Fedora Sites
Website | Description |
|---|---|
Fedora resources | |
Fedora repository site, mirror link | |
Fedora installation guide | |
Fedora release notes | |
https://docs.fedoraproject.org/fedora-project/project/fedora-overview.html | Fedora project overview |
Fedora FAQ | |
Documentation and support tutorials for Fedora releases | |
Ask Fedora site where you can submit question and see answers popular questions | |
Fedora Magazine with articles on latest developments and projects | |
Fedora download page | |
Fedora download page for alternative download methods | |
Fedora mirrors list | |
User discussion support forum, endorsed by the Fedora Project; includes FAQs and news links | |
The Linux Foundation, official Linux development | |
Latest Linux kernels | |
The Red Hat website | |
Community Enterprise Operating System CENTOS (Red Hat–based) |
This chapter covers the information about the Fedora release, where to obtain information on it, and what versions are available for download. You can also download and try out the Fedora release on a Live Workstation DVD or USB drive without installing it.
Fedora Documentation
Documentation for Fedora can be found at https://docs.fedoraproject.org (see Table 1-1). The Fedora Installation Guide provides a detailed description of all install procedures. The Fedora System Administration Guide covers basic system configuration and package management, as well as advanced topics such as server and system monitoring. Several dedicated Fedora support sites are available that provide helpful information, including https://fedoraforum.org , https://ask.fedoraproject.org/en/questions/ , and https://fedoraproject.org . The https://fedoraforum.org site is a Fedora Project–sponsored forum for end-user support. Here you can post questions and check responses for common problems. The Ask Fedora site lets you ask a question and view the responses to other user's questions. Questions are ranked by views, number of answers, and votes.
Your Firefox browser will already be configured with the Fedora start page at https://start.fedoraproject.org . There are buttons at the top of the page for Fedora Documentation, Help for Fedora Users, and Get Fedora. The Help for Fedora Users button opens the Ask Fedora site where you can ask questions; see https://ask.fedoraproject.org/en/questions/ . The Firefox browser is also configured with bookmarks for accessing popular Fedora documentation and support sites. There are bookmarks for Fedora Project, Fedora Forum, Fedora Magazine, Fedora Docs, Planet Fedora, and Join Fedora. Check the Bookmarks sidebar's Fedora Project, User Communities, and Red Hat folders. The Red Hat folder displays entries for Red Hat, jBoss, OpenSource.com, and The Open Source Way (you may have to set the bookmarks sidebar to display it; choose Bookmarks ➤ Bookmarking Tools ➤ View Bookmarks Sidebar).
Fedora maintains detailed specialized documentation, such as information on understanding how udev is implemented or how SELinux is configured. For much of the documentation you must rely on installed documentation in /usr/share/doc or on the man and info pages, as well as the context help button for different applications running on your desktop. Websites for software such as GNOME, KDE, and LibreOffice.org provide extensive applicable documentation. For installation, you can use the Fedora installation guide at https://docs.fedoraproject.org/f28/install-guide/index.html .
Fedora 28
The Fedora versions of Linux are entirely free. You can download the most current version from https://getfedora.org/ or https://download.fedoraproject.org . The https://download.fedoraproject.org address will link to the best available mirror for you. You can update Fedora using the GNOME Software's Updates tab to access the Fedora repository. Access is automatically configured during installation.
The Fedora distribution is also available online at numerous FTP sites. Fedora maintains download sites at https://download.fedoraproject.org , along with a mirror listing at https://mirrors.fedoraproject.org , where you can download the entire current release of Fedora Linux, as well as updates and additional software.
Fedora 28 Features
Fedora provides the Mate and Cinnamon desktops. Mate is a traditional desktop based on GNOME 2, and Cinnamon is the Mint Linux desktop derived from GNOME 3, but with many traditional features, such as the panel and applets.
GNOME Software has replaced PackageKit as the primary frontend software management application, (gnome-software). The DnfDragora software manager has replaced the older Yumex software manager.
The System Status Area is combined into one menu showing sound volume, brightness, network connections, the current user, battery power, and buttons for settings, lock screen, and power off. The Switch User item is only shown if more than one user is set up for the system. Sound volume and screen brightness (laptops) are adjusted using sliders on the System Status Area menu.
For systems with wireless devices, there is a WiFi entry in the System Status Area menu that expands to a menu with options to select a network, turn off the wireless device, and to open the GNOME Network system setting dialog at the WiFi tab (WiFi Settings).
GNOME windows and workspaces can be displayed easily and accessed quickly from the overview.
A search box at the top of the overview allows you to search directly for applications, installed and uninstalled. Uninstalled entries open GNOME Software to let you install the application. Search is also configured to search for files, GNOME Contacts , Documents, and Keys, as well as to conduct a web search. Use the GNOME Settings Search dialog to select the applications that can be searched. You can also add other applications.
