Fedora Operating Systems

Fedora is a Linux based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project, a partnership of free software community members from around the globe. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Fedora is a center for innovation in free and open source software, and creates a community where contributors of all kinds -- developers, documenters, artists, system administrators, and other free software and open source enthusiasts -- come together to advance the ecosystem for the benefit of everybody. The Fedora community contributes everything it builds back to the free and open source world and continues to make advances of significance to the broader community, as evidenced by the regular and rapid incorporation of its features into other Linux distributions. Regardless of which Linux distribution you use, you are relying on code developed within the Fedora Project.

Is Fedora for me?

Do you want the latest stable software, produced and maintained by a growing community of FOSS contributors?
Do you want a platform that features technologies that use or become the next generation of standards?
Are you OK with moving your computer's OS a minimum of about once a year to use these technologies?
Do you care about sustainable progress in software freedom and innovation?
Are you interested in becoming part of a community of contribution and helping drive innovation in FOSS?

If the answer to any or all of these questions is "yes," you should consider Fedora for your Linux OS. We feature the latest in free and open source technologies, and much of this innovation is driven primarily by contributors in the Fedora Project. Because of our dedication to working continuously with upstream software communities, your involvement with Fedora -- whether to file a bug or to maintain part of the distribution -- is a direct help to all FOSS users worldwide, not promoting a single distribution at the cost of others. This is why the work done in Fedora is used in so many other Linux distributions. By the same token, we actively take an interest in all vital upstream projects to promote good engineering practices and a smooth user experience across distributions.

Pros: Highly innovative; outstanding security features; large number of supported packages; strict adherence to the Free Software philosophy

Cons: Fedora's priorities tend to lean towards enterprise features, rather than desktop usability

Software package management: YUM graphical and command line utility using RPM packages

Available editions: Fedora for 32-bit (i386), 64-bit (x86_64) and PowerPC (ppc) processors; Red Hat Enterprise Linux for i386, IA64, PowerPC, s390x and x86_64 architectures; also live CD editions with either GNOME or KDE

Suggested Fedora-based alternatives: BLAG Linux And GNU (desktop, free software), Berry Linux (live CD), Yellow Dog Linux (Apple's PowerPC-based systems)