What is Fedora?

Are you familiar with Fedora Linux? And do you have any information about it? Some people may be familiar with this term, or you may be hearing the phrase Fedora for the first time.

Fedora Linux is an open-source Linux-based operating system that is freely available and is also one of the most popular Linux distributions after Ubuntu; This distribution is a showcase of the latest capabilities and features in the Linux world.

If you are curious to learn more about Fedora operating system and its features and history, we will talk about it in detail in the following; Do not neglect to read this article.

What is Fedora?

Fedora Linux is an open-source operating system based on Linux and is known as a secure operating system with general applications. Fedora has attracted many users by features such as providing new technologies and being able to be used as a powerful server; This operating system is freely available to the public in the sense that it is free for everyone to use, modify and distribute; the 6-month release cycle of the Fedora operating system is developed by members of the Fedora Professional Project and is financially supported by RedHat, For this reason, it has a trademark of Red Hat Inc.

RedHat is a company that distributes open-source services and software for commercial purposes. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a product of RedHat, a licensed operating system that uses open-source components for application development and storage. But Fedora is a distribution of Linux that is completely open-source and free; In fact, RedHat and fedora have different features.

This project aims to provide a multipurpose operating system that is created from free software packages and has a rapid release schedule that releases a new version every 6 to 8 months; This operating system has been updated for about 14 years and is still welcomed by managers and users. This operating system has the latest software and capabilities in the Linux world, leaving a perfect user experience.

Since Fedora was released in 2003, till now three versions have been used: a desktop or workstation version focused on personal computers, a server version, and an atomic version for cloud computing.

The release of Fedora was welcomed by commercial Linux publishers, which means that with a free and up-to-date distribution that offers new technologies, a community of developers and users was formed who can benefit from the results and achievements of this distribution in commercial-organizational distribution. Also, more than a hundred distributions based on Fedora have been released so far, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and the XO operating system of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project.

History of Fedora

The Fedora operating system, which was first introduced with the technical term Fedora Core; was first officially released on November 6, 2003; When Red Hat Linux was discontinued; The fedora project was voluntarily started as a distribution of Linux to provide additional software for RedHat, which is sponsored by Red Hat and for this reason has the trademark of Red Hat Inc. In 2002, the Fedora Linux project was started by Warren Togami as a student project. And the goal of this project was to make Red Hat software packages available to the public that enables users to develop and use tested software related to this operating system.

RedHat Linux version was the only version of Linux that was supported by RedHat company, but it was sold in paid and commercial form, while Fedora Core is a Linux that was free and in general use.

With RedHat’s investment in Fedora Core, new versions of RedHat Linux named RedHat Enterprise were introduced and created based on Fedora Core. Also, the chosen logo for Fedora Core was inspired by the Shadowman logo of the RedHat Linux operating system.

The difference between Fedora Linux and RedHat Linux was that, unlike RedHat, the fedora project was voluntary, but RedHat Linux had expert programmers from RedHat and was a commercial product. Fedora Linux attracted RedHat Linux users with its release speed, and the most important reason for its growth was its collaborative system, which we see in all open-source software; In any case, Fedora should remind us of RedHat.

It is interesting to know that in 2008, Linus Torvalds, the author of the Linux kernel, announced that he uses Fedora because of Fedora’s proper support of PowerPC microprocessor architecture, which is his favorite. Also, at the end of 2012, in an interview with Linux Format magazine, he announced that he uses Fedora on all his computers, and in late 2014, he mentioned using Fedora on his Google Plus page. As a result, this operating system has been introduced as the most common Linux distribution after the popular Ubuntu operating system; Surely you are familiar with the Ubuntu operating system; If not, you can learn more about this powerful operating system by reading the What is Ubuntu OS article.

Applications and applications of the Fedora operating system

Each operating system has its unique application, and its most important application is in the field of computer activities. Fedora, with its advantages, is suitable for any activity by any system, and you can see the best result from it in the desktop context. Also, its GNOME desktop environment positively affects desktop environment integration. You can also use your system’s latest features with the Fedora distribution’s short-term updates.

The Fedora operating system with the RPM Fusion repository provides access to the latest graphics drivers and a wide range of multimedia and gaming software such as Kodi and Steam.

The Fedora operating system is an excellent choice by benefiting from the new development and system management tools provided by RedHat as the system manager control center and developer workstation; and this operating system also creates the latest versions of LibreOffice, Caliber, GIMP, Krita, and other programs used by business professionals; It also has advantages in non-technical tasks and is considered an excellent alternative to Windows and macOS.

