The RaspEX Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computers has been updated today, March 31, 2016, by developer Arne Exton, bringing support for various hardware components on the new Raspberry Pi board.

RaspEX Build 160331 arrives today as a free upgrade for existing users, and includes the Kodi media center software, Wicd network manager, Mozilla Firefox web browser, VNC4Server VNC connection manager, Samba file sharing tool, PulseAudio sound server, and Bluetooth support.

Please note that the Kodi (formerly XBMC Media Center) software comes as an alternative to the LXDE desktop environment, which is installed by default in the RaspEX Linux distribution. Additionally, RaspEX Build 160331 now features a new kernel.

Just like previous builds, the system remains based on the Debian GNU/Linux 8.3 (Jessie) and Ubuntu 15.10 (Wily Werewolf) operating systems, and contains various components and package from Linaro open-source software for ARM processors.

"I have upgraded the whole system, replaced the old kernel, added support for Bluetooth and installed Kodi (XBMC) Media Center as an alternative to the LXDE Desktop," said Arne Exton. "Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers."

Another interesting aspect of the RaspEX distribution is that it allows users to control their Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computers from a Windows PC, but to achieve that, you'll need first to install a VNC Viewer, Telnet or SSH client on your Windows operating system. More details about the package that have been included in RaspEX Build 160331 can be found here.

RaspEX Build 160331 is available for free and you can download the archive that contains all the files you need to get started using Linux on your Raspberry Pi 3 right now via our website. Also, you should keep in mind the fact that RaspEX is not a Live CD and it needs to be installed on an SD card before you can run it on your Raspberry Pi 3.