Fedora Core 5 Review with Screenshots
Several years ago, when I was first looking to switch from Windows to a new operating, I was really interested in switching to Linux or Unix. Unfortunately, in my experience, you had to be a command line hack if you wanted to install, enhance or fix anything. I had no desire to run an operating system that needed hours of work to configure. Not only that, many of the applications that I needed were still in their infancy and didn’t hold up well to existing Windows applications. So Linux and Unix were out of the question.
I ended up switching over to the Apple Mac platform when they came out with Mac OS X 10.1. At the time, I could do 95% of what I did on Windows, and configuring and maintaining it made Windows look like Linux. Today I’m an avid Mac user, but that still hasn’t extinguished my desire to find a capable, free and easy operating system that can run on cheap intel-based equipment. That’s where Fedora Core 5 comes in. I first heard about Fedora Core when it was announced that the new $100 laptop would be running it. I thought to myself, if this computer is intended for everyday common users, it must be easy to use.
My main interest in reviewing Fedora Core was to find out if my mom could use it. Is Fedora really easy to use and does it come with everything a typical computer user would need? Let’s find out…
Fedora installation
Although Fedora has an excellent installation procedure for Linux, it’s still not as user-friendly as a Windows or Mac OS X installation. The thing that’s always frustrated me with Linux installations is how it allocates partitions on the hard drive. Something like that is way too complicated for my mom, and she would easily be stuck on that step. The ideal installation for any flavor of Linux would be to resort to not making the user think — just tell the user that they’re going to configure their hard drive and keep moving.
Fedora Welcome/Login Screen
I was really pleased with the look and feel of the login screen. It’s obvious that the UI theme designers spent a great deal of time designing it. Of particular interest was how a person logs in. Instead of the customary username and password fields, they only show the username field. After you enter your username and press the Enter key, the password field appears. Although it sounds like it would be a clunky two-step process, it actually works really well.
Fedora Desktop
The Fedora desktop takes a little bit from Windows and a little bit from Mac OS X. The task bar is located at the bottom of the screen and it shows all of the active applications. On top is the menu bar, which gives you access to all of your options — applications, settings, etc… The most commonly used applications are identified with one-click icons, while all of the other applications can be accessed using the menus.
The desktop itself is left uncluttered and clean, and sports just a few icons — Computer, Home Folder, CD-ROM (if one is inserted) and the Trash folder. The background continues the metallic blue theme that’s used on the login screen.
Fedora Applications
One of the most important things for an operating system to succeed is to have good applications. Fedora appears to cover the needs of most users by providing full-featured applications for business, entertainment and the Internet. I found most, if not all of the applications, to be as easy to use as any Windows or Mac applications.
Firefox
Fedora uses Firefox for their default Internet browser. That’s my first choice on any operating system, so it’s nice to see they didn’t use something like Konqueror instead. Not that Konqueror isn’t a good browser, but I’d like to see Firefox become the standard on all platforms for Internet browsing.
The default email client is Evolution and it has a clean Outlook Express look and feel to it. All of your basics are there, including a junk mail filter.
Instant Messaging
The instant messaging client is similar clients like AdiumX, in that it supports multiple protocols like Jabber and AIM.
Word Processor
The Word processor is part of OpenOffice 2.0, which is used for most of the business applications.
Spreadsheet
Calc makes it easy for users to forget Excel.
Presentation
OpenOffice’s presentation tool is also quite impressive.
Calendar
Another part of Evolution is their calendar application — a no frills open standard calendar application.
Music
I have mixed feelings about the default music player. Although it has a familiar iTunes design, it doesn’t play MP3s (because of issues with licensing). Instead, they recommend and support the OGG format. This of course is an excellent audio format, but isn’t compatible with most of the digital music that’s readily available.
Image Manipulation (aka Photoshop)
Gimp is included as the main application for manipulating images. It’s clunky, but it works.
Software Update
Managing software packages on Linux hasn’t always been that intuitive or easy for regular users to figure out. I always knew that if my mom was going to ever be able to do software updates on her own, it would have to be crazy simple. Fedora appears to have pulled that off with their Package Updater. Simply open the program and give it a minute to check for updates. The program will notify you if any updates are available and all the user has to do is click on the update button — simple as that.
Add/Remove Software
Similar to the software update issue, being able to add and remove software packages needs to be a brainless action. Fedora again accomplishes this with their Package Manager application. Simply check or uncheck an application, click Apply, and you’re done.
System Navigation
There’s nothing new with the navigation of the system, other than an overt attempt to keep it simple. Similar to the latest Windows and Mac OS X strategies, Fedora makes an effort to only show what the typical user needs to see. Although this may be annoying to more advanced users, it’s exactly what a typical user needs.
I found the system shutdown option to be strangely placed. Instead of putting the option on a menu at the end of the bar (similar to Windows and Mac OS X), it was placed a couple menus over. This didn’t seem intuitive to me at all.
Conclusion
Fedora Core 5 is a superb operating system with an excellent base of applications. It’s the operating system that I’ve been waiting for in regards to free and usable. I still don’t think I’d let my mom install it, but I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have any problems using it on a daily basis as a home or work computer.
If I had a cheap intel-based computer, and if I wanted to outfit my mom with a cheap but powerful operating system, I wouldn’t hesitate to hook her up with Fedora. It does everything she would ever need.
