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= Testimonials from Fedora Weekly News =

During the week of 4th of July, 2006, Fedora Weekly News had a book giveaway. Congratulations to  Eric Pedersen from NY, USA  for winning the book and thank you for supporting Fedora Project.

Thomas Canniot - France
Well, in fact, Fedora Core 5 is a great bunch of free open source and stable softwares that allowed me to really get involve in the Fedora Project and make so many friends around the world.

Vikram Ambrose - Canada
Fedora has become a name I can trust. A distinguished Linux distribution designed for people who value there time. An operating system for the future, a fast, stable, and secure system which puts more power in each click than ever before. A trust worthy work horse, suited for real world performance, blending exceptional style and character. I choose Fedora Core Linux.

Michael Colligan - IN, USA
I like Fedora Core 5 because it is stable, well supported by third party vendors, and finally works well on laptops.

This is actually my first extended voyage on a Red Hat ship since departing for other waters after RH9. Through Mandrake, SUSE, Gentoo, Slackware (lots of slackware) and others it seems I've arrived back at my home port.

Erwin Quita - Philippines
Hi I'm Erwin Quita from Makati, Philippines. I like Fedora Core 5 because It really gives you the application you need for a desktop user and at the same time the power of having a server. In fact It inspired me to develop a website (http://www.ibatayo.com/portal) using all open source technology and application that are readily available in the installer. I'm an avid supporter of Linux and have been a FC user since 2004. I want to show the world that you can do more using FC as your OS vs. the popular OS out there. This book will further enhance and help take full advantage of using FC to it's full power. Thanks and more power!

Alan Huber
I originally installed Linux (Red Hat 9) to try and become familiar with it. I eventually moved on to Fedora 4 and now Fedora 5. I love the new 5 core so much I only use Windows once or twice a week - and that's just to check my investments on Quicken. The Open Office 2.0 is more flexible and faster than MS Office and I do all my e-mail in Evolution. Updating and adding programs is amazingly easy, even for a non-expert by myself. During installation, the GRUB loader set up a dual boot for me making it easy to select Fedora or Windows.

I have been recommending Fedora 5 to all my computer-literate patients, it is definitely ready for "prime time". In comparison to Windows XP, Fedora is more stable, faster, and freezes up far less often than Windows. It's ideal for home and general office use.

Timothy Ha - Russian Federation
I've been learning Linux since Redhat 7.3 and found that Fedora Core 5 is the first Fedora/Redhat version that I can bravely recommend to the non-techie people. I like the Fedora stability and use of new technologies very much. It is by Fedora quality that I have now totally converted to Linux, even though I have a long Windows programming experience. Now Linux is on our company servers and on desktops in my office and home.

Edsel Jose Item - Philippines
I like Fedora Core 5 because its the easiest linux distro to install. Not just easy to install but also easy to use and easiest package installation and very nice GUI. More hardware support than any other linux OSes.

I have tried so many linux distributions but Fedora Core 5 is the best. Thats why I'm sticking to it and have no plans of leaving Fedora Core. Not just that, with the support of the most active linux community, newbies like me can find help if a problem is encountered.

With the release of the new version every six months, the Fedorans - Fedora Core Users, can be assured that the bugs from the previous release is fixed and new features and packages will come. More Power To Fedora Core!

Eric Pedersen - NY, USA
WINNER

Why I like Fedora 5

The progression of Linux on the desktop can be seen in many ways today. If we are to examine only the major projects for the first quarter of 2006 we have seen the introduction of XGL visualization for the Linux Desktop brought by Novell/Opensuse projects. The popularity of Ubuntu brings with it a lively and spirited community who are truly excited about their choice of operating system. Linux on the outside is showing great graphics and great community spirit.

What about the inside of Linux?

In my opinion, the Fedora Project has had a tremendous impact on the way Linux is built today. In developing Fedora Core 5, the project used the latest technology for software compilation by using the development tools that are now GCC-4.1 and GLIBC-2.4. What is so important about this? These two libraries are two developmental libraries that were in intensive development themselves at the time. The Fedora project, in choosing these tools to compile the software we see in Fedora 5 contributed greatly to the actual development of the latest tools offered to Linux today. By implementing the latest tools in development we can be sure that the Fedora developers worked quite closely with the developers of GCC and GLIBC in order to sort out bugs and to enhance features and to provide patch fixes, and so on. This collaboration between software developers demonstrates the spirit of Linux advancement across dissimilar projects.

