Linux is out there. In the case of some highly specialized distributions, Linux is WAY out there. Thankfully there are a number of solid disto’s that make installing and using Linux as your every-day OS fairly painless.
So … Which Linux distribution is right for you?
That ultimately depends on your particular needs. There are countless variations from which to choose. Distro Watch is a good resource for looking over the different distributions available. I’ve found that two distributions in particular seem to fit my needs. Perhaps they’ll fit yours as well. Ubuntu and Fedora are both stable and mature distributions targeted at the desktop. Both distributions ship with a similar array of pre-configured software packages, and both Fedora and Ubuntu default to the Gnome desktop with Compiz.
Ubuntu is based on Debian GNU/Linux. Debian is my favorite distribution it’s rock solid and fairly universal; running on just about every architecture. There is no proprietary software shipped with Debian and that’s the reason I don’t use it on my notebook: I require proprietary drivers for my Wi-Fi and audio.
Ubuntu takes the Debian core and makes it much easier to install and configure. In many cases Ubuntu installs properly with almost no user configuration. The synaptics package manager provides easy access to a wide variety of software, including proprietary and closed source apps which cannot be shipped as part of the distribution due to licensing and copyright issues.
Fedora (formerly Fedora Core) is based on RedHat, which was my first (successful) experience with Linux. RedHat also gave us the RPM (RedHat Package Manager) which made installing software relatively painless for the first time. Fedora doesn’t provide simplifed access to a repository of third party and proprietary software.
What’s the difference?
If you want to listen to MP3 audio, you’re going to need access to a proprietary codec. The package manager in Ubuntu will allow you to download and install these codecs. With Fedora you can either purchase the codecs from Fluendo, or find them on your own.
All that being said, I find that Both Ubuntu and Fedora provide a stable and aesthetically pleasing desktop with the most useful application pre-installed and ready to use. What made the difference for me was that Ubuntu is somewhat less cohesive than fedora. In the same way that Linux as a whole is less cohesive than BSD even though both are free and open source. That’s not necessarily a negative statement, just an observation. RedHat Enterprise Linux works closely with Fedora to determine what community software is stable and mature enough to be included in the fully supported commercial OS.
That relationship doesn’t officially exist between Ubuntu and Debian, although I’m sure popular applications and drivers do make their way to Debian from the Ubuntu community.
So? You didn’t really answer the question, Ubuntu or Fedora?
If you want an easy to use desktop that can replace Windows,You probably want to use Ubuntu. If on the other hand, your looking for a stable and secure desktop and can live without proprietary media codecs, then I suggest Fedora.
No comments:
Post a Comment