Personal Introduction
Usually I don’t start posts with personal introductions, but this time it’s necessary:
A long time ago, my close friend Beni and I founded the Israeli LoCo team of Ubuntu. We were the localization leaders, and we also had an amazing website, forums, and a unique community.
All we knew how to do in those days was to act as missionaries and spread the word of Ubuntu from 2006 to 2009.
Later, when I abandoned Ubuntu after the Unity interface crisys (which happened almost simultaneously with the release of Gnome3), I switched to Debian, which I worked on for many more years.
So I grew up on DEB distributions and aptitude (apt-get), and any change, even the smallest one, seemed strange to me.
Over the years, I always looked at Fedora and all the RPM’s distributions as foreign sisters, the kind you know are there but you don’t really want to connect with.
It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly why, but maybe the reason lies in the simple fact that in those years Ubuntu knew how to present the best innovations and be the center of what I call ‘Linux for the masses’.
12 Years Forward
Recently, I decided to abandon my MacOS environment and return to my roots, Linux.
Not much has changed. Maybe the app icons have changed, but X11 remains the same and everything felt pretty stuck.
I started looking for my next ultimate distribution and then Nick from the YouTube channel “The Linux Experiment” uploaded a video explaining why he chose Fedora as his main distribution.
By the way, I highly recommend you follow this channel, I really think it’s one of the best channels out there today.
It was hard for me, I admit.
Beyond the technical change, there is a matter of principle here. For years I avoided getting close to RPM-based distributions, it was a matter of mental fixation.
But the secret to success lies in flexibility of thought, doesn’t it?
5 Reasons to Ditch That Other Boring OS (Yes, I’m Looking at You Ubuntu)
Fedora is a Semi-Rolling Linux Distribution
For those unfamiliar with Linux distributions: Linux distributions can be broadly divided into two types: standard distributions and rolling distributions.
Standard distributions:
- Release a new version periodically to which you can update all at once.
- Between releases, there are no significant updates apart from security patches.
- New versions of the desktop environment and various software are released all at once periodically.
- Similar to the difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11, or between macOS Big Sur and Mojave.
Rolling distributions:
- You receive the latest version at all times without waiting for a new release.
The meaning behind semi-rolling distributions:
- Most packages, including the kernel, are updated frequently throughout the life cycle of the latest release.
- A small number of packages (such as GNOME) are frozen until the next release of the operating system.
- This allows for both stability and new features.
Innovation is the name of the game
No more using X11, no more working with an outdated version of GNOME. When you choose Fedora, you know you’re choosing the latest and greatest.
Fedora has the newest features, software, drivers, libraries, and a stable kernel. Updates will flow to your computer at a very fast pace, allowing you to maintain both innovation and stability.
Fedora is Easy to Use
If you ask many people what their first Linux distribution was, you’ll find that almost 80% will say Ubuntu. If you ask them why, they’ll tell you that Ubuntu was the easiest distribution to start with. At the time, Ubuntu’s most significant innovation was the live CD, which allowed new users to try out the operating system without installing it on their computer.
Today, most distributions offer this feature, but Ubuntu was the first to provide such a perfect user experience.
Fedora is a very easy distribution to work with. It is user-friendly and simple to use, making it suitable for beginners and experienced users alike.
The simplicity starts with the installation process and continues with daily use. When you install Fedora and start using it for the first time, you will see a short and intuitive user guide. MP3 codecs and other formats are already installed by default.
It is important to note that Fedora does not provide proprietary drivers and codecs by default. It will not allow you to install them either, as they conflict with the project’s goal of promoting the open source community. However, it is very easy to install such codecs and drivers.
The main point here is not that Fedora has become easier to use than Ubuntu, but rather that it is no longer clear whether Ubuntu is easier to use than Fedora đ .
Fedora Has a Large and Supportive Community
One of the advantages of Ubuntu is its large community. Millions of people use Ubuntu daily for over a decade.
This means that there’s always someone who has asked your question before and someone who has helped and solved a problem.
So when you choose Ubuntu, you’re in a kind of perpetual learning process. You’ll always be exposed to videos, articles, and forums. No matter how you look at it, you’ll always learn (which is a wonderful thing).
Fedora has a large community, not as large as Ubuntu’s, but still significant.
Fedora is not a new distribution (it was actually created long before Ubuntu). So when there is a problem or issue, there is always documentation, forums, videos, and a lot of information in the online knowledge wiki.
When you choose Fedora, you join a community that loves to help in a variety of ways.
Fedora Offers a Variety of Desktop Environments!
By default, Fedora comes with the GNOME desktop environment, which is the most popular among Linux distributions.
If you’re not a fan of GNOME, you can always install another edition of Fedora that comes with a different desktop environment, such as KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE, MATE, and more.
In the picture above, you can see my desktop environment. It’s not far from Apple’s, but it’s not as close either.
In Summary
Fedora has a lot to offer, and if you’re interested in trying Linux, who says Ubuntu has to be your entry point?
If you’re already using Linux as your main system, don’t miss out on trying Fedora. It has a lot to offer and is considered one of the best distributions on the market.