I'm not a linux developer, and I need my system to work at all times, so Fedora doesn't seem to be a good option either...though I'm not 100% convinced of that yet, which is why I signed up for this list. Need more info.
I don't see why you feel that. I use Fedora in exactly the same way I used Red Hat Linux before it... all the time. My notebook runs Fedora with servers and all sorts of programs, and FC1 has been extremely stable and robust since it came out. I have had no... *zero*... problems with it.
RH seems to think that the only two options are "workstation" and "server".
In the Enterprise, that is pretty much true. Which is what RHEL is designed for.
Fedora seems (correct me if I'm wrong please...) to be a development system...a continuous beta release. Something that will change all the time, require constant attention, and may be broken some percentage of the time. [...]
Thank God, your perception is incorrect. Fedora attempts to be as stable as possible. The only thing that changed is that Red Hat Linux used to have problems because individuals wanted newer software (2.6 kernel, GNOME 2.4) released more quickly, and corporations were screaming that they wanted products to stay still/constant/unchanged for longer. So now RHEL stays still longer and Fedora attempts to integrate newer technology more quickly.
Fedora is *not* an unstable or unreliable system in any way.
For those who want RHL the way we've been using it for years now, I'm not clear on how well it simulates RHL with RHN updates to close new security flaws and other problems.
Very well. In fact I prefer it now.
Can someone who isn't a linux guru set up and maintain a Fedora system as easily as doing the same thing with RHL?
Yes. In fact, more easily, since the installer and other things have improved a great deal.
How do I get from my current working RHL 7.3 system to the Fedora system? Can I just upgrade? Or is this a "new build from scratch" situation? None of the RH FAQ's seem to address these issues...they just try to sell me on RHEL and tell me how great Fedora is to people who aren't exactly like me.
You can upgrade. Having said that, going from 7.3 to Fedora is a very big leap of three full versions (7 -> 8 -> 9 -> FC1), so I would prefer to reinstall from scratch.
I don't mind running up2date frequently, but I don't want to have to get into it more than that, except very rarely, and only then for educational purposes. Basically I want something that works like RHL with RHN...but RH isn't interested in selling that to me anymore.
No, they won't *sell* it to you any more. It is now *only* available for free. :-)
This has put RH into a very bad light with me...I hate being rejected as unimportant and not worth the time when I've been helping to support their getting to where they are
The reverse has happened, really. If they were sloughing off the little guy, then they would have dropped RHL and kept only RHEL. It is because they are committed to "the little people" and the Linux philosophy and wanted to open up the development effort that they created Fedora. You and others like you *are* the reason why Fedora exists.
-- Rodolfo J. Paiz rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.simpaticus.com
