ubuntu or fedora for my new computer?

Question

ok so i know i cant compare them, cuz they are two completely different os's. but what are the different goals of the two? so i can decide which one to get on my new desktop

Answer 1

Ubuntu is now losing ground to other distros. such as Fedora and Linux Mint (Ubuntu based)



Fedora 15 being the first of the major distros. to feature the GNOME3 Desktop as default will no doubt have a negative effect on Ubuntu with Canonical opting for the less stable Unity Desktop

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=fedora



Furthermore the Linux Mint team have tamed Pure Debian to the extent that is almost as easy to install and use as its Standard Ubuntu based Edition. It would seem Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is the way forward for the distro. but its not quite there yet. Wait until the respins of the ISO. are released and you will see what I mean. However I wouldn't recommend downloading the current ISO. as you will need to install numerous updates to get what is going to be somewhere close to the new release

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint



Other lesser known distros. are showing good too such as Pardus Linux

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=pardus



For the moment I thoroughly recommend Linux Mint 11. Its easy to install and easy to use plus it comes with much of the software you are likely to need preinstalled



Linux Mint 11 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=81



Linux Mint Installation Guide

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2009/12/03/linux-mint-8-installation-guide/



Linux Mint 11 Release Notes/User Guide

http://linuxmint.com/rel_katya.php



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 11 then you need to create a Bootable LiveDVD for installation

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto



Linux Mint 11 can also be run straight from the LiveDVD from Boot without touching your Hard Drive





LUg.

Answer 2

Usually I recommend Ubuntu because that's the easiest to use distribution. However, recent changes have me holding back a bit as Unity (their new desktop environment) is still quite buggy. I also cringe a little every time I recommend Ubuntu because while it is very easy to use it's not nearly as responsive/fast as other distributions can be. You can expect the response times to be a little shorter than Windows but not by much.



Fedora on the other hand isn't *quite* as newbie friendly (there are much worse out there so I'm not going to knock it too low on that) but it is an OS that really flies, even on low spec hardware. It's also a lot more stable than Ubuntu is at the moment, and (to me) Gnome 3 (the default desktop environment) is more intuitive than Ubuntu's Unity is. The documentation is also very complete and the users really know what they're doing (so it's easier to find support that really works - I have yet to have anyone in the Ubuntu community actually RESOLVE an issue, although they ARE very quick to respond).



As for Mint, I think they have done a really good job at drawing out the best of Ubuntu while leaving behind many of the bugs. Other than that most of what I said about Ubuntu also applies to Mint, minus the Unity desktop environment (Mint uses Gnome 2.6, a well loved favorite of the Linux community and I have no complaints about it myself).

Answer 3

Both are geared towards the beginner user though I would suggest sticking with Ubuntu. Reason being is:



One: It uses apt which is very easy to learn and I feel is more robust than RPM (package manager used by Fedora)



Two: It has a large support base which I have yet to find in Fedora



Three: It has a system of PPA's which make adding software from external sources a breeze.



Four: Since its more popular than all the other Linux Distro's, devs are more likely to program their apps or Ubuntu than they would for Fedora or other Distro's



Five: It comes with many built in scripts that make life easier.



Note though that while Ubuntu is geared towards the beginner, it can still be used effectively by an advanced user, this means that after you learn Linux, you wont have to switch.

Answer 4

They are both good, for the beginner or casual *nix user I would suggest Ubuntu.

For the more advanced I would suggest Fedora.

For the really good hackers, well, they use BSD.

PC-BSD is a great system for someone migrating from Windows/Apple.

Fedora uses the .RPM or Red Hat Package Managers, they have good support and good boards.

For a dual boot, start with Ubuntu, 10.04 LTS, is stable and supported for the next three years.

It dual boots with almost anything, is simple easy to install and figure out, after a week you will be making the changes as you want, when you want and free of any charge, just please share the information.

Linux Mint is Ubuntu on steroids. sorta

It is a derivative of Ubuntu, many distributions are now.



Thank You.

Answer 5

considering the fact which you're asking this question, i'm assuming your no longer overly conscious of Linux. on condition that, i might rule Fedora out; it demands extra handbook configuration setting up uncomplicated classes like Flash, MP3 and DVD formats, heck, even Google's Chromium internet browser isn't of their well-known repository. Ubuntu or Mint would be large for many novices; human beings have their own alternatives. I say try the two as stay CDs and %. the only that clicks terrific with you.