So you have your Raspberry Pi and you’ve played with it a bit and now you want to install some new software. Now usually you can just run apt-get and install ready-to-go packages. But, there are many instances where certain pieces of software are out of date or not available from the official Raspberry Pi Raspbian repositories. This can lead to a lot of really complex installation processes, with gcc, make, cmake, ./config, yak, bison and who knows what other wild beasts.

We wanted to make things easier.

The answer? apt.adafruit.com – our Raspbian package repository. Adding our repository to the list of repositories on your Raspberry Pi will allow you to easily install any of the packages we make available. Installing current versions of software like node.js and wiringpi is as easy as apt-get install node or apt-get install wiringpi. We are also constantly adding new custom packages for things like installing a PiTFT or turning your Raspberry Pi into a WiFi Access Point!

Check out the guide on the Adafruit Learning System!