On 9/21/06, Chong Yu Meng <chongym@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Thu, 2006-09-21 at 02:25 -0500, Mike McCarty wrote: > Umm, unless he wants to make installing his OS into a hobby, I > recommend almost anything over Fedora. Actually, I'd say the choice of which distro to use depends a lot on what the person is going to use it for, and several other considerations, such as: * availability of support -- whether you can easily and readily find someone who can help you install the product and/or resolve any problems along the way * level of technology proficiency -- is the person a complete newbie? Or someone who has assembled computers himself? There are 2 scenarios for which I would push for Linux in general and Fedora in particular: if the friend wants an OS for a server, OR if the friend wants an application development environment. For programming, nothing beats the price, speed and most of all, stability, of Linux. No need for anti-virus, anti-spyware and a plethora of security software slowing down your system, and even if you mess up your program, you (probably) won't need to reboot or worse, re-install your OS. As for server environments, one of the main advantages of UNIX/Linux as compared to The Other OS is the commandline. If you have ever had to explain which buttons to press or options to select, to a complete newbie administrator, you will wish there was a commandline way of doing things, which you just need to document and pass on the magic incantation. -- Pascal Chong email: chongym@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx web: http://cymulacrum.net pgp: http://cymulacrum.net/pgp/cymulacrum.asc "La science ne connaît pas de frontière parce que la connaissance appartient à l'humanité. et que c'est la flamme qui illumine le monde." -- Louis Pasteur
What a strange thread: Most people here are Fedora users, but the majority seems to recommend Ubuntu... I have used both Fedora and Ubuntu, and for a new user I do not think it matters much which distro he or she chooses. As long as he or she is willing to learn an curious and that there is someone to guide him or her along the way, both distros would be a good choice. I switched from Ubuntu to Fedora a year ago (I was initially a Redhat user when I first started using Linux) and have never looked back. Why do I prefere Fedora? 1. The software that are available in Extra is generaly more up to date than what I experienced with universe and multiverse in Ubuntu. 2. Fedora has found the prefect balance between providing cutting edge software while maintaining a stable foundation. Still there are some issues with Fedora that are easier in Ubuntu: 1. restricted firmware and codecs. Even though I agree very much on Fedora's view on non-free software, firmware, video and audio codecs are some of the major issues for new users. Even though this is easily solved, it is still easier in *buntu. All in all I can not say anything other than that I am very pleased with Fedora and do not hesitate to recommend it to new and old users. -- Trond Danielsen