Fedora, in addition to its excellent performance in the desktop field, with the release of the server version; performs well in the area of testing new software versions before deployment in production,  and especially if you are planning to buy a Linux VPS, it is a perfect choice to benefit from the latest software version. However, it may not be ideal due to its rapid release cycle in management systems, especially in large deployments.

For whom is the Fedora operating system the right choice?

Fedora operating system due to the ease of installation and working with its environment for anyone who decides to use this operating system; It is suitable, especially it offers the best conditions for the desktop environment because it is very flexible and simple and allows users to have sufficient control over their system, but this operating system is not as widely used as other Linux distributions such as Ubuntu.

Fedora is packed with tools needed for sysadmins and developers; for this reason, developers and system administrators usually use Fedora the most; Of course, we should not ignore the impact of the distro release cycle. Also, programmers using blood edge software compatible with this operating system; can access new programs and software;  also it provides access to new programs for system administrators.

Advantages and unique features of the Fedora operating system

• Support for different architectures such as IBM Z, AMD x86-x64, Intel i686, BM Power64le, ARM-hfp, MIPS-64el, ARM AArch64, IBM Power64
• Support for various programs such as different browsers; Games, various file formats such as PDF and Word, Libre Office Suite, and various programming languages
• Secure, stable operating system
• having a Large support community
• Being open-source
• Having an attractive user interface
• Having a powerful firewall and unique security features
• Simple and easy to use
• Having the latest Linux kernel
• Providing various graphic tools
• Automatic Updates
• Compatibility with much educational software
• Support for virtualization
• Support for third-party applications
• Support for different desktops
• Has multiple software repositories
• Ability to quickly receive software updates
• Very flexible
• has Short boot time

Disadvantages of the Fedora distribution

Fedora, in addition to its advantages; Due to the limitation of software repositories, also has unexpected weaknesses; That is, after installation, you must add the RPM Fusion third-party repository; Here are some of its disadvantages:

• Its settings are time-consuming.
• It requires software tools to be used in the server domain.
• It has a specific server and does not run correctly on every server.
• It does not have a standard model for multi-file objects

Different versions of Fedora Linux

Fedora has 5 different editions, each of which will be explained below.

1. Fedora Workstation

This operating system version is focused on personal computers and adds beauty to its user interface by using the GNOME environment. This operating system is a good option for programmers interested in Linux.

2. Fedora Server

This version is for the server and is used to benefit from the latest software version on the server. Still, it is not recommended for enterprise servers due to its low stability and High probability of vulnerability.

3. Fedora IoT

This version provides a firm foundation for IoT ecosystems and is suitable for IoT devices.

4. Fedora CoreOS

This version offers a minimal operating system with basic packages from Fedora, which this operating system updates automatically; also, This edition focuses on Cloud computing.

5. Fedora Silverblue

This version is derived from Fedora Workstation, and its desktop environment is immutable; therefore, it is more stable. The design of this version has made it suitable for the development of container-based software.

What are the reasons for using Fedora?

In this section, we decide to explain factors that distinguish Fedora from Windows and macOS.

being free

Unlike Windows and macOS, you have to pay a fee for using them, Fedora is open source and free; every component in this operating system, from the kernel to the programs it provides, is open-source; And the code of this software is publicly available. Everyone with a bit of enthusiasm to learn new information and with a USB can easily and without paying money install and use this operating system on its PC.

Easy to use

Most Linux distributions are attractive for beginners, and Fedora is one of those distributions; With the help of its software center, you can access popular programs such as Slack, Steam, Firefox, etc.

Should note that if you do not find your desired program, the reason is not that Fedora is not supported that program, it may not be available in the store list. For example, Google Chrome is not in the store of this operating system, but by downloading the RPM file, which is similar to the DEB files used in Ubuntu, you can download this software from the official Chrome downloads page and install it. You can also use the terminal to install programs, which plays an important role in advanced system control.

having the excellent user experience

Fedora has attracted many users compared to Windows and macOS by offering its user interface (UI) and attractive visuals interface, which is the same as the GNOME desktop environment, which is one of the most popular DE desktop environments in the Linux space.

This user interface is very different from the Windows environment and provides more facilities and features to users to have optimal performance and productivity.

Fedora security

Due to its open-source nature, Fedora is relatively safer than Windows and macOS because many experts worldwide with access to the Fedora code can work on developing and improving its performance and detecting threats, and fixing vulnerabilities, and they can add security features to it. Of course, it does not mean that Fedora is anti-virus or Anti-malware, but compared to Windows, it is less vulnerable to attacks.

