My Forbes Fedora 29 Linux Community Challenge Experience

[Jason]

Forbes has been running monthly "community challenges" to get Windows and Linux users to try specific distros for a month. I didn't even know they ever talked about Linux - cool! They started out with elementary OS and then did openSUSE Tumbleweed. For March they're doing Fedora WorkStation 29. Since Fedora 30 is due to be released in April, this one will be two months long. Start out with Fedora 29 and then switch to 30 once it's out. From the article:

"The basic premise of the Fedora challenge is simple: ditch Windows, macOS or your current Linux OS of choice and use Fedora for about a month. It's just enough time to start learning its nuances, its unique package manager, and get into a groove where it starts to feel familiar instead of foreign.

"The purpose is exposing yourself to something new, and perhaps gaining an appreciation for an OS you may not have chosen otherwise. Along the way people may find their “forever distro” or be inspired to make the switch to Linux full time."


They've also created a Telegram group with a bridge to veteran users so new users can talk about their experiences and also get help from experienced Fedora users.

I'm going to give a shot, not just playing with in a VM but installing it bare metal on my main machine. I'll post my experiences here. When I upgrade to Fedora 30, should I last that long, I will create a new topic about the upgrade/reinstall and how I feel about the changes. Evidently, Pantheon will be available in Fedora 30 (the elementary OS DE) so that's something to look forward to.

If anybody would like to join me or just share your experiences of Fedora 29, feel free.

[fox]

Fedora is a Gnome distro; is that the desktop environment you are using?

I haven't tried Fedora since version 26, but I've tried it several times (always with the default DE). I've never had a problem with it, but I've never found anything about it to be better than Ubuntu, except that its software is slightly newer. Aesthetically, I think Ubuntu is quite superior to Fedora; though one can set up Fedora to match a Ubuntu desktop and use the Ubuntu font. But I'll be interested to see what you think after a month. Incidentally, I did upgrade a Fedora version at least once and maybe twice and never had a problem with that.

[Jason]

Fedora is a Gnome distro; is that the desktop environment you are using?

Yes. And from I understand it's pure unadulterated Gnome. I figured I'd give it a chance, at least for 30 days, beyond that, we'll see.

I've never had a problem with it, but I've never found anything about it to be better than Ubuntu, except that its software is slightly newer.

Yep, I'm trying to approach this with fresh eyes and not comparing it a distro I really like. Because often we like that distro just because we use it the most and have learned all its ins and outs. The idea of using it the distro as your main desktop for 30-60 days is so that you have enough time to solve any problems you have and make it look the way you prefer. I think everybody modifies some aspects of the base look of their distro, unless you're using elementary and then you pretty much can't.