Raspberry Pi gets an app store service

December 17, 2012 | 12:13

Tags: #linux-gaming #raspbian

Companies: #debian #raspberry-pi #raspberry-pi-foundation

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has teamed up with IndieCity to create a Pi-specific software store, allowing easy donwload and installation of popular applications and games on the cut-price device.

Available on store.raspberrypi.com, the service uses IndieCity's usual interface to provide access to numerous software packages - some available for free, others available to purchase. Each has been compiled, tested and verified to work on the Raspberry Pi with its low-power ARMv6 Broadcom BCM2835 processor. While the content is a bit thin on the ground at present - 23 free packages, many of which are available directly from the repository built in to the Raspbian operating system recommended for use with the PI, along with a single commercial game priced at £1.99 - the Foundation has high hopes for the service.

'We hope that the Pi Store will provide young people with a way to share their creations with a wider audience, and maybe to a make a little pocket money along the way; as well as offering commercial developers an easy way to get their software seen by the Raspberry Pi community,' explained Foundation publicist Liz Upton in a blog post announcing the service. 'Anybody can submit their own project for moderation and release.

'You can choose whether to make your content free or paid: the store has a tip jar mechanism, so even if you’re not charging (and not charging will get you far more downloads), you still have the opportunity to make some money from your development work if people really like it. You can submit binaries, raw Python code, images, audio or video; and soon you’ll be able to submit Scratch content too. Raspberry Pi-related media of all kinds also has a place in the Pi Store – we’re carrying the MagPi, and hope to be able to host as many of your homebrew tutorials there as possible.
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The IndieCity software will be bundled into the latest version of the Raspbian operating system image, while those running from a previous download can install the software with the command sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install pistore at the terminal.

With the IndieCity-powered digital distribution service providing an easier way to get software on the Pi than command-line package management utilities, it could prove a smashing success - and its support for non-software content, including newspapers and magazines, should get content creators interested in publishing their works through the service in order to target the estimated million plus Pi users currently out there in the wild.
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