Although the Raspberry Pi is best known as a ‘craft computer’, the most recent editions (Pi 3B, Pi 4 and Pi 400) are now quite powerful systems. The only thing that was missing was a nice user-friendly working environment. We therefore introduce you to TwisterOS, a modern operating system that turns your Pi into a real desktop PC and can be completely adjusted to your own preferences.
Tip 01: Install TwisterOS
By Raspberry Pi standards, TwisterOS is a massive distribution. It image file is almost 3 GB in size. As usual, you will need an empty micro SDd card for installation. While you can install TwisterOS on a 16 GB card, we recommend using one of 32 GB or more. A full installation takes about 12 GB, which leaves little free space on a small card to install additional software such as games. The image file can be written to the SD card with the official Raspberry Pi Imager. Choose that Use own file in the list of distributions and navigate to the img file you downloaded. This writing and verification will take some time, so have a cup of coffee. After that, it’s a matter of inserting the micro SD card into the Pi and turning it on. Of course you need a mouse and keyboard to use the operating system.
Tip 02: Twister’s twist
The most eye-catching feature of TwisterOS is the ability to change the system’s appearance at the touch of a button. On the desktop you will find an icon called Theme Twister. After launching this application by double clicking on it, you will see a selection of the installed themes. These themes are modeled after well-known other operating systems and change the user experience. This is ideal if you are very attached to macOS or just Windows. After selecting the theme, the OS reboots and the transformation is complete. For macOs fans there is a real dock, for Windows 95 fans the old start button can be found at the bottom left. It is very difficult for an untrained eye to see that it is an illusion. The themes also have a light and dark version. In addition to the layout of the screen, all icons and windows are completely adapted to the theme.
For macOS fans, there’s the dock, for Windows 95 fans, the time-honored Start button
Tip 03: Steam
Experienced users will be aware that you can install Steam on a Raspberry Pi. TwisterOS comes with a fully configured Steam installation that you just need to log in to. Unfortunately, Steam is a bit limited (only the mini-view functions properly) and by no means all Steam games in your collection will work on the comparatively humble Pi 4. But after some experimentation, you can certainly find a nice indie game that is playable is. Like Legend of Dungeon, a pixel art rogue-like. The newer the game, the less likely the Pi is to run it. So keep your expectations in check. Steam support for the Raspberry Pi is actually best seen as experimental. For serious gaming, the Pi isn’t powerful enough unless you want to emulate. Then it is the most ideal solution again. See tip 8.
Tip 04: Commander Pi
For those who want to ramp up their Pi a bit, Commander Pi is probably no stranger. With this simple app you can overclock your Raspberry Pi. That means that you set the clock speed of the processor and memory higher than the default value. Overclocking is always a risk. The manufacturer guarantees that the chips will work properly on the default settings. The higher the clock speed, the faster the processor, but also the more heat it produces. Something that can eventually destroy the chip. In any case, Commander Pi is included by default in TwisterOS, and makes overclocking extremely easy. But make sure you know what you’re doing before experimenting with this.
Tip 05: Discord
Like the other applications in this article, Discord is also a program that many computer users install immediately when they set up a new system. That is, if the user belongs to one or more Discord communities. Discord is a chat application for gamers that supports both text conversations and Voice over IP. For the latter, you must of course have a microphone and speakers attached to your Pi. Discord works just as quickly and conveniently under Twister as it does on any other platform. Logging in is a piece of cake. Using the QR code, you can log in to your account with the mobile version of Discord in one go without a password, and all your groups and friend lists are also available on the Raspberry Pi.
Discord works as fast and convenient under Twister as on any other platform
Tip 06: Wine and Dosbox
TwisterOS also has Wine already installed for you. Wine is a virtual machine in which you can run Windows programs. Many games that you can still buy on Good Old Games (such as the classic Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri) can be played on your Raspberry Pi via Wine. But you also get certain (older) Windows applications to work. A full list of apps that run through Wine can be found at https://appdb.winehq.org. In addition to Wine, Dosbox is also installed by default. It allows you (as the name implies) to run DOS programs on your Pi. Most DOS games run very well, because a Pi 4 is now many times more powerful than the original MS-DOS PCs they were designed for.
Tip 07: Dynamic desktop
One of the nice cosmetic perks of macOS is the ability to adjust your desktop according to the time of day by default. This goes beyond a dark or light mode. Special images you set as your desktop background really change as the day goes on. In the afternoon the image can be seen in full sunlight, while in the evening you can also see the day gradually coming to an end in the image. TwisterOS offers the exact same capability, especially of course to complete the illusion of the macOS theme. But dynamic desktop images are not reserved for this macOS theme. You can use them in any version of TwisterOS. However, the offered images are very much inspired by macOS, which is something you should be aware of.
Tip 08: Retro Pie
For many Pi users, RetroPie is the app. RetroPie is a graphical environment where you can easily install emulators from other devices, such as game consoles. In fact, it is a nicely designed menu system that helps you to install and play classic games in a user-friendly environment. RetroPie is often installed as a standalone distribution on an SD card, in order to turn a Raspberry Pi into a specialized retro game console. But you can also run RetroPie ‘alongside’ a desktop installation, like TwisterOS does. So you don’t have to switch SD cards and you can play all your retro ROMs within the same installation. Just keep in mind that downloading ROMs from games you don’t own is illegal.
With Twister OS you also have access to all the software recommended by the Raspberry Foundation
Tip 09: All tools
Since TwisterOS is actually an extended version of the official Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian), you also have access to all the software recommended by the Raspberry Foundation. All programming tools, such as scratch and Thonny and the ‘bookshelf’ full of magazines and manuals are standard. TwisterOS also offers full support for GPIO. Those who would like to have all the applications and functions of the official Raspberry Pi experience, but also want to enjoy a beautiful user environment, have the best of both worlds with TwisterOS.
