Fedora (operating system)

Fedora
Fedora 28 running under Wayland
Developer Fedora Project (sponsored by Red Hat)
OS family Linux
Working state Current
Source model Open-source
Initial release November 6, 2003 (2003-11-06)[1]
Latest release 28[2][3] / May 1, 2018 (2018-05-01)
Marketing target Desktop, workstation, server, cloud
Update method 0.5 years per stabilization
Package manager
  • DNF (command-line front-end)
  • PackageKit (graphical front-end)
  • RPM (package format)
Platforms Primary: x86-32, x86-64, armhf, aarch64 (server)[4]
Alternative or secondary: aarch64 (desktop), ppc64, ppc64le, mips64el, mipsel, s390x, RISC-V[5][6]
Kernel type Monolithic (Linux)
Userland GNU Core Utilities
Default user interface GNOME
License Various free software licenses, plus proprietary firmware files[7]
Official website getfedora.org

Fedora is a Linux distribution developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat.[8] Fedora contains software distributed under various free and open-source licenses and aims to be on the leading edge of such technologies.[9][10][11] Fedora is the upstream source of the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution.[12]

Since the release of Fedora 21, three different editions are currently available: Workstation, focused on the personal computer, Server for servers, and Atomic focused on cloud computing.[13]

As of February 2016, Fedora has an estimated 1.2 million users,[14] including Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel.[15][16]

Features

Fedora has a reputation for focusing on innovation, integrating new technologies early on and working closely with upstream Linux communities.[11][17] Making changes upstream instead of specifically for Fedora ensures that the changes are available to all Linux distributions.

Fedora has a relatively short life cycle: each version is usually supported for at least 13 months, where version X is supported only until 1 month after version X+2 is released and with approximately 6 months between most versions.[18] Fedora users can upgrade from version to version without reinstalling.[19][20]

The default desktop environment in Fedora is GNOME and the default user interface is the GNOME Shell. Other desktop environments, including KDE Plasma, Xfce, LXDE, MATE and Cinnamon, are available and can be installed.[21][22]

Package management

Most Fedora editions use the RPM package management system, using DNF as a tool to manage the RPM packages.[23] DNF uses libsolv, an external dependency resolver.[23] Flatpak is also supported by default, and support for Ubuntu's snaps can also be added. Fedora uses Delta RPM when updating installed packages to provide Delta update. A Delta RPM contains the difference between an old and new version of a package. This means that only the changes between the installed package and the new one are downloaded reducing network traffic and bandwidth consumption.

The Fedora Atomic Host edition uses rpm-ostree[24], a hybrid transactional image/package system to manage the host. Traditional DNF (or other systems) should be used in containers.

Security

Fedora uses Security-Enhanced Linux by default, which implements a variety of security policies, including mandatory access controls, which Fedora adopted early on.[25] Fedora provides hardening wrapper, and does hardening for all of its packages by using compiler features such as position-independent executable (PIE).[26]

Software

Fedora comes installed with a wide range of software such as LibreOffice and Firefox. Additional software is available from the software repositories and can be installed using the DNF package manager or GNOME Software.

GNOME Software, Fedora's default package manager front-end

Additionally, extra repositories can be added to the system, so that software not available in Fedora can be installed easily.[27] Software that is not available via official Fedora repositories, either because it doesn't meet Fedora's definition of free software or because its distribution may violate US law, can be installed using third-party repositories. Popular third-party repositories include RPM Fusion free and non-free repositories. Fedora also provides users with an easy-to-use build system for creating their own repositories called Copr.[28]

Since the release of Fedora 25, the operating system defaults to the Wayland display server protocol, which replaced the X Window System.[29]

Editions

Editions of Fedora

Beginning with Fedora version 21, it is available as three distinct primary editions:[30]

  • Fedora Workstation – It targets users who want a reliable, user-friendly, and powerful operating system for their laptop or desktop computer. It comes with GNOME by default but other desktops can be installed or can be directly installed as Spins.
  • Fedora Server – Its target usage is for servers. It includes the latest data center technologies. This edition doesn't come with a desktop environment, but one can be installed. From Fedora 28 Server Edition will deliver Fedora Modularity,[31] adding support for alternative update streams for popular software such as Node.js and Golang.
  • Fedora Atomic – It provides a minimal image of Fedora which includes just the bare essentials. It is meant for deployment in cloud computing. It provides Fedora Atomic Host images which are optimized minimal images for container uses.
Components of Fedora editions

A Live USB drive can be created using Fedora Media Writer or the dd command.[32] It allows users to try Fedora without making changes to the hard disk.

