Introduction#

Since my first contact using Linux back in 2020, I’ve tried out many distributions, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kubuntu, and most recently Pop!_OS. But, as you may already known, these are all Debian-based distributions, so aside from graphical interfaces, they function in the exact same way.

Having expanded my knowledge in Linux throughout the last year, I now feel confortable enough to tweak with more cutting-edge systems. My first idea was to try Manjaro KDE, as Arch-based distributions seemed quite interesting. Yet, after playing around with Fedora through LiveUSB, I’ve decided to stick around with it for now.

The opinions shared in this post are based on the following use cases:

  • Software Development, mainly in Java, JavaScript and Python environments
  • Casual tasks and applications (e.g. music and video streaming, web browsing, etc.)
  • Gaming (i.e. lightweight games via SteamOS and Proton)

I’ve also considered the opinions of other users posted on the Reddit community r/Fedora, which I recommend you to follow for troubleshooting and customizing configurations.

The first contact#

Something noticeable even before installing Fedora is that it’s very lightweight - it’s shipped only with Firefox, LibreOffice Suite, and basic applications/utilities. This also applies for GNOME Shell, the graphical interface of Fedora Workstation, which offers a pure, vanilla experience. Sure, finding and testing GNOME extensions for basic funcionalities (e.g. adding app shortcuts to the desktop) is quite annoying, but it’s a classic “install and forget” type of job.

The real deal-maker for me was the package repositories: many of the softwares I use are avaliable in DNF with more recent versions than those in APT-based distributions. Also, Fedora comes with Flatpak pre-installed, only requiring you to add the FlatHub repositories before installing software.

However, not everything is perfect: Fedora’s preference for open-source software means that you may need to manually install proprietary drivers, such as those for Nvidia GPUs, and media codecs like H.264. Fortunately, most of these can be found in RPMFusion - Fedora’s third-party repository. So far, I only had to install a few video codecs for VLC, without any struggles with hardware compatibility. Therefore, your experience with Fedora may vary, depending on your hardware specifications and which programs you use.

Software compatibility#

One of my biggest concerns when moving away from Pop!_OS was that some applications I use wouldn’t be compatible, without any satisfactory alternatives. Thankfully, this was not the case, as Fedora’s repositories provided pretty much all the packages I needed. But again, for third-party packages and proprietary software, you may have to reach out for RPMFusion, which is very easy to setup and use.

On the rare ocasions where the softwares you need is not within Fedora’s repositories nor RPMFusion, you can also use Flatpak - a package manager that allows you to install and execute containerized applications, keeping their dependencies separate from the system. I personally prefer flatpaks over native packages, though I’ve seen many users recommend the opposite.

The only cases I believe you may have to opt for alternatives are for packages and applications distributed only through Snap or PPAs. For Snap, however, it’s probable that you’ll find your software within Flatpak or RPM repositories, which was my case for Hugo SSG - the framework used in this website, distributed in Fedora through DNF.

Support and resources#

It’s important to highlight that Fedora has far less online resources when compared to Ubuntu/Debian distributions, which means that you may have difficulties finding solutions for technical problems, specially if you have little experience with Linux.

Despite that, I’ve found Fedora to be very similar in usability with Ubuntu distributions so far. The most noticeable difference between the platforms are the package repositories, as Fedora (and RedHat Linux distributions) enphatizes the adoption of Open-Source software, and thus requires add some overhead configuration to allow proprietary packages - which are easily set with only two commands in your terminal.

Although Fedora has proved to be stable and easy to use up until now, I’d still recommend Debian-based distributions for those who have no experience in Linux, or simply have no time to spare on debugging configurations.

TL;DR#

With my current experience, Fedora stands out on the following:

  • Offers a true vanilla GNOME experience, leaving all customizations for the users
  • Allows users to choose whether to install proprietary software (through RPMFusion) or not
  • Packages within RPM repositories are offered in more recent versions than in APT

However, I see some possible drawbacks of this migration:

  • Being a cutting-edge distribution, Fedora may be less stable than Ubuntu
  • Specific applications may not be available for Fedora
  • Potential reduced compatibility with older hardware (based on some reports from other users)

Some of this aspects may change as my experience with Fedora evolves, so expect updates in the future.