Fedora Core 6 review

Valour · #1 11-08-2006, 12:30 AM

This is the first Fedora Core review I've written, but it's not because I didn't want to write one before. I've tested every Fedora release since the very first one, and have declined to write about it because it never seemed to work properly and I don't like writing totally negative reviews. At first I figured that the bugs and problems were just growing pains from the switchover from Red Hat Linux, and then from the move from the 2.4 to the 2.6 kernel, and other various things. There are no more excuses left, so I think it's time to break the silence about the inferiority of this desktop operating system, now in its sixth release.

Fedora Core 6 review

Dark_Schneider · #2 11-08-2006, 08:59 AM

I read with attention your review.

You know, what I'm finding sad is the fact that people can't site website without having to use proprietary software which make that some people can't see them because they are not using the right system. I'm finding sad that mp3 have patents and so people can't listen music as they want. With DRM it will be even worst.

It's true this is not convenient for the end user who just want something that works. However thanks to linux and openSource movement, we have more open drivers sometimes which are better quality thanks to their opensource nature.
Thanks to opensource we now have 2 greats programm for free like OpenOffice and firefox. This couldn't be possible for a company doing proprietary software : Corel failed with WordPerfect, Netscape failed with Netscape. Opera doesn't fail because Opera is Free ( and now even without the ad bar ) and they are targeting mobile devices ( in which people pay licences ). So without OpenSource, this wouldn't be possible.

So at first, this annoy the user, i can understand, i'm myself an user. However in the long run, this could turn into something beneficial for the end user ( more choice, more liberty )

brad-x · #3 11-08-2006, 09:50 AM

Repository of additional software, similar to Ubuntu Universe:

http://fedoraproject.org/extras/6/i3...data/repoview/

Now able to be switched on during the installation process.

Ease of adding software repositories: this can be done by installing an RPM which enables the repository, as is done with freshrpms, livna, etc. These repo maintainers have elected to cooperate with each other to maintain versioning compatibility as of late, making them safe to use together since Fedora Core 5.

The less functional Ubuntu remark leads me to think the writer is preferential to Ubuntu, but I digress...

I detect a lot of bitterness from people stating that Fedora is unsupported and that Red Hat has deemed desktop Linux unprofitable. The fact is, desktop Linux is unprofitable, and most Linux distributions are unsupported by their very nature. For an unsupported "second class" citizen in the Red Hat world, Fedora comes off with a lot of polish, and credit should be given where it's due.

Proprietary driver installation can be improved on any Linux distribution, that's for sure. The state of flux the Linux kernel is always in with various distributions makes it difficult if not impossible for binary driver maintainers to keep an RPM or an Ubuntu package in sync with the current kernel version. That's why nvidia and ATI themselves ship source based installers.

giallu · #4 11-08-2006, 11:52 AM

Ah, and thanks for moving my previous post on the offtopic forum. I really appreciated your interpretation of "free speech"

Valour · #5 11-08-2006, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giallu

Ah, and thanks for moving my previous post on the offtopic forum. I really appreciated your interpretation of "free speech"

When did I guarantee free speech? Besides, "fighting words" are not protected speech under the US constitution anyway. If you don't believe me, look it up.

If you write messages that attack me or another member of the forum, they get moved, edited, or deleted. I moved yours to the Hall of Shame because it attacked me. That is not acceptable behavior in this community.

giallu · #6 11-08-2006, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valour

When did I guarantee free speech? Besides, "fighting words" are not protected speech under the US constitution anyway. If you don't believe me, look it up.

If you write messages that attack me or another member of the forum, they get moved, edited, or deleted. I moved yours to the Hall of Shame because it attacked me. That is not acceptable behavior in this community.

Fair enough: can you please quote the "fighting words" in post? I am sure there was some misunderstanding as english is not my primary language.
That said, is it still possible to strongly disagree with your review? if not, I can safely go away now...