Labs

Similar to Debian blends, the Fedora Project also distributes custom variations of Fedora called Fedora Labs.[33] These are built with specific sets of software packages, targeting specific interests such as gaming, security, design,[34] robotics,[35][36] and scientific computing[37] (that includes SciPy, Octave, Kile, Xfig and Inkscape).

The Fedora AOS (Appliance Operating System) was a specialized spin of Fedora with reduced memory footprint for use in software appliances. Appliances are pre-installed, pre-configured, system images. This spin was intended to make it easier for anyone (developers, independent software vendors (ISV), original equipment manufacturers (OEM), etc.) to create and deploy virtual appliances.

Spins

The Fedora project distribute different variations called "Fedora Spins"[38] which is Fedora with different Desktop Environment. The current spins as of Fedora 28 that are featured on official Fedora site are Fedora KDE, Fedora XFCE, Fedora LXQT, Fedora Mate-Compiz, Fedora Cinnamon, Fedora LXDE, and Fedora SOAS.

Architectures

x86-32, x86-64 and ARM-hfp are the primary architectures supported by Fedora.[5] Pidora[39] and FedBerry[40] are specialized Fedora distributions (Remixes) for the Raspberry Pi, now the Fedora ARM[41] support the Raspberry Pi as well as other ARM and SBC devices.[42] As of release 26, Fedora also supports ARM AArch64, IBM Power64, IBM Power64le, mips64el, mipsel, IBM Z ("s390x"), MIPS-64el, MIPS-el, RISC-V as secondary architectures.

Alternatives

The Fedora Project also distribute several other versions[43] with less use-cases than the mentioned above, like network installers and minimal installation images. Those are intended to special cases and/or expert users that want to have custom installations or configuring Fedora from scratch.

History

The name of Fedora derives from Fedora Linux, a volunteer project that provided extra software for the Red Hat Linux distribution, and from the characteristic fedora hat used in Red Hat's "Shadowman" logo. Warren Togami began Fedora Linux in 2002 as an undergraduate project at the University of Hawaii,[44] intended to provide a single repository for well-tested third-party software packages so that non-Red Hat software would be easier to find, develop, and use. The key of Fedora Linux and Red Hat Linux was that Fedora's repository development would be collaborative with the global volunteer community.[45] Fedora Linux was eventually absorbed into the Fedora Project, carrying with it this collaborative approach.[46]

Fedora Linux was launched in 2003, when Red Hat Linux was discontinued.[47] Red Hat Enterprise Linux was to be Red Hat's only officially supported Linux distribution, while Fedora was to be a community distribution.[47] Red Hat Enterprise Linux branches its releases from versions of Fedora.[48]

Before Fedora 7, Fedora was called Fedora Core after the name of one of the two main software repositories - Core and Extras. Fedora Core contained all the base packages that were required by the operating system, as well as other packages that were distributed along with the installation CD/DVDs, and was maintained only by Red Hat developers. Fedora Extras, the secondary repository that had been included since Fedora Core 3, was community-maintained and not distributed along with the installation CD/DVDs. Upon the release of Fedora 7, the distinction between Fedora Core and Fedora Extras was eliminated.[49]

Since the release of Fedora 21, as an effort to modularize the Fedora distribution and make development more agile,[50][51] three different versions are available: Workstation, focused on the personal computer, Server and Atomic for servers, Atomic being the version meant for cloud computing.[13]

