Fedora is a powerful Linux distro with a beautiful desktop and a ton of built-in features. It boasts the latest in kernel development and serves as the upstream for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS Stream. In this article, I will look at Fedora Linux and go through the reasons why it’s become my distro for productivity tasks.
Content
- Comes With Everything I Need For Basic Tasks
- Fedora Supports Every Peripheral I Use
- Hits the Sweet Spot Between Bleeding-Edge and Stability
- Flatpaks Fill My Need for Proprietary Apps
- Using Fedora Teaches Me How RHEL and CentOS Works
Comes With Everything I Need For Basic Tasks
The biggest characteristic I look for in an operating system (OS) is whether I can get up to speed with it for work-related tasks. I prefer a system that’s not time-consuming to set up, comes with some tools, and allows me to work immediately.
One of the things that drew me to Fedora is its commitment to being a complete Linux distro for workstations. It has a one-click system installer, a highly functional desktop, and tools for web browsing and creating content. In my experience, I’ve never had any moments with Fedora where I have to configure a tool just to make it work how I want to.
Personally, I like Fedora’s “no-nonsense” approach to system defaults. It doesn’t try to include fancy features and sticks with tried and true settings for desktops and laptops. Aside from installing Emacs, I usually run Fedora with its default settings, and it usually covers everything I need out of my work machine.
Good to know: looking for a gaming and performance-oriented distro? Check out our article on Nobara Linux and how it stacks against Fedora.
Fedora Supports Every Peripheral I Use
Another reason why I use Fedora over other distros is its kernel builds that support a wide range of hardware peripherals. This means I don’t have to worry about compatibility issues, allowing me to focus on my work instead of troubleshooting the OS.
Apart from that, Fedora’s stellar hardware compatibility also enables me to experiment with and test new workflows. For example, the latest version of Fedora supports my ThinkPad’s tablet digitizer. This gives me a chance to test whether writing my notes with a tablet pen is better than typing it.
Lastly, multiple laptop manufacturers, such as Lenovo and Framework, are now providing official support and hardware compatibility lists for Fedora. Being an avid Linux fan, I find this helpful since it allows me to make informed decisions when buying Linux-friendly laptops.
Hits the Sweet Spot Between Bleeding-Edge and Stability
When distributing software and updates, Linux distros generally fall into two categories: rolling release and Long Term Support (LTS). The former embraces the bleeding edge, giving users the latest software in exchange for instability. Meanwhile, the latter pins the OS on a specific version and only introduces reliability and security patches.
Fedora takes a different approach to a regular Linux distro. Instead, it opts for a hybrid model that freezes the core system packages every six months while allowing third-party programs to closely follow their upstream source.
As a technology writer, I really prefer this hybrid model over both rolling release and LTS. It gives me the opportunity to test the latest software for Linux while also retaining the stability of my system packages. Further, I can rest easy knowing that upgrading my system wouldn’t break anything and that I won’t spend hours troubleshooting a broken package.
On a side note: learn how different distros manage non-system packages by checking out our handy Linux Package Manager cheatsheet.
Flatpaks Fill My Need for Proprietary Apps
Linux is an open-source OS that provides a dedicated platform for similar open-source tools and programs. Because of that, Linux distros don’t usually play nice with closed-source apps unless their maintainers explicitly support them. This makes it difficult to obtain desktop versions of popular web-based apps such as Spotify and Discord.
Fedora solves this issue by providing its own containerized app platform right out of the box. Flatpak, along with its repository Flathub, is a powerful package management solution that serves both open-source and closed-source software.
With the help of Flatpak and DNF, I was able to get my Fedora machine up to speed with my personal workflow. For instance, I can run sudo flatpak install com.slack.Slack to install my work-related chat application.
Tip: elevate your Fedora and RHEL knowledge by looking at our comprehensive guide to using DNF.
Using Fedora Teaches Me How RHEL and CentOS Works
On top of being a brilliant distro, Fedora is also the upstream for RHEL and CentOS. This means that any feature that’s currently present in Fedora could eventually trickle down to RHEL and CentOS. For example, DNF started life in Fedora back in 2015 but was adopted into RHEL just four years later.
For me, the biggest upside of this is that learning Fedora also prepares me for RHEL and CentOS. The skills I build up while using Fedora for my daily tasks can easily translate into Enterprise Linux, giving me an edge over others when working on enterprise environments. For instance, I was able to easily use RHEL’s IdM system since I’m already familiar with FreeIPA in Fedora.
At the end of the day, Fedora is a powerful Linux distro for workstations that balances innovation, stability, and flexibility. It’s straightforward to use and comes with tools to support all kinds of workflows. Because of that, I fully recommend Fedora to anyone looking for a “no frills” Linux system for their personal computer.
Learning what makes Fedora great for productivity is just the first step in exploring this wonderful operating system. Take a deep dive into the Fedora ecosystem by looking at some of the best Fedora-based distros available today.
Image credit: Thom Bradley via Unsplash and Wikimedia Commons. All alterations and screenshots by Ramces Red.
Ramces Red –
Staff Writer
Ramces is a technology writer that lived with computers all his life. A prolific reader and a student of Anthropology, he is an eccentric character that writes articles about Linux and anything *nix.
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