The GNOME Tweak Tool lets you perform common desktop configurations, such as placing your home folder on the desktop, changing the theme for icons and windows, changing and adjusting fonts, choosing startup applications, configuring how the date is displayed on the top bar, and setting up static (fixed number) workspaces.
Though GNOME workspaces are generated automatically (dynamic) from the overview, you can also use the GNOME Tweak Tool to set up static (fixed-number) workspaces instead.
The GNOME overview features a dash (Activities) that lists icons for your favorite applications and opened applications, letting you access them quickly. You can add applications to the dash. An Applications icon on the dash opens the applications overview. A search box at the top lets you search for applications and files. A Frequent button at the bottom lets you display only frequently accessed applications. A pager to the right lets you move through the icons by page.
In the GNOME-shell, notifications are displayed in the message tray at the top of the screen next to the calendar. Use the Super+m key to display it (Windows key+m), or click the date button at the center top of the screen.
On all GNOME windows, the toolbar and the title bar have been combined into a header bar, with a single close box on the right side.
The GNOME Files file manager (Nautilus) features a sidebar. You can quickly access any file system on removalbel devices, remote networks, and internal drives, as well as your home folders.
The GNOME Classic desktop lets you use a GNOME 2–like interface, but still operating on the same Fedora Workstation GNOME 3 desktop.
Fedora ISO Images
Fedora Live Workstation ISO: The Fedora Workstation Live ISO, include GNOME desktop and applications.
Fedora Server ISO: The Fedora Server Live ISO, designed for network servers. Installs only a command-line interface.
Fedora Custom Spins
Custom spins are also available and can be downloaded from https://spins.fedoraproject.org and https://fedoralabs.org . The official spins are listed at https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/28/Spins .
Fedora 28 Plasma Spin: Available for i686 and x86_64; includes Plasma desktop (KDE).
Fedora 28 XFCE Spin: Features the XFCE desktop instead of GNOME.
Fedora 28 LXDE Spin: Features the lightweight LXDE desktop instead of GNOME.
Fedora 28 LXQT Spin: Features the lightweight LXDE desktop based on the Qt libraries.
Fedora Mate-Compiz Desktop Spin: The Mate Desktop Environment. Mate is an updated version of the GNOME 2 interface .
Fedora Cinnamon Desktop Spin: The Cinnamon Desktop Environment. Cinnamon is an original desktop developed by Linux Mint.
Fedora SoaS Desktop Spin: Sugar on a Stick spin for USB drives featuring the Sugar desktop (OLPC).
Fedora Astronomy Spin: Astronomy applications and tools.
Fedora Games Spin: Games available on Fedora.
Fedora Design Suite: Image applications available on Fedora.
Fedora Security Lab Spin: Fedora Security Lab spin, a safe environment for security testing and recovering a system.
Fedora Robotics Spin: Robotic simulation environment.
Fedora Science Spin: Scientific research.
Fedora Jam: Audio and music applications and tools.
Fedora Python Classroom: Python instruction tools .
Multimedia
Although licensed multimedia formats such as DVD are still excluded, open source formats are all included, including Vorbis, Ogg, Theora, and FLAC. Multimedia codecs with licensing issues can be directly downloaded with PackageKit, once you have configured DNF to use the RPM Fusion ( https://rpmfusion.org ) or Negativo17.org ( https://negative17.org ) repositories on your system. Use one or the other, not both. These repositories are not configured by default. For the RPM Fusion repository, install the https://rpmfusion.org configuration package for Fedora 28, which is available from that site .
Fedora Workstation Live ISO
The Fedora Workstation Live ISO lets you run Fedora on any computer using a DVD-ROM drive or a USB drive. The ISO image can be installed to either a DVD disc or a USB drive. You can save files to removable devices such as USB drives. You can temporarily install software, but the install disappears when you shut down. You can also mount partitions from hard drives on the system you are running the Workstation Live DVD or USB on. Find out more about Live discs at https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FedoraLiveCD .
The Workstation Live ISO provided by Fedora includes a limited set of software packages. Servers are not included. For desktop support, you use GNOME. Other than these limitations, you have a fully operational Fedora desktop. The Workstation Live ISO enables Network Manager by default, automatically detecting and configuring your network connection. You have the full set of administrative tools, with which you can add users and change configuration settings while the Workstation Live ISO is running. When you shut down, the configuration information is lost.
You can log out, but this will display a login screen with a simple login dialog for automatic login and a language menu. The bottom panel of the login screen has menus for setting the language and keyboard. You can shut down or restart from the shutdown menu on the right side of the panel.
Fedora Workstation Live ISO (run from a DVD disc or USB drive)
Fedora Workstation Live DVD overview mode (Activities button)
An easy way to save data from a Live session is to use a USB drive. On GNOME, the USB drive will appear as an entry on a file manager window sidebar. Double-click it to open a file manager window for the USB drive. You can then copy files generated during the session to the USB drive. Remember to eject the drive before removing it (click the eject button next to the USB drive entry on the file manager sidebar).