Fedora is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat's application for trademark status for the name "Fedora" was disputed by Cornell University and the University of Virginia Library, creators of the unrelated Fedora Commons digital repository management software.[52] The issue was resolved and the parties settled on a co-existence agreement that stated that the Cornell-UVA project could use the name when clearly associated with open source software for digital object repository systems and that Red Hat could use the name when it was clearly associated with open source computer operating systems.[53]

Development and Community

The core values of the Fedora community

Development of the operating system and supporting programs is headed by the Fedora Project, which is composed of a community of developers and volunteers, and also Red Hat employees.[54] The Council is the top-level community leadership and governance body. Other bodies include the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee, responsible for the technical decisions behind the development of Fedora, and Fedora Mindshare Committee which coordinates outreach and non-technical activities, including representation of Fedora Worldwide e.g.: Ambassadors Program, CommOps team and Marketing, Design and Websites Team.[55]

Releases

Fedora Core 1 with GNOME version 2.4 (2003-11)
Fedora version 15, the first release with GNOME 3 and GNOME Shell. (2011-05)

Fedora has a relatively short life cycle: version X is supported only until 1 month after version X+2 is released and with approximately 6 months between most versions, meaning a version of Fedora is usually supported for at least 13 months, possibly longer.[18] Fedora users can upgrade from version to version without reinstalling.[19][20]

The current release is Fedora 28, which was released on May 1, 2018.[2][3][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]

This does not show what the current supported versions are by Fedora Project, nor does it say what is Branched (alpha and beta testing) nor rawhide (development for future release)

Version (Code name)[69] Release[69] End-of-life[70] Kernel[71][lower-alpha 1] GNOME[71]
Old version, no longer supported: 1 (Yarrow) 2003-11-05 2004-09-20 2.4.22 2.4
Old version, no longer supported: 2 (Tettnang) 2004-05-18 2005-04-11 2.6.5 2.6
Old version, no longer supported: 3 (Heidelberg) 2004-11-08 2006-01-16 2.6.9 2.8
Old version, no longer supported: 4 (Stentz) 2005-06-13 2006-08-07 2.6.11 2.10
Old version, no longer supported: 5 (Bordeaux) 2006-03-20 2007-07-02 2.6.15 2.14
Old version, no longer supported: 6 (Zod) 2006-10-24 2007-12-07 2.6.18 2.16
Old version, no longer supported: 7 (Moonshine) 2007-05-31 2008-06-13 2.6.21 2.18
Old version, no longer supported: 8 (Werewolf) 2007-11-08 2009-01-07 2.6.23 2.20
Old version, no longer supported: 9 (Sulphur) 2008-05-13 2009-07-10 2.6.25 2.22
Old version, no longer supported: 10 (Cambridge) 2008-11-25 2009-12-18 2.6.27 2.24
Old version, no longer supported: 11 (Leonidas) 2009-06-09 2010-06-25 2.6.29 2.26
Old version, no longer supported: 12 (Constantine) 2009-11-17 2010-12-02 2.6.31 2.28
Old version, no longer supported: 13 (Goddard) 2010-05-25 2011-06-24 2.6.33 2.30
Old version, no longer supported: 14 (Laughlin) 2010-11-02 2011-12-08 2.6.35 2.32
Old version, no longer supported: 15 (Lovelock) 2011-05-24 2012-06-26 2.6.38 3.0
Old version, no longer supported: 16 (Verne) 2011-11-08 2013-02-12 3.1 3.2
Old version, no longer supported: 17 (Beefy Miracle) 2012-05-29 2013-07-30 3.3 3.4
Old version, no longer supported: 18 (Spherical Cow) 2013-01-15 2014-01-14 3.6 3.6
Old version, no longer supported: 19 (Schrödinger's Cat) 2013-07-02 2015-01-06 3.9 3.8
Old version, no longer supported: 20 (Heisenbug) 2013-12-17 2015-06-23 3.11 3.10
Old version, no longer supported: 21[73] 2014-12-09 2015-12-01 3.17 3.14
Old version, no longer supported: 22 2015-05-26 2016-07-19 4.0 3.16
Old version, no longer supported: 23 2015-11-03 2016-12-20 4.2 3.18
Old version, no longer supported: 24 2016-06-21 2017-08-08 4.5 3.20
Old version, no longer supported: 25 2016-11-22 2017-12-12 4.8 3.22
Old version, no longer supported: 26 2017-07-11 2018-05-29 4.11 3.24
Older version, yet still supported: 27 2017-11-14[74] 4.13 3.26
Current stable version: 28 2018-05-01[75] 4.16 3.28
Future release: 29 2018-10-23[76] 4.19
Future release: 30 2019-04-30[77]
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Latest version
Latest preview version
Future release
  1. ↑ At the time of release. Supported releases are often updated to the latest stable version of the Linux kernel.[72]

