Linux operating system is one of the most popular OS in use today. Equally popular are its distributions such as ubuntu, fedora, Redhat, and many more. Linux is mostly known for being the choice Operating system on business servers of countless organizations, but its different distributions are also used in laptops, PCs as well as mainframes. Linux offers multiple distributions for multiple purposes. Of them, Fedora and Ubuntu are the two most popular ones, favored by many web development experts.
Linux Distributions: What they are?
Linux is a product of the free software foundation movement. This means that Linux can be used to build other Operating systems, the most famous of them being Android. Many organizations have created their own OS based on the Linux kernel and have added their own software to create a package, which is exactly what is meant by a Linux distribution. Fedora and Ubuntu are two such distributions.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu, like fedora, is a child of Linux and is built upon it. It’s created by Canonical Ltd, a UK-based company, and runs on Smartphones, Network Servers, and PCs. Its official releases include Ubuntu servers including cloud, Ubuntu Desktop for PCs, and Ubuntu core for robotics and IoT (Internet of Things). Every Ubuntu release comes with an End of Life date or expiration date and Ubuntu offers support and security upgrades at regular intervals for each of them till the date of expiration. Ubuntu comes bundled with many software resembling software releases from other popular OS (like Windows) as in Thunderbird for email like Outlook, an office suite called Libre Office and it supports popular software like VLC, Firefox etc. Additionally, Ubuntu is the pro-choice of Operating System for cloud servers all over.
Fedora
Fedora is developed by Red Hat( now owned by IBM) and is also developed under the free software umbrella though it has some paid features as well. With fedora, people can access RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) although it’s a paid subscription. Often fedora acts as a testing range for new features and upgrades before they are introduced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The default user interface in Fedora is powered by GNOME Shell. It also supports popular software like Mozilla Firefox, and Libre Office and has Nautilus as its file manager. Unlike Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, Fedora is based on Red Hat.
Ubuntu Vs Fedora: The bottom line
First and foremost, Ubuntu enjoys unrivaled popularity in the case of Servers, especially the cloud ones just as its desktop version is popular as well. Fedora also has a server edition but experts still lean toward Ubuntu because upgrading a server after every nine months sticks out as a hassle. Moreover, Ubuntu passes ahead with better online support, availability, and driver maintenance and installation. Ubuntu offers a support period of 18 months whereas Fedora it is 13 months. The bottom line is for inexperienced Linux users Ubuntu is always a better choice but for advanced users who want to familiarize themselves with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora is the one to go for. Many web development professionals share the same thought.
