Is Ubuntu still the best distro for mainstream?

[dixon]

Hi,
I'm ubuntu only user for about 3 years now. In the beginning I tried all of the main distros. I sticked with ubuntu because it was only distro that has detected my wireless card back then. Since then I was using only ubuntu and I want to know what's the situation now. I read more and more about Fedora these days - driving innovation to Linux (plymouth, packagekit etc..). I was dissapointed with last two releases of Ubuntu(Hardy - mostly because of pulseaudio, Intrepid - didn't bring almost anything new just some bugs - intel wireless acts weird, video tearing etc..). I think with every release recently it's one step forward and two steps back, so I was thinking about making a switch to another distro. I'm thinking about Fedora(because of the innovation) and OpenSUSE(because of lot of upstream work being done in this distro). I know the best thing is to try the livecd, but I want to hear the opinions of long term users. What's better in ubuntu and what's worse? These days I don't have enough time to test all the distros :( I use my ubuntu machine as productive machine.

[bruce89]

Rather coincidentally, I am also slightly fed up with the boringness of Ubuntu, and the lack of innovation. I am currently in the process of evaluating Fedora.

That said, I would prefer something Debian based.

[dixon]

Rather coincidentally, I am also slightly fed up with the boringness of Ubuntu, and the lack of innovation. I am currently in the process of evaluating Fedora.

That said, I would prefer something Debian based.
Please post some of yours observations(Ubuntu vs. Fedora) after evaluating.

[cmay]

i have had fedora 7 for a week or so. it was to me very buggy. it seem to right to think that many others like the fedora very much however so i am maybe just one of the few that had bad luck. it would not find my internet card so i could install any programs as one thing that ruled it out for me. if it is for a stable setup i would recommend debian etch.

[bruce89]

Please post some of yours observations(Ubuntu vs. Fedora) after evaluating.


I was expecting a installer page where I could select which packages I want/don't want, but there isn't one.
PackageKit is very nice.
Using a root password seems a bit odd (not bad).
A much less up-to-date collection of non-core packages.

[mikewhatever]

I think, no matter what others tell you, you'd still have to test distros yourself. What would it matter, for example, if the new Fedora worked with everyone's wireless. All you really care for is whether it works with yours, and there is no way of telling without testing. By the way, distrowatch is now flooded with Fedora's reviews.
Personally, I like Intrepid a lot. The new network manager connects to the wpa2 encrypted wireless network using static IP, using Intel 3945 card. The system boots faster and feels snappier.