Rawhide

Rawhide is the development tree for Fedora.[78] This is a copy of a complete Fedora distribution where new software is added and tested, before inclusion in a later stable release. As such, Rawhide is often more feature rich than the current stable release. In many cases, the software is made of CVS, Subversion or Git source code snapshots which are often actively developed by programmers. Although Rawhide is targeted at advanced users, testers, and package maintainers, it is capable of being a primary operating system. Users interested in the Rawhide branch often update on a daily basis and help troubleshoot problems.[78] Rawhide users do not have to upgrade between different versions as it follows a rolling release update model.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nottingham, Bill (November 6, 2003). "Announcing Fedora Core 1". Fedora Project announce (Mailing list). Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "What's New in Fedora 28 Workstation - Fedora Magazine". fedoramagazine.org. May 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 DistroWatch. "DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD". distrowatch.com.
  4. ↑ https://fedoramagazine.org/announcing-fedora-28/
  5. 1 2 "Architectures". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  6. ↑ "alt architectures". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions about Fedora Licensing". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Fedora Sponsors". Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ Spevack, Max (August 18, 2006). "Fedora Project Leader Max Spevack Responds". Slashdot. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Objectives". Fedora Project. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  11. 1 2 Yegulalp, Serdar (November 22, 2016). "Fedora 25 stakes out leading edge, not bleeding edge". Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Red Hat + CentOS". Red Hat. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Gilbertson, Scott (January 16, 2015). "Fedora 21 review: Linux's sprawliest distro finds a new focus". ArsTechnica.com.
  14. ↑ Hoffman, Chris (February 26, 2016). "Fedora project leader Matthew Miller reveals what's in store for Fedora in 2016". PC World. International Data Group. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Interview with Linus Torvalds from Linux Format 163". TuxRadar. Linux Format. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  16. ↑ Torvalds, Linus (30 December 2014). "The merge window being over, and things being calm made me think I should try upgrading to F21". Google+. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "Staying close to upstream projects". Fedora Project. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Fedora Release Life Cycle". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  19. 1 2 "FedUp". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Fedora 23 Release Notes: 3.2.4. System Upgrades with DNF". Fedora Project. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  21. ↑ Linder, Brad (May 29, 2012). "Fedora 17 now available for download". Liliputing. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  22. ↑ Brodkin, Jon (January 15, 2013). "How to install the MATE and Cinnamon desktops on Fedora 18". Ars Technica. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  23. 1 2 Edge, Jake (January 15, 2014). "DNF and Yum in Fedora". LWN.net. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  24. ↑ "rpm-ostree".
  25. ↑ Spenneberg, Ralf (August 2006). "Security Hardened - Mandatory Access Control with SELinux" (PDF). Linux Magazine, Issue 69. Linux New Media USA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  26. ↑ "Harden All Packages". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Adding, Enabling, and Disabling a DNF Repository". Fedora Project. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Fedora Copr". Fedora Project. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  29. ↑ Staff, Ars (December 16, 2016). "Fedora 25: With Wayland, Linux has never been easier (or more handsome)". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Fedora 21 Release Notes: 2. Fedora Products". Fedora Project. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Fedora Modularity". Fedora Modularity.
  32. ↑ "Preparing Boot Media". Red Hat. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Fedora Labs". Fedora Project. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Fedora Design Suite". Fedora Design Suite.