The packages that are shipped with Fedora Core 5 are compiled with the latest technology available today. The packages are built with security and stability with the use of source fortification and stack-smash-protection (SSP). The Fedora Project was the first to deliver this technology in an entire distribution. After this the road became paved for other projects to use the latest developmental tools for their own use. If one were to look at the goals of the next Ubuntu release, they have included as goals the use of source-fortification and SSP for their next release.

While other projects have been showing us how attractive Linux can be to the eye, Fedora 5's main and very significant contribution to Linux was made in advancing the way that eye-candy is made. It also pushed and stretched the concept of software development to new heights. Reaching higher and looking ahead to the future is what I would characterize Fedora 5 this year. The inclusion and development of the development tools themselves contribution greatly toward the advancement in Linux itself * at the Core ;-)

W. Shawn Wilkerson - FL, USA
I have worked with OS/2, Sun Solaris, all versions of Microsoft Windows, and different derivatives of DOS (pcdos, drdos, msdos, freedos), Mandrake 6 - Mandrake 9. Back in 2003 I began a series of articles on my site concerning my search for an all around Operating System. The requirements were simple: basically allow me to have access to all of the data I need no matter which hat I was wearing while maintaining integrity and security. I was looking for raw power and flexibility while staying in the safety zone of industry standards. I began hearing about Fedora Core in areas I frequent because of Red Hat Linux web servers I run, so I thought I would check it out. After Dban'ing my drive I grabbed FC1. I ran it as my main OS for a few weeks and decided for me to really enjoy it I would need to get it on a laptop so I could have "my" computer where ever I go. $2000 to Dell for an Inspiron 9200, a week to wait for it to get here, 30 minutes to boot it to check out the hardware, and a set of FC2 Disks and I had a fully dedicated system which was the closest I have ever gotten to my stated operating system requirements. Through each successive release of Fedora Core I arrive ever closer to my idea of a perfect operating system. With Fedora Core 5 I am fully capable of establishing a rock solid foundation in my Company as well as local churches and other companies who are looking for the most out a their network servers and desktop systems (even when cost is not an issue). In short FC5 enhances my life, makes my daily responsibilities easier, and with every release the future is getting larger and brighter.

John-Michael Mulesa - IN, USA
There are many reasons why I really like Fedora Core 5. I've tried all the major distros recently, and FC5 wins in my opinion. Firstly, the anaconda installer is one of the best graphical installers around, and it's modeled on gtk/GNOME, which is my preferred desktop. The GNOME desktop is very polished in Fedora Core 5, and it's better integrated than in the other distros. YUM finally has a graphical interface that works well, which definitely puts it a bar above SUSE right now. But I like Fedora most of all because of it's unique combination of updates and stability. Ubuntu is very conservative in it's updating, and only does very minor updates after a version freeze, hence its kernel is only at 2.6.15, and even after this aproach, Ubuntu 6.06 is still plagued with stability issues. Fedora has a very liberal updating system which I like alot, for example, the 2.6.17 kernel just made its way into FC5. No other major distro has dared to try this, and I applaud FC5 for doing so, because they've succeeded very well with it. With this approach, FC5 has maintained better stability and integration than either Ubuntu or SUSE have through their minor updates, which is nothing short of astonishing. That is why I like Fedora Core 5.

Craig Dorsey
Why do I like thee, Fedora Core 5? Let me not count the ways rather let me share with the world my experience with you so far.

I have been using Windows based computers for more than ten years now. Over the last several years I have been trying out various Linux based operating systems. The first time I attempted to install RedHat back around version 8 I had no idea what I was getting into and ultimately gave up on it. I'm fairly computer savvy though spending most of my computer time using Windows I had become accustomed to having to do little more than popping in a disc to install the OS. After years of frustration with not only dishing out the dollars for an OS that was just as full of blue screens and security issues I had to explore what else was out there.

I started investigating Linux distributions again. Initially I played with various live distributions as I didn't have the resources at home to experiment otherwise. It wasn't long before I resurrected several machines from bits and pieces from various computer "graveyards". This allowed me to begin to experiment with installing Linux based operating systems on a non critical machine. I quickly learned how far Linux distributions had come as far as ease of installation, update, and use as well as what kind of freely available software there was to use to accomplish various tasks that would otherwise require me to use a Windows based computer.

