I’m having trouble deciding to build the system around a linux computer or an RPi. Also, does the linux system work similarly to RPi, or will I have to kind of relearn if I do it on linux?
Thanks in advance!
I think a lot of people use Linux on a Rpi.
I do because I’m running more programs in the rpi
I switched from rpi to a real linux server for two reasons. The linux server has much better performance and it was already available. Therefore in my case I don’t have to maintain another rpi device for openHAB.
If it helps.
I run OH2 on ODroid XU4 machines.
They are SBCs like the Pi, but have an OctoCore processor and (optional sized) Emmc memory.
The OS options are Android or Linux Ubuntu 16, provided preloaded on your choice of Emmc card.
I have tried running Plex at the same time as OH2 on the same machine, just as an experiment.
It worked well until the Emmc filled up with the Plex media database.
So I concluded that the ODroid is perfectly capable of running the two, I just need to move the Plex DB to another drive if I wanted to use it as a media system too.
(FYI the ODroid Ubuntu repository doesn’t have TVHeadend, so I couldn’t try that as a processor hungry service)
I’m a firm believer in “One machine = One use” so now I have OH2 running on its own on an ODroid XU4.
I’ve deployed this combination to a couple of customers and they all seem very happy with the machines.
All that said, I’m not a programmer, so I’m not asking these UX4s to do anything really impressive.
Ok, and I try to run most of my systems on one machine: file server, Nextcloud, Plex, Logitech server, tvheadend, print server, DB server, vpn, openHAB… Only Homematic runs on a separate rpi (raspberryMatic).
I’m using a xen server for multiple virtual machines, where one is openHAB1.8 and another is openHAB2.4 
I’m on a long migration process… 
and have very little time to manage it…
Back to the question… 
Raspberry Pi OS is per default Raspbian, which is a debian “offshoot”, and debian is GNU/Linux, that means, it uses the Linux Kernel. So, colloquial Raspberry Pi = Linux
When people say “Linux”, most time they intend “An OS which runs a Linux Kernel”. Another un*x platform would be freeBSD, which would also be “the freeBSD Kernel” with many tools around - the majority of them would be the same as in a GNU/Linux System.
So, there is really no difference between Raspberry Pi with Raspbian (for example when using openHABian to setup the Raspberry) and a common Computer System with a current debian stretch. Well, of course, Raspberry has hardware GPIO which the common Computer won’t…
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