LOW-IMPACT APPS
Come, fill your tiny $35-$55 desktop PC with the kind of apps a PC of that value could never have dreamed of in days gone by. Show it who’s boss. You’re boss, in case you hadn’t realized. In Raspbian, you’ll want to click the raspberry icon, then head to “Preferences > Add/Remove Software” to find the packages.
›› OFFICE: LIBREOFFICE
No sense in deviating from the open-source standard here, because the LibreOffice suite runs remarkably well on the Pi 4, particularly once you’ve made the transition to booting from an SSD. You’ll find it preinstalled with most distros, including Raspbian.
›› IMAGEEDITING: GIMP
Another staple: The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a fantastic and extremely capable Photoshop-esque photo editor and graphics mangler that runs perfectly adequately on highRAM editions of the Raspberry Pi 4.
›› INTERNET: CHROMIUM
We’ll stick with Raspbian’s default browser again, because it’s pretty damn snappy, but bear in mind that Chromium’s favorite thing in the world is your RAM, and each of its tabs are going to eat as much of it as possible.
›› PRINTING: CUPS
Whether you’ve got the correct drivers for the most common printer in the world or you’re working with Linux on some obscure sub-model of a lesser-known laser, it’s all a bit of a gamble. CUPS (the Common UNIX Printing System) is your best bet for getting those documents on paper.
›› VIDEO: VLC
OK, we’re recommending VLC, because it works adequately well, but the Pi’s speciality is not in decoding video, especially that which isn’t H.264/ H.265 encoded. There are ways, such as using Plex or Kodi, but sticking to online streaming (and, even then, to 720p) may be your best option.