Since the release of Fedora Core 5 I now have one of my desktop machines running FC5 exclusively and am dual booting my laptop with FC5 and XP. I can do nearly anything I need to on my computers running Fedora that I can running Windows. Well, what are the kinds of things that I, an average Joe, uses his computer for, you may ask. I surf the web to keep up with news, entertainment, and friends. I use it for email correspondence, or instant messengering. I am able to watch most any type of video content I run across (though it did take a little bit of work to accomplish that). I can even play Flash based games online or view .pdf documents within my favorite browser, Firefox. I can access email from my own domain via Evolution and keep up with my schedule as well. With OpenOffice included I don't have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars extra on an Office like suite of applications that are even compatible with Microsoft's big money maker. After discovering OpenOffice I can honestly say that Microsoft wont be sticking it to my wallet for their bloated Office software ever again.

What about music? Doesn't everyone that has a computer use it these days to listen to their CDs. Well, I have backed up my music collection on a 250GB external hard drive and can use amaroK to enjoy my music collection at my desk or anywhere else I can plug my USB drive in. If I want to burn an audio CD to listen to in the car no problem I can easily create an audio CD with K3b. Of course I can create data CDs or DVDs with K3b just as easily. I can even watch my favorite movies on my laptop.

So far for me it hasn't been a question of what I can do using Fedora rather what can't I do. The few things I have not been able to do are not the fault of Fedora but the fault of hardware manufacturers or software publishers. Though it has been a rare occasion I have run into a few hardware issues. The main thing that has me keeping Windows around is software that I am required to use that is not available to run under Linux as well as my video games that are Windows specific. I do make a conscious effort to keep an eye out for games that come with native Linux installs. I love to see Tux on the box and when I do I rarely leave the store without buying it, if for nothing else to support those who are developing for the Linux crowd.

To be fair not everything single thing I wanted to do worked "out of the box" so to say, just the vast majority of it! That which did not was certainly not too terribly difficult to figure out with a little research on the web. Of course there are a few things I have not been able to do with Fedora. Yes it's true. For instance, I have not been able to worry about getting a virus on my machine. I have not been able to worry about the scores of ad-ware and spy-ware building up on my system. And what is this with no "blue screen of death"? Who in their right mind would want to live without that?

Fedora has given me the freedom Microsoft never could and likely never will.

Gabor Walter - Hungary
It all began with Fedora Core 2 which was just out when I had ADSL installed at home. Not wanting to waste CPU cycles on fighting different kinds of malware, not wanting to be controlled by activation and the likes, having gotten fed up with the promises which eventualIy always turned out to be the same old operating system under the hood, only with a new skin, I made a quick decision: my 3 computers at home would be running linux - no dual boot! And now, at FC5, there's still no Windows in my house. I must admit I sometimes tried out other ((K)ubuntu, Suse, Gentoo, Arch, LFS) distros (well, who doesn't?) but eventually I kept coming back to Fedora. Why? It's bleeding edge while not sacrificing stability, pleasant to look at, powerful, yet easy to use and configure. I have yet to one applicaton which I want to use on a daily basis and is not readily available either in Extras or at various yum repos. After the aforementioned distros, this is the one that feels right. Difficult to explain why, but everyone who finally decides on one particular distro will understand what I mean. Even my wife doesn't miss Windows any more. Need I say more? :-)

Jonathan Robinson
Fedora is stable and conistent! One day windows crashed one to many times... the gradual slowing down over time annoyed me so an immediate switch to Fedora was made. What a difference it made. No more crashes. No more of this gradual slowing down - YAY!

Robert Fulcher - PA, USA
Fedora is the essence of flexibility (Swiss Army Fedora). It has always enabled me to do anything for my company. Need a web server - Fedora, need a cvs server - Fedora, need a server in a day - Fedora, I don't care what you need - Fedora.....

Thanks to the fedora team for all there wonderful and appreciated work.

Vedran Miletić - Croatia
As a mathemathics and computer science student, I have a selection of tools I work with almost daily on my laptop, including teTeX distribution, vim, gnuplot, glpk and many others. While on some other distros I needed to compile