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Summary: Fedora Core 1

A reasonably good start for a very promising Linux distro. Tinkerers should give it a shot. Those wanting a bug-free experience should skip this version and wait for the next release.

Web: http://fedora.redhat.com
Pros: Easy install, lots of software
Cons: No MP3/DVD playing and a buggy application install tool
Price: Free

Editor’s Note:

Jim Lynch is the community manager for eWEEK.com, ExtremeTech and PCMag.com. There’s been a lot of confusion over Red Hat’s new Fedora distro, but very little written about how it performs. We Jim took a look at it. Here’s what he came up with.

In the process of changing its support and development model for non-enterprise desktop Linux, Red Hat has given a gift to the community: Fedora.

Fedora is essentially a tweaked version of Red Hat 9 — or Red Hat 10 — that the company has opened up to outside developers to extend and support. This is good for everyone concerned, and it speaks well of Red Hat as a company for doing it.

Overall Fedora makes for a decent desktop platform, marred by a few annoying bugs.

Click to read the full Fedora review.

Jason Brooks has more details on the Fedora project, which clears up some misconceptions on Red Hat’s direction and motives.