I've tested out a few distros, all of which i've had mixed feelings on. I'm looking for something to replace my Windows system as I wait for the right time to buy a Mac (for graphics and video editing), but for now I really need to get a good, stable system going.

My last run with Linux: Mandriva 2006. I just really dont like the KDE environment, and it was very buggy. After many hours and unsuccesfull attempts to get my wireless card working, i've decided another go with a diffrent OS.

So im going to go with the gnome side of things and choose either Ubunutu or Fedore, both of which I have on disk, but without installing them and figuring out which one I like best, can someone describe to me the diffrences between these two? Out of all the linux distros i've tried, I didnt really see anything diffrent in them, besides they all had some sort of fault in them I didn't like, or the were just buggy in general.

I just want something I can use for now for internet, email, and music (listening), while I wait for the time to buy my Mac (after my other new film equipment gets ordered, months from now).

So, perhaps you have used both or just know which one is better, in terms of stability and functiability. Fedora is the dvd iso, so its 3.2gb im sure has more files and applications from the get-go, which I like (although I havent tried it out yet), and Ubunwhatever is the one cd .iso that will probably NOT have the drivers I need, so I probably wont be able to do anything with it untill multiple reboots in and out of windows and saving on an external device that will (hopefully) be reconized in linux so I can download files I need via windows while I try to get my damn linksys card to work with ANY distro of linux.

Eh.

Don't take it personally, but you really need to search the forums to make sure this hasn't already been asked before starting a new topic. This is such a common question I'm sure its been asked here before, if not them it has definately been asked on a different forum. Just google it. Linux forums get bombarded on "which distro?" questions EVERY DAY, they get very annoying especially when we try to give you the right resources. Google this, search the forums, try out a distro chooser, do the research yourself if you have to. This is a very basic question that even your own research into it is sure to yield the answer very quickly. You probably missed it, there's even a prominent button under the subject field when you start a new topic to search the forums for similar topics. It's there for a reason. Again, don't take this personally, just learn to google and search for your question before you ask, otherwise it's just rude and annoying.

Not offense taken, and I did google Ubuntu vs. Fedora for a basic understanding of the two.

Basically my results were just forum links with responses like, "Well, I havent used Ubuntu but I used Fedora a few years ago... pretty nice system" or something similar, none of which really yieled a wealth of information.

I was basically curious as to any major diffrence between the two distros, as most distros I try I find no major diffrences, aside from diffrent problems

All in all, sorry, I know these must get old. I'll read a bit through the forums to see if I find what im looking for

9
Ubuntu
(I have chosen brevity as an antidote for the verbosity of this thread)

This kind of question gets asked a lot. The best way to find which distro is best for you is by trying out several distros and then sticking with the one you like. I could say Fedora is better because I am not a fan of Ubuntu, but I would not be helping you because I would just be expressing personal preference. Thats what many people do when they reply to this type of thread so you'd be better of getting your own answer by trying a few distros.

I just tried Ubuntu, and wasnt really impressed. It locked up on me twice, and I could not even figure out how to configure my wireless card... it wasnt really that great. Aside from the fact that none of my mp3s worked, none of my .avi movie files worked, locking up twice, once per session, the network properties spread out and featureless. I looked and looked and couldnt find anywhere to CHOOSE what device I wanted to use for networking. It assumed etho and modem... I use wireless and don't even have a modem, so I was looking for wlan or something of the sort.

I did enjoy the overall look though.

I realized earlier that I didnt have any spare blank DVDs, and I wont get dvd's untill I cash my check tomorrow, so im redownloading Fedora... but this time the five cd's. I'll let you know how that goes...

suggest you pick something and stick with it a while. You can have issues with ANY distro.

I've recently compared Ubuntu 5.10 to FC5, so I thought I'd list the significant differences I found for discussion (there were surprisingly few).

- Ubuntu uses deb/apt/synaptic for package management, while FC5 uses rpm/yum/pirut. Optionally, FC5 can also use apt/synaptic, via 'yum install apt synaptic'.

- Ubuntu uses older versions of software vs. FC5. This potentially makes Ubuntu more stable, in exchange for not having the latest features and functions.

- Ubuntu is less secure than FC5 out of the box, since SELinux is not installed (it is installed in FC5).

- The directory structure is slightly different between the two; no particular benefit either way.

- By default, Ubuntu doesn't use the root userid, but rather uses sudo for administration tasks. By default, FC5 uses a root password for administration tasks.

Those seem to be the major differences, which are really quite minor. It can be a little confusing switching between the two for new Linux users, but otherwise they are fairly close.

You forgot to mention Ubuntu uses debian packages (*.deb) which can be installed separately using dpkg. APT and Synaptic are just frontends for installing Debian packages, just like YUM and Pirut are frontends for RPMs.

Yup, thanks! I updated the entry.

I would try out the new version of Ubuntu, which is version 6.06 (dapper). I have been very impressed with it so far. I have also tried FC 5, and I have not been impressed. I believe that you will have fewer "issues" with Ubuntu.

I have written some reviews about my experiences with each distro Here

I hope this helps
--Ian

I just completed the upgraded to 6.06 (dapper), and just wanted to note that the comments I made above still apply.

I've also been trying out Ubuntu Dapper. Its a good distro, but still overrated in my opinion. The installation was really easy, but it would be good if there was some sort of package selector and the the installer didn't overwrite the MBR without asking. Other than that its just like any other Linux distro.

IBall you can use reiserfs with Fedora Core. You can even install Fedora Core on a reiserfs partition by entering "linux reiserfs" at boot time. If you need to manage reiserfs partitions, you have to install the reiserfsprogs package. Fedora makes extensive use of Selinux which at one point did not work very well on reiserfs, so Fedora tends to promote ext3 over reiserfs. I can't comment on the printing issue, but I have never had a problem setting up a print server on Fedora Core.

I have been using Fedora Core 5 on an old Dell machine with CPU slower than 1 Gig, 256 RAM etc for more than 2 months. It works perfectly to work with email, instant messenging, web surfin and reading and editing Office documents.
Two months ago, with no Linux experience, I did not have any problem with creating a Linux partition with use of Partition magic. Installation of Fedora Core 5 went smoothly and flawlessly - it took around 40 min to finish. Since then the computer and hardware work as a Swiss clock. Internet connection is done via university's LAN, so that I do not know if there would be any problem with the modem.
So far so good.
Val