A Mac User’s Opinion of Fedora Core 6

Years ago in college I started using Fedora Core 2 and was, to say the least, very unimpressed. Upgrading to Core 3 was better, but still painful. Since then I have used Cores 4, 5, and 6 and can say that they have improved drastically with each iteration. In fact, they have improved so much that for the past year I have used Fedora exclusively as my system at work. And while I still definitely prefer my Macs, I have come to appreciate my Fedora system. So, the following review isn’t meant to sway you from using your Mac, only to enlighten you to the fact that you can have quite a nice system using Fedora Core 6.

Before I get any further into this review let me make one thing very clear: using Fedora means using the command line. If this frightens you then please put the install disks down and back away slowly from your computer.

Some Linux users will, of course, claim no such thing. They will (correctly) point out that you can surf the web in FireFox, check your mail in Thunderbird, or type documents in OpenOffice, all without touching the command line.

And that is all true.

But if anything, dare I say, goes wrong…hello command line!

However, as long as you don’t do anything too stressful you can avoid most problems that would have you mucking around with obscure or arcane system utilities.

That isn’t to say, though, that you should completely avoid using a terminal. Because even a rudimentary understanding of what it can do will save you lots of time in the long run. Don’t misunderstand me, I am a big proponent of the mouse, but some things are just easier in a terminal. Sorting files, batch changes, finding keywords, editing simple documents, etc. And remember, all of the commands that work in Fedora work in OS X too.

But the real question many Mac users would rightly ask in this situation is “why?” Why should any Mac user try Fedora Core 6? Certainly OS X is easier to use, has better software, and is better designed, but there are still some things that Linux offers that some might be interested in.

FC6 isn’t nearly as polished as OS X, but it isn’t nearly as rigid either. Some might like this while others will definitely find the array of choices terrifying. Perhaps the best reason I can suggest is that learning another OS is kind of like learning another language. It is an enlightening experience regardless of how much immediate benefit you get. The journey is the reward, that kind of thing.

I love my Mac and given a choice I would only use OS X. However, I recognize that that isn’t always possible. For instance, at my job I was given a choice of using XP or Fedora and I chose Fedora. Granted, I originally did this because I felt anything was better than XP, but I have come to really enjoy Fedora. So, if you have the option of using Fedora at work I would definitely suggest you give it a try. But don’t just try it because you hate Windows (though that is a really good excuse); try it because you want to learn something different. Try it because you want to experience a different way of doing things.