Installing Fedora from a Workstation Live ISO
The Workstation Live DVD can also be used as an installation disk, providing its limited collection of software on a system, that can be expanded and updated from Fedora online repositories (see Chapter 2). Later, you add packages from repositories. Double-click the Install to Hard Drive icon on the overview dash to start the installation (see Figure 2-4 in Chapter 2).
USB Live Drive
You can install a Fedora Workstation Live ISO image (or any Fedora spin) to a USB drive instead of a DVD disc . The procedure is not destructive. Your original data on the USB disk is preserved. To create a Live USB drive, you can either use the Fedora Media Writer application (mediawriter package), or the livecd-iso-to-disk command (livecd-iso-to-mediums package). A tutorial on using these tools to create USB Live drives is available at https://docs.fedoraproject.org/quick-docs/en-US/creating-and-using-a-live-installation-image.html .
Fedora Media Writer (mediawriter)
livecd-iso-to-disk
Each Live Workstation DVD also provides a livecd-iso-to-disk script in its LiveOS directory.
Live USB Persistence Storage
Persistent Home Directory
If you do not want the data encrypted, add the --unencrypted-home option when creating the disk.
Fedora Logo
Fedora logo
Linux
Linux is a fast, stable, and open source operating system that features development tools, desktops, and a large number of applications, ranging from office suites to multimedia applications. Linux was developed in the early 1990s by Linus Torvalds, along with other programmers around the world. Technically, Linux consists of the operating system program, referred to as the kernel , which is the part originally developed by Torvalds. But it has always been distributed with a large number of software applications. Linux has evolved as part of the open source software movement. Currently, hundreds of open source applications are available for Linux from the Fedora software repository and the Fedora-compliant third-party repositories such as RPM Fusion ( https://rpmfusion.org ). Most of the GNOME and KDE applications are incorporated into the Fedora repository, using software packages that are Fedora-compliant. You should always check the Fedora repository first for the software you want.
Linux is distributed freely under a GNU General Public License, as specified by the Free Software Foundation, making it available to anyone who wants to use it. GNU (the acronym stands for “GNU’s Not UNIX”) is a project initiated and managed by the Free Software Foundation to provide free software to users, programmers, and developers. Linux is copyrighted, not public domain. However, a GNU public license has much the same effect as the software being in the public domain. The GNU General Public License is designed to ensure that Linux remains free and, at the same time, standardized.
Open Source Software
Most Linux software is developed as open source software. This means that the source code for an application is distributed free with the application. Programmers can make their own contributions to a software package’s development, modifying and correcting the source code. Linux is an open source operating system. Its source code is included in all its distributions and is freely available. Much of the software provided for Linux is also open source projects, as are the KDE and GNOME desktops, along with most of their applications. The LibreOffice office suite is an open source project. You can find more information about the open source movement at https://opensource.org/ .
Open source software is protected by public licenses. These licenses prevent commercial companies from taking control of open source software by adding a few modifications of their own, copyrighting those changes, and selling the software as their own product. The most popular public license is the GNU General Public License provided by the Free Software Foundation. This is the license that Linux is distributed under. The GNU General Public License (GPL) retains the copyright, freely licensing the software with the requirement that the software and any modifications made to it always be available for free. Other public licenses have also been created to support the demands of different kinds of open source projects. The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) lets commercial applications use GNU licensed software libraries. The Qt Public License (QPL) lets open source developers use the Qt libraries essential to the KDE desktop.
Linux is currently copyrighted under a GNU public license provided by the Free Software Foundation, and it is often referred to as GNU software. GNU software is distributed free, provided it is distributed to others for free. GNU software has proved both reliable and effective. Many of the popular Linux utilities, such as C compilers, shells, and editors, are GNU software applications. Installed with your Linux distribution are the GNU C++ and Lisp compilers, Vi and Emacs editors, and BASH and TCSH shells. In addition, there are many open source software projects that are licensed under the GNU General Public License. Chapter 4 describes in detail the process of downloading software applications from online repositories and installing them on your system.
Under the terms of the GNU General Public License, the original author retains the copyright, although anyone can modify the software and redistribute it, provided the source code is included, made public, and provided free of charge. Also, no restriction exists on selling the software or giving it away free. One distributor could charge for the software, while another could provide it free of charge. Major software companies also provide Linux versions of their most popular applications. For example, Oracle provides a Linux version of its Oracle database.
Linux Documentation
The Linux Documentation Project (LDP) developed a complete set of Linux manuals, available at https://www.tldp.org . The documentation includes a user guide, an introduction, and administrative guides. These are available in text, PostScript, or web page format. You can also find briefer explanations, in what are referred to as HOWTO documents. The Linux documentation for your installed software is available in your /usr/share/doc directory. As previously noted, some Fedora-specific documentation is available at https://docs.fedoraproject.org . The https://www.gnome.org site holds documentation for the GNOME desktop, while https://www.kde.org holds documentation for the KDE desktop .