J.F. · #7 11-08-2006, 01:42 PM

I take it you don't care for Fedora Core. I don't think it's aimed at folks like you. I think it's aimed more at developers and small business. It has installation settings that can help choose what to install based on how you use the machine. Ubuntu doesn't have that. Want to set up Ubuntu for development? Go try and find all the development packages scattered all over their repos (I really HATE that about Ubuntu).

Quote:

The only architectures supported are x86, AMD64, and PPC.

Uh... that's the only architectures supported by MOST distros. It's certainly all Ubuntu supports.

Yes, their own default package manager sucks, so use it ONCE to get the Smart Package Manager from the extras repo and then ignore it. Use SPM for all your FC installing/updating needs. It can even handle FreshRPMs and Livna at the same time without getting into conflicts. It's also easier to add repos to than the default package manager.

I agree that some things are harder than other distros - Ubuntu makes it much easier to add nVidia drivers or Java, for example. However, it's not THAT hard, and their are plenty of pages that help guide the uninitiated. That said, Fedora Core is probably a step away from the more "user-friendly" distros like Ubuntu. It won't appeal to the Windows crowd at all.

So I think FC might be for more people than you do, it does take more work. I agree with much of the review, but it could have been dealt with. What I suggest if people want to try FC6 is this:

Enable the extras repo during the installation.
Install smart and smart-gui (which is in the extras repo), and use it instead.
Add the FreshRPMs and Livna to smart.
Consult a decent HowTo page, like the Unofficial Fedora Core Guide or FedoraFAQ.

Once you learn how to deal with these things, Fedora Core isn't so bad a distro. It won't be for everyone, though.

Valour · #8 11-08-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.F.

I take it you don't care for Fedora Core. I don't think it's aimed at folks like you. I think it's aimed more at developers and small business. It has installation settings that can help choose what to install based on how you use the machine. Ubuntu doesn't have that. Want to set up Ubuntu for development? Go try and find all the development packages scattered all over their repos (I really HATE that about Ubuntu).

Uh... that's the only architectures supported by MOST distros. It's certainly all Ubuntu supports.

Yes, their own default package manager sucks, so use it ONCE to get the Smart Package Manager from the extras repo and then ignore it. Use SPM for all your FC installing/updating needs. It can even handle FreshRPMs and Livna at the same time without getting into conflicts. It's also easier to add repos to than the default package manager.

I agree that some things are harder than other distros - Ubuntu makes it much easier to add nVidia drivers or Java, for example. However, it's not THAT hard, and their are plenty of pages that help guide the uninitiated. That said, Fedora Core is probably a step away from the more "user-friendly" distros like Ubuntu. It won't appeal to the Windows crowd at all.

So I think FC might be for more people than you do, it does take more work. I agree with much of the review, but it could have been dealt with. What I suggest if people want to try FC6 is this:

Enable the extras repo during the installation.
Install smart and smart-gui (which is in the extras repo), and use it instead.
Add the FreshRPMs and Livna to smart.
Consult a decent HowTo page, like the Unofficial Fedora Core Guide or FedoraFAQ.

Once you learn how to deal with these things, Fedora Core isn't so bad a distro. It won't be for everyone, though.

Would you like to write a review of FC6 from a different perspective? I'll certainly publish it if you do.

J.F. · #9 11-08-2006, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valour

Would you like to write a review of FC6 from a different perspective? I'll certainly publish it if you do.

Let me finish the AROS review first, then I need to download the FC6 DVD.

My brother's been tying up the DSL getting all the different Ubuntu 6.10 DVDs.

Valour · #10 11-08-2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.F.

Let me finish the AROS review first, then I need to download the FC6 DVD.

My brother's been tying up the DSL getting all the different Ubuntu 6.10 DVDs.

What do the Ubuntu DVDs have that the CDs don't? I have scoured the Ubuntu site and have not found an explanation. I figure it must be more packages, but are they then installed by default? I've installed from both the CD and the DVD and don't see any difference in the installer.