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http://fedoraproject.org

What's new in Fedora 19?

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/19/FeatureList

I have been using Ubuntu studio for a couple months now, but my HD is starting to fail. So now I am faced with the question of what os should I use if i get a new hd/new computer. I had used Mint 9 and 12 almost exclusively since I changed over to linux -- was rather fond of gnome shell in mint 12. But for a couple months studio with its xfce de was nice aw well, supporting dual monitors better than mint.

I am considering three distros: Linux mint 15, Ubuntu Studio, and Fedora 19.

I am pretty familiar with the first two and know most of the good/bad that happens with them. But I have little experience with Fedora. I must admit that it has become an intriguing distro.

So, any suggestions? I will try it out live first, but for those who have it installed as a full time os, how has it performed?

I really like Fedora. I've been using it since Fedora Core 6 which is quite a long time. I have no real complaints about it and it has performed well for me. Fedora 17 had the Cairo dock which I absolutely hated and GnuTux helped me get rid of it and now I am using the MATE desktop which resembles the old Gnome desktop. Very stripped down and simple in design. I have my launchers at the top of my screen but I believe GnuTux has his at the bottom.

I will be installing Fedora 19 64-bit on my laptop and after that on my main machine.

@O - Actually, I don't have anything at the bottom of my screen, not even a task bar. I find it more efficient to have everything at the top, including the drop menus, quick launchers, task switcher and status icons. I also make extensive use of multiple desktops, using Ctrl-Alt left/right arrow keys to switch between them. I find it pretty inefficient to keep running my pointer from the top to the bottom, then back again. Since most app's menu options are at the top anyway, it easier to just have everything at the top.

@nixnine - Like O, I've been using Fedora for a really long time and have found to be a very efficient and stable OS. I like the speed at which new updates are rolled out and Fedora support/information is readily available. I also really like the package manager (yum). I probably wouldn't recommend Fedora to a 1st time Linux user because Fedora only includes true GPL software in their default repos.

Applications or codecs which aren't fully GPL or open source are readily available from the RPM fusion repos, which has been split from the main Fedora repos to avoid liability. This has never been a problem because it's easy enough to add the fusion repos and install all of the multimedia apps, codecs and other non-GPL'd stuff after you've installed Fedora. The best guide for fully installing Fedora can be found here.

You can choose between a variety of standard DE spins, including Gnome, KDE, LXDE and XFCE, plus a nice selection of specialty spins, tailored to meet pretty much every need, including a spin specifically for graphics design, which includes the latest versions of the most popular graphics and multimedia apps.

There are also a few 3rd party spins, providing an "out of the box" solution in Fedora, like Korora, in which most of the media codecs, and several popular non-GPL'd apps, are pre-installed.

You have a lot of choices when it comes to installing Fedora and I think most people who give Fedora a real chance, end up being long time users. My advice is to try out a couple of spins and give them a good test run. I think you will really like it.

I don't know down from up.

Nixnine. I have Fedora 17 and hopefully I will be moving on to Fedora 19 soon. I have complete faith in it and I love the way the automatic updates popup, install all the new updates and keeps everything clean. I would recommend it 100%.

nixnine - I don't have Fedora because of hardware issues relating specifically to my video card but of all the Linux I have tried, I would recommend it very highly. Next new computer I get, that's where I'm heading!!!

Woo Hoo, I now have Fedora19 with Gnome3 desktop, 64 bit and Gimp 2.8.6-64 bit I think I am going to love this version as well as the previous two, keeps getting better and better.

Thanks for posting this upgrade and helping meTux.

Glad to hear it's working well for you, Molly. I'm running F19 now too. So far, so good. I'm using MATE Desktop V1.6.1.

I figure this will be my last Fedora update for a couple of years, unless of course Fedora 21 has some "must have" feature or application that I just can't get in F19. I think I said the same thing about Fedora 18 but here I am on F19.

I had a one small issue with the RPM Fusion repos, while trying to get the nVidia drivers, but considering it was all 3rd party stuff, it didn't really have anything to do with Fedora. It's all good now, though.