  35. ↑ "Fedora Robotics Edition". Fedora Project. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  36. ↑ "Fedora Robotics Wiki". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Fedora Scientific". Fedora Project.
  38. ↑ "Fedora Labs".
  39. ↑ "Pidora - Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix". pidora.ca. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  40. ↑ "FedBerry - Fedora Remix for Raspberry Pi 2/3". fedberry.org. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Fedora ARM". Fedora ARM.
  42. ↑ "Fedora ARM Supported Devices". Fedora ARM Supported Devices.
  43. ↑ "Fedora Alternative Downloads". Fedora Alternative Downloads.
  44. ↑ "Warren Togami". fedoraproject.org.
  45. ↑ Barr, Joe (October 1, 2003). "Warren Togami on the new Fedora Project". Linux.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  46. ↑ Togami, Warren (February 2006). "Why Fedora?". Archived from the original (ODP) on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  47. 1 2 Johnson, Michael K. (September 22, 2003). "Fedora Project: Announcing New Direction". Fedora development (Mailing list). Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  48. ↑ Burke, Tim (August 2006). "The Fedora Project and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, part 4". Red Hat Magazine, Issue #22. Red Hat. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  49. ↑ "Releases/7". Fedora Project. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  50. ↑ Miller, Matthew (March 19, 2014). "Fedora Present and Future: a Fedora.next 2014 Update (Part I, "Why?")". Fedora Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  51. ↑ Corbet, Jonathan (March 16, 2016). "Modularizing Fedora". LWN.net. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  52. ↑ Becker, David (November 21, 2003). "Red Hat, researchers in name tiff". CNET News. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  53. ↑ "Fedora Repository Project History". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  54. ↑ "Overview - Fedora Project". Fedora Project wiki. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  55. ↑ "Leadership - Fedora Project". Fedora Project. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  56. ↑ Fedora 28 - Improvements drowned in slowness, Dedoimedo
  57. ↑ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "Fedora 28: The new developers' Linux arrives - ZDNet". zdnet.com.
  58. ↑ "Fedora 28 Comes With New Software Options - Software - LinuxInsider". www.linuxinsider.com.
  59. ↑ "Fedora 28 Released! Here are the New Features - It's FOSS". itsfoss.com. March 12, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Fedora 28 is unleashed with boosted performance and a smart new desktop". techradar.com.
  61. ↑ Fedora 28 is here -- download the overall best Linux-based operating system now!, BetaNews
  62. ↑ Henry-Stocker, Sandra. "Fedora 28 beta is ready for you to test". networkworld.com.
  63. ↑ Fedora 28 "Cutting Edge" Linux Distro Released With New Features: Download It Here, Fossbytes
  64. ↑ Yegulalp, Serdar. "What's new in Fedora Linux". infoworld.com.
  65. ↑ Fedora 28 veröffentlicht: stromsparende Linux-Distribution mit Gnome 3.28 und modularem Server | heise online (in German)
  66. ↑ Fedora 28 Enters Beta with GNOME 3.28, VirtualBox Guest Additions, and More, Softpedia News
  67. ↑ Fedora 28 Beta Boasts Latest Linux Kernel, GNOME Versions, eWeek
  68. ↑ Fedora 28 KDE - Call the doctor, it's not feeling well, Dedoimedo
  69. 1 2 "Releases/HistoricalSchedules". Fedora Project. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  70. ↑ "End of life". Fedora Project. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  71. 1 2 "Fedora". DistroWatch. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  72. ↑ "KernelRebases". Fedora Project. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  73. ↑ Boyer, Josh (2 October 2013). "Release Name process ended". Fedora community advisory board mailing list. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  74. ↑ "Releases/27/Schedule". Fedora Project. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  75. ↑ "Releases/28/Schedule". Fedora Project. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  76. ↑ "Releases/29/Schedule". Fedora Project. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  77. ↑ "Releases/30/Schedule". Fedora Project. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  78. 1 2 "Releases/Rawhide". Fedora Project. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
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