Fedora Helper

[denny]

If for some reason you have to use Fedora Core instead of a less braindead distribution (i.e. anything, as far as I can make out), particularly as a desktop, then you will undoubtedly find the following link extremely frustration-relieving:

http://brandonhutchinson.com/Fedora_Helper.html

Edit: go on then, while I've broached the subject here in my ventings, let's hear your recommendations for Linux distros (preferably with a why, but blind zealotry is also welcome) :) I've been a Debian fan for several years now, but I'm currently contemplating an exploratory mission into Gentoo territory.

The reason I'm using Fedora is that our work servers are Centos (I always wondered who used that, now I know), so we run Fedora on our desktops to give us something vaguely resembling a similar environment.

Comments

[babysimon]

Yeeeeeees, but what that app does is download and install proprietary binaries, the lack of which is not what makes FC braindead (at least not IMHO). And if you need those binaries out of the box you're also dissing Debian, Ubuntu and probably others.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

The lack of a well documented, officially supported and well integrated way to install proprietary binaries if you should wish to do so makes it a bit brain-dead, imho. Debian takes a few seconds to add 'non-free' to your sources file, and finding out that's what you need to do would take you less than five minutes of reading documentation or googling. Finding this thing for Fedora has taken me several searches over the last few weeks, and it doesn't seem to have any official standing or even widespread knowledge of its existence - I've read quite a few mailing list threads over the last few weeks for which this link would be the best answer, but it wasn't mentioned.

[babysimon]

I'm a happy (ish) Debian user at work and at home, but I can't see how non-free contains half that stuff. I don't think it has the win32 codecs, the DVD and MP3 support, Acrobat, (Sun) Java, and possibly others. Sure you can get these things in various ways, but I wouldn't call them official or (excepting debian-marillat) well-integrated.

I'm all for slagging off operating systems (they all suck really) but I want accuracy, dammit!

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

I don't recall even having to venture as far as non-free for MP3 support in Debian - I thought that was standard?

You're right about the codecs and DVD stuff though, I was getting those from marilat - so I had to add a (well publicised) extra line to my sources file rather than one word.

I haven't yet figured out why anyone would want to install Acrobat :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Without wanting to start any holy wars.. what makes Fedora less brain-dead than other distros? I'm genuinely interested.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Oh, god. I've just re-read the post. Now it makes sense ;)

[skx.livejournal.com]

Debian!

Pros:
* Easy to update
* Easy to secure
* Lots of mirrors which don't disappear.
* Packages for almost everything.
* Good documentation.
* Tightly integrated packages.
* Good system for working with alternative apps (/etc/alternatives).

Cons:
* Integrated drivers / codecs / "non-free" stuff takes extra effort.
* Unstable is frequently broken in some ways.
* Not as sexy as some distros (Ubuntu / Mandriva / Fedora)
* Poor SELinux support.

[snoof.livejournal.com]

I like Slackware, because I grow more of a hatred for overautomation as I get older. I don't like precompiled binaries as a rule, and I don't use a proprietary packaging system on my own machine.
There's maybe no rational reason for that, it's just there.

Gentoo's emerge, however, is sleek and pretty and useful. But then I don't think you can use "Gentoo" and "overautomation" in the same sentence ;)

[babysimon]

The reason I'm using Fedora is that our work servers are Centos (I always wondered who used that, now I know), so we run Fedora on our desktops to give us something vaguely resembling a similar environment.

Why not run CentOS?

I'm not really familiar with the rpm end of the spectrum, but I thought Fedora was the unstable/experimental to CentOS' stable.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Not sure, it was a company decision - I think there was a financial reason. Plus I suppose unstable (i.e up to date) distros often make better desktops than stable (i.e. fossilised) ones.

[olethros.livejournal.com]

No one's mentioned it, so - I'm a big fan of Ubuntu these days. All the benefits of Debian, plus a neater, friendlier desktop, and regular release dates (six months clockwork instead of random intervals that can stretch to years.)

I presently use Ubuntu on my desktop at work and Debian where I install a server, but the (very clueful) lads at work are talking about moving to Ubuntu for servers as well.