You've probably heard of the Raspberry Pi. It's a fully-fledged computer, the size of a deck of cards, that costs $35 and runs Linux. It was originally hoped that a few thousand people would be interested in buying one, yet a few months ago the figure hit an astonishing 10 million. The latest model really is powerful enough to use for almost all your non-gaming requirements, including web browsing and word processing. Just add a keyboard, screen and mouse and you're ready to go.

PIXEL Linux OSBack in December, the people behind Raspberry Pi made available a version of their Linux distribution that runs on standard PCs. So if you want the simplicity and speed of an OS that's designed for a tiny computer, perhaps to use for someone who's overwhelmed by the complexity of Windows, now you have it.

The OS is called PIXEL, and it's a free download from the Raspberry Pi website. The download runs to 1.3 GB, though, so make sure you have enough time and bandwidth to get it. PIXEL is free. You'll need to burn it to a USB stick or DVD disc, and then boot your PC from it.  Read More