leafpad foo.txt and sudo leafpad.txt instead.

= Get Remote Access =

Instantly
The quickest way ( in terms of setup ) to exchange information with the Pi ( assuming Internet connection ) is to use a wiki or pastebin. Your can write on the PC and read and copy on the Pi. This makes it easy to copy commands rather than type them. Next enable remote editing and VNC.

Notepad++
Great text editor, if you are running window you should at least look at it. Will not run on the Pi or Mac as far as I know. If you run a remote PC a cool feature is that you can edit remote files from you Pi on it ( text, config, python, and others ). Also it is easy see:

How to Connect to your Server via FTP with Notepad++ | InMotion Hosting https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/ftp-client-setup/connect-ftp-notepad-plus

Filezilla may also let you do this.

VNC
I used to use windows remote desktop not VNC. Now I have dropped remote desktop, as VNC just seems better and easier to install. I think it works on Linux and Mac? It even lets you cut and past between your host and remote machines. Now you do not need a keyboard, mouse, or display for the Pi, just use your desk/laptop.

Samba
This lets you share files with other OSs. Not new, but still worth setting up. Google it.

= Backup and Copying of Whole Machine = Old way of backing up and Copying are Obsolete

Well mostly, the old ways of backing up had some problems. Some of the common ones:


 * Many steps, complicated
 * Very sensitive to the size of the sd cards

Now under accessories you can find SD card copier. It will copy between different sizes of SD cards ( as long as the data will fit ). Easy to use, one step. Google it or use one of these links:

I once wrote an instructable on this: It still works, and may have some uses, but this SD card method seems like the way to go. Xzxxxxx

= MySQL =

Used to be good relational database for the Pi. But it is not open source. MariaDB is close to the same thing, and even responds to MySQL commands. It may be what you get if you try to install MySQL ( it did for me ). Now I am careful to distinguish the too and try to find the MariaDB software and documentation. Configuration is almost the same but not quite. ( Note one of the nice things about this DB is it has good remote access over the web, and is multiuser. ) Use  MariaDB as a keyword for searches and installs first. More information on Google and:


 * MariaDB.org - Supporting continuity and open collaboration

= Python =

I use Spyder to work with Python on the web, but it is a special install. Stretch now includes a much nicer IDE than Idle, the old one. It is called Thonny Python IDE ( Programming → Thonny Python IDE )  Side note:  probably time for most of us to switch to ( or start with ) Python 3.