The current version of NOOBS has been updated to improve performance and usability and uses the Debian Jessie version of the Raspbian operating system. Since the Raspberry Pi was designed to introduce children to computers and programming, making the setup easy was a key element. New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS) helps you set up your Pi and is available pre-installed on a microSD flash memory card, which also serves as an SD card adapter. Connect your Pi to a keyboard, mouse, power supply, and monitor, and insert the NOOBS card into the microSD slot. The next step is to install the operating system you want to use on the Pi.

What operating systems can I install on NOOBS? Raspbian (recommended), Pidora, OpenElec, RaspBMC, RISC OS, Arch Linux. What changes does the Debian Jessie upgrade offer? Debian Jessie has been designed to better serve all Pi users. The Microsoft Office-compatible LibreOffice Suite, the Claws Mail email client, BlueJ and Greenfoot (for Java), as well as upgrades to the Epiphany browser, Scratch, and Sonic Pi have been added. Other changes include: an eject icon for safely removing USB drives without losing data, booting through the desktop GUI instead of the command line (although booting via the command line is still possible), an internet link to MagPi (the official Pi magazine), support for newer Pi add-ons like Astro Pi, the ability to capture screenshots of the Pi, GPIO control without using sudo, bug fixes, and automatic detection of common keyboards.