An update to Raspberry Pi OS is available; here’s what’s new.

The Picamera2 Python camera interface, a new menu, and more.

 

A number of new desktop improvements have been added to the Raspberry Pi OS with the most recent update, which boost text-based search, network administration, and camera system access.

 

A new text-based search box for searching applications like File Manager, the OS Imager, and Image Viewer is added to Raspberry Pi OS as well. By tapping the Windows key on some keyboards or the Raspberry key on this one, you can access it. The current menu is still available.

 

Additionally, an icon for audio input and output have been added. Additionally, when a USB or Bluetooth audio device is connected, a microphone symbol will show up.

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Ctrl-Alt-W and Ctrl-Alt-B are two new keyboard shortcuts for launching the Wi-Fi menu and the Bluetooth menu, respectively.

 

The software NetworkManager, which is well-liked in other Linux distributions for managing Wi-Fi networks, is included in this release. Up till now, Pi OS used dhcpcd to control Wi-Fi network connections. Users must enable NetworkManager in addition to the standard dhcpcd. But in the future, it will be the standard. The two systems do not immediately transfer connections. Users must also reset any customised network settings.

 

Simon Long of Raspberry Pi explains why switching to NetworkManager is a good idea. “NetworkManager adds a variety of other functions that you may find helpful. It allows you to simply connect to wireless networks with disguised SSIDs. It makes managing VPN connections more straightforward.

 

The updated image can be downloaded from the Raspberry Pi’s downloads page and directly flashed to an SD card with the help of Raspberry Pi Imager.

 

Now included with the OS is the internally created and open-source Python Picamera2 camera interface. The library is built on the libcamera framework already in place, however it is simpler to use. It takes the place of the previous Picamera library, which was obsolete in the Debian Bullseye Pi OS version.

 

The Pi OS platform, in this instance, is moving away from Broadcom’s proprietary and closed camera APIs, according to Raspberry Pi engineer David Plowman. Some open-source supporters have expressed displeasure over the fact that Raspberry Pi devices, which use Broadcom silicon and ship with a binary blob containing its proprietary code, do not.

 

This Picamera2 beta release can be used by programmers to analyse and recognise images using AI frameworks like Tensorflow.

 

Qt and OpenGL are installed as dependencies with Picamera2. However, because low-power devices have trouble running X Windows-based applications, these dependencies are not installed with Raspberry Pi OS Lite.

 

Key characteristics of the Raspberry Pi, in addition to video encoding, recording, and drawing overlays, include:

 

a paradigm that is command-driven, allowing you to enter Picamera2 commands directly into a Python interpreter or into your Python scripts
When X Windows is not operating, preview windows that employ DRM/KMS for effective rendering or OpenGL acceleration for hardware-assisted rendering
More assistance with incorporating pre-made Picamera2 widgets into Qt programmes
Using numpy natively “makes it very intuitive to use with OpenCV, TensorFlow and other Python libraries,” according to the author.
The libcamera project or the Picamera2 GitHub page both host the whole source code.