It requires less resources.

Fedora is a lightweight operating system compared to Windows and consumes less resources. With Microsoft’s announcement regarding the prerequisites for installing Windows 11, which requires at least 64 GB of storage space; while Fedora Linux requires less than 20 GB of storage space to install, so you can have more space to run more programs, which is a valuable advantage especially if you have older hardware.

Variety of desktop environment options in Fedora

In the Fedora desktop environment, the user can choose his preferred DE by rotating alternative versions of Fedora Linux; If the GNOME environment is not to your liking, you can select another desktop option such as Spins.

This advantage is very important for beginners who can choose their desired desktop environment and gain more experience; Therefore, if you have migrated from Windows to this operating system, you can try the plasma rotation, which is similar to the Windows desktop environment, and if you want to change the desktop environment due to your old hardware; You can try rotating XFCE or LXQT which will help reduce the resource load on your hardware.

What is the difference between Fedora Core and Fedora Extra?

At first, the Fedora operating system was known as Fedora Core Fedora was an operating system, and the reason why Core was added to Fedora is the software packages that were added to the operating system and formed Fedora Core which is a fedora Linux operating system along with software packages of the operating system core (Core Packages).

In Fedora Core, the basic software packages and the primary operating system requirements were available by default during installation. In addition, the required software packages were also available and installable on the DVD or CD of this operating system. Also, These software packages are maintained by RedHat programmers.

You may also have heard of Fedora Extra; the difference between Fedora Extra and Fedora Core is that the software packages installed in the operating system are not available on the installation DVD of this operating system and must be downloaded and installed from another place. Therefore, Fedora Extra means Third-Party software packages created by various programming communities.

As a result, Fedora includes two types of installation repositories, one provided by the manufacturer, called Core, and the other written by volunteer programmers, called Extra.

Specifications and technical architecture of the Fedora operating system

The Fedora operating system is based on the Linux Kernel and is not based on any distribution of Linux. It supports the licenses governing Open Source software, And this operating system is available for free and Open Source.

Fedora operating system supports armhfp, i686, x86, and x64 architectures. It is also compatible with Awesome, Cinnamon, Enlightenment, GNOME, KDE, LXDE, MATE, Openbox, Ratpoison, Xfce desktops, and its default desktop is GNOME, and its default interface with the operating system is GNOME Shell.

Like RedHat Enterprise, Fedora has management software packages and RPM software packages, as well as the security of this operating system, which is considered its strength; It is provided through the security feature called Security-Enhanced Linux and the possibility of implementing different security policies such as Mandatory Access Control available in the Fedora operating system.

Different Fedora Linux distributions are known as Fedora Labs and Fedora Spins, and Fedora Spins are known to provide Linux with varying packages of software for different needs, some of which are known as specialized Fedora Linuxes in the fields of security, design, games, and scientific calculations and robotics are used. Fedora Spins provides various desktops such as KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, XFCE, MATE, LXQT, and LXDE for Fedora. The Labs version also has a bunch of software related to different fields, such as astronomy, graphics, robotics, etc., which can be installed as a separate and independent operating system or used as an extension to the Fedora operating system.

The Fedora operating system is updated every 6 months, and by using the FedUp tool, you can upgrade your operating system to the latest version; Fedora’s quick release and update cycle, on the one hand, is an advantage for programmers and developers, and on the other hand, it has challenged organizations that investing in a product because these organizations need a stable product and long-term support.

Fedora distribution methods are various; The most common way for distribution is through Full Distribution on DVD, which includes software packages of the operating system and a complete image of the operating system. The other method is Live, where you can prepare a DVD of the Fedora operating system, Then install it on Live USB and use it; you should note that you can create a Live USB from Fedora’s original source using a tool called Fedora Live USB Creator.

FAQ

Conclusion

Fedora is an open-source operating system based on the Linux kernel, released by a group of Fedora project developers and made available to the public for free. This operating system is used for use, customization, and distribution. Fedora, With its features, adds to its advanced performance and capabilities, and after Ubuntu occupies the most common Linux distribution position. With its short-term and regular updates, this operating system provides users with the latest versions of software and the newest capabilities. Because it is not as stable as Redhat, it is not recommended for enterprise environments, but It is a desirable option for development environments.

In this article, we tried our best to comprehensively explain about the Fedora operating system and introduce you to the architecture, what the Fedora operating system is, and its advantages and features; If you have any questions about the Fedora operating system, please let us know in the comments section.

Thank you for accompanying us to the end of this article.