Filed under: Linux, OpenOffice.org
Superb Write-up, Love Linux OS.
When opensync 1.0 comes out along with kitchensync for KDE, Fedora Core 5 will be pretty superb, oh yeah!
Great review
During installation you have the option to:
a) manually partition
b) automatic partitioning (default)
If you chose the default, you do not have to worry at all about disk partitioning and the installer does everything for you (and you only get the above desired message of “configuring your harddisk”
). But expert users still have the freedom to fiddle around with partition schemes.
About mp3 support: This is indeed because of licensing/patent “problems”, and I am very happy that Redhat/Fedora honors this. However, there are custom made packages which you can install so that you can play mp3 with the sound applications on FC5, which can be installed using yum. Can your mom do this? Possibly no, but any user who can install FC5 could also install these “plugins”.
Rudy, the wording/presentation would still be confusing to my mom. The point I was trying to make was that less information is more for simple users. But yeah, if she were to keep clicking next, she would be okay
The graphical installer has made allocating partition an easy task.Either automatic or manual .And whats more , u can see how ur hard disk is gonna look after this partitioning.I dont think XP has such an option . Its still using keys.No mouse.
Pls give credit where it is due.
Narasimhan, that’s not what I’m talking about. I totally agree that the partitioner is really easy to use (automatic or advanced). The point I’m trying to make concerns the the actual copy on the screen. For the automatic install (the default), telling my mom about multiple partitions will only confuse her. Instead, just state that Fedora needs to prepare the hard drive, nothing more. Otherwise, no complaints.
Ease of use and configurability are possibly the hardest things to balance in operating systems. Anything is better than windoze, but let’s hope Fedora does not sacrifice its configurability and customizability (new word ? Sorry, English not my first) to appeal to the masses. I still think moms can learn a few things more in order to be able to proficiently use a computer: Better that than turn into winzombies.
Most windows users, never seen “fedora” or what it looks like, good writeup, the screen shots are excellent for this writeup! thank you.
true true. linux has come extremely far from its incarnations over the decade.. its now simpler, more robust, and just utterly brilliant… but one thing is for sure here, if you want simple installations, windows is still on the upper hand coz pc stores like PCWORLD will only give you the option to put in windows on the pc you just had pre-assembled (no linux ever)– sumthin n00bs love.. order all the specs, have the technician assemble it, then have him install the OS too and norton, and office, and photoshop and dish out $600 for the software alone
. and a similar scenario for apple comps. not only that, if you trek down EB games, you can only get windows games.. mac games are pretty niche.. go down myers and you can also only get windows or mac apps… as for linux? youd have to go hardcore googling for an executable to run Doom3 and running it is going to cause you even twice hardcore googling for a HOWTO.
my point here is, linux is still nowhere in the shops.. but windows is.. and technicians are gonna give you the frowny face when you bring in that computer for repairs when your OS is linux. until then, linux will still be a ‘difficult’ OS. [note the quotation]
–gonna install this distro when my pacific broadband account kicks in *sigh* haveta wait 1 month…
Great review. Confirmed my decision to switch from Windows to Fedora.
One thing: Shut down isn’t that strangely placed. If you wanna turn off your computer but have no idea how, you’ll do it by logic. You’ll look at your menu and see “applications”, “places” and “system” Well, it’s not an application and it’s not a place so it must be in system. Simple. Not to mention the fact that “System” is a much better indicator than “start” (why press start when you want to end?).
Also, applications and places on your drive are used far more often per session than shutting down…
I would just like to point out that many of the desktop descriptions you attribute to Fedora (such as the taskbar at the bottom and the placement of the “Shut Down” option) are actually what you get with a default Gnome install. They are not Fedora specific. A really good review.
Interesting review. I have never seen one from the P.O.V. of someone who was relatively “new” to the Linux world. I must add however that installing Fedora is a far simpler (and more “mom-friendly”) task than Windows, which is mostly Ncurses/command-line driven. Also Windows partioning is equally if not more complicated. It does ask you about multiple hard drives and provides no gui representation. Then again 90% if Windows users never need to actually install windows on their own. All in all I was very pleased with this review. The you did a fantastic job.
p.s. You forgot to mention the installation instructions which can be viewed during the install. Finally I wouldn’t let a “mom” install ANY OS on her own for the first time.
Nice products openware, but as a graduate student I am compelled to use Microsoft, as it is designed to be compatable with my present studies. I had to ditch firefox as a result of this. I think XP, and ME are garbage, as I still run W 2000 Prof., which is becoming obsolete,as you see when you try and install Explorer v.7….I look forward to graduation and using this openware product. The Excel (calc) and the PPoint comp look great!
Stay the course, competition is the best thing in this world for many reasons!
I have Fedora Core 6, and it is great; but you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! If you want a totally slick looking system, with the ease of windows and mac, but the reliability of Linux: check out Linspire! It installs in 20 minutes or less, much more pc and laptop friendly, and contains more drivers than any Linux distribution available! Check out the Click N Run install system only available from Linspire–you’ll see once you get there. Fedora is good; but there is NO competition to Linspire. They are so good that Ubuntu is partnering with them. Click N Run will be available for Fedora as well–popular! Check it out and email me.