Why I Run Fedora Linux On My Main Production System

With the Linux benchmarks at Phoronix there is a wide-range of Linux distributions (as well as BSDs, macOS, and the occasional Solaris and Windows) tested, but the operating system I end up running on my most-important production system is still Fedora Workstation. Recently I was interviewed by Fedora Magazine about my thoughts on the Red Hat backed distribution and more.

For those looking for some light Monday reading, my interview about Fedora, the Linux ecosystem, and other general topics was published this morning over at FedoraMagazine.org. I had been a heavy Fedora Core user back in the day and while for some years my main production system was on Ubuntu, after the Fedora.Next initiative I've been back to running Fedora on my main system, as I've written about in some past articles on Phoronix.

For Phoronix readers, here were some extra questions from the interview that didn't make the final cut on Fedora Magazine:

If you could do one thing to change the Fedora Project what would it be?

Get a release out on time? Better yet, bring back the fun codenames! ;) Well, off the top of my head there is not a lot that immediately comes to mind... Though, yes, it would be nice if the Fedora releases were more predictable with less delays while not sacrificing the release quality.

Where and how did you learn those skills?

All of the skills I had learned on my own through trial and error and then the wonderful resources on the Internet. During my short time in university before leaving to conserve money and focus all of my resources on Phoronix, I was mostly focused on accounting and physics while getting frustrated by their Microsoft-oriented courses.

When you think of the future of the Fedora Project, what gives you a sense of hope? What makes you concerned or worried?

I've been ecstatic about Fedora since the Fedora.Next initiative and really the culmination of dependencies over the past year or two. After a few years of using Ubuntu on my main system, I switched back to Fedora and have been really happy with the experience. Everything feels a lot more polished, GNOME 3.2x is running solid, the transition to Wayland went very smoothly, and the past few releases in particular have been just really great. I think the future of Fedora has never looked brighter and I am looking forward to what technical advancements it next has to offer.

What have you found most challenging about contributing to open source projects?

Open-source politics, sadly, get too much in the way with some projects, putting off some users/contributors and just shifting the focus away from placing the emphasis on just producing really great, quality open-source software. What led me to open-source/Linux in the first place was looking for the best quality and trusted software, but sadly in recent years among some projects it seems there is less an emphasis on producing the best possible software and more on just advancing social causes, satisfying company stakeholders, etc, but if you deliver a great offering, they will come and thus expand your community.

What is your favorite food?

Schweinshaxe (German pork knuckle) or most any other Bavarian foods. Really love German/Bavarian cuisine -- as well as their beers like Augustiner, Weihenstephaner, and Andechser.

Read the rest of the interview in full over at FedoraMagazine.org.