1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
|
Fedora 10 is just around the corner, due to arrive November 25. The venerable Linux distro isn't seeing a complete makeover, nor are there any flashy new features to speak of, but thanks to some welcome enhancements under-the-hood, Fedora 10 makes a worthwhile upgrade.
If you've never given Fedora a try, now is a great time. Not only is the tenth revision slick and stable, it has a rock solid feel to it that, for our money, trumps even Ubuntu's latest release.
Fedora 10 has many of the same features we loved in Ubuntu -- the latest version of Gnome or new NetworkManager utility for instance. As an added bonus you also get the always excellent RPM package system, the new Empathy instant messenger framework, PackageKit and host of other Fedora-specific tools.
For long-time Fedora fans there are two noteworthy changes in this release that should be welcome news. The first is the new "glitch-free" version PulseAudio, the underlying audio system in Fedora. So what is this glitch-free version of PulseAudio? Well, the details are <a href="http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/pulse-glitch-free.html">quite complex</a>, but essentially what you'll notice is better, smoother sound output.
PulseAudio itself is not new and offers a number of advantages over other audio subsystems. Unfortunately, the version that shipped with Fedora 9, which <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/12/fedora_9/">we reviewed earlier this year</a>, had some performance and reliability issues. The new glitch-free version is designed to solve those problems and also improves PulseAudio's integration with other system tools and applications.
The glitch-free part refers to the timer-based scheduling system which, according to its creators, minimizes latency problems, reduces dropped audio, and also uses a bit less power to run.
The most obvious thing you'll notice in version 10, should you take the upgrade plunge is how much faster and smoother Fedora boots. This is thanks to several things, notably the new Plymouth graphical boot tool (which replaces the old Red Hat graphical boot -- RHGB) and the new flicker-free X server.
The absence of a flickr between when the boot screen exists and X loads is the result of Fedora's decision to move X from virtual terminal 7 to virtual terminal 1. It sounds like small, unimportant change, but the results are worth it our opinion. There are those, however, that think the performance gain isn't worth deviating from how the rest of the Linux world does things. But so far as we can tell there aren't any major consequences to doing things differently and the results -- faster boots and very solid feel for Fedora 10 -- seem worth it.
While most Linux users we know tend to customize their desktops to suit their whims, those that don't will notice the Fedora has a very nice new <a href="https://fedorahosted.org/echo-icon-theme/wiki/IconThemeStatus/Actions">Echo icon theme</a> (in the Gnome version of Fedora anyway).
Echo works well with Fedora's overall default look -- minimalist and dare we say classy. Of course if you're a custom theme fan the new icons probably won't be around for long.
As for our experience with Fedora 10, we tested the first release candidate and found it remarkably stable and solid, which bodes well for the final release later in November.
We opted to use a live CD install and the process was perhaps slightly longer than Ubuntu's, but certainly every bit as easy. Even Linux newcomers should have any trouble getting Fedora 10 installed and running.
Once installed we booted into Gnome where, as always, Fedora opts for a more minimal package collection than most other distros. We actually prefer it this way since a fresh Ubuntu install generally requires about twenty minutes of package deleting before we feel at home. With Fedora's approach you can simply head to the RPMs and install what you'd like.
That said, there are obviously so familiar defaults -- this version of Fedora ships with Gnome 2.24, which includes notable improvements like tabbed file browser windows, some updated panels and other changes.
If you've been following GNOME development you'll know that the latest version features a new instant messaging framework by the name of Empathy. While Ubuntu chose to skip on Empathy, Fedora has taken the plunge and included Empathy in this release. Overall Empathy works quite well, it's a bit of a change if you're used to Pidgin, the old Gnome standby, but Empathy gets the job done. The only quirk we encountered was that, out of the box, Empathy didn't seem to like IRC. Installing the telepathy-idle package solved the issue.
Other system utility updates include the new NetworkManager that we saw in Ubuntu. As in Ubuntu, Fedora now allows you to manage all your network connections -- wired, wireless and 3G from a single panel. It's very slick and, for the record, most of the work comes upstream from the Fedora team, not the Ubuntu devs.
As with its predecessor, Fedora 10 features PackageKit with its very nice on-demand software for default apps. PackageKit makes Linux a bit more user-friendly. For example, if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, PackageKit notices that and offers to install the software you need. It makes for a much smoother Linux experience.
Of course PackageKit really only works for files that have a Linux-compatible app available -- download a .flv movie and PackageKit will ignore it.
Speaking of proprietary things like Flash files, Fedora 10 includes the latest stable version of X.Org, which means no more support for proprietary nVidia drivers. The free driver will work for those systems, but you'll lose 3-D support, which is a shame.
As for the applications, Fedora includes Firefox 3, the new OpenOffice 3, Rhythmbox and a few of the other Gnome usual suspects like GIMP. Other Gnome favorites like the F-Spot photo manager will need to be installed through the repositories.
Performance-wise Fedora 10 is plenty snappy, though of course the speed will vary greatly according to your PC's specs. We installed Fedora on an older machine with 1 GB of RAM and found it to be on par with the new Ubuntu 8.10 in terms of speed.
But Fedora beats Ubuntu in some less easily described ways -- something about Fedora 10 just feels very solid in a way that other distros don't. Despite being a preview release we didn't encounter any bugs, glitches or crashes.
While we would definitely recommend Fedora 10 to anyone using 9, we also think it might be a nice alternative for those growing tired of Ubuntu or just looking to play around with a new Linux distro.
And of course Fedora isn't just a community project, it's also an incubator and testing ground for Red Hat's Enterprise Linux. While RHEL recently recently put out a beta version of 5.3, the next major release is slated to arrive in early 2010, after the features in Fedora have had a chance to work out the kinks.
If Fedora 10 is any indicator, there shouldn't be too many kinks to work out. The latest release is fast, stable and definitely worth the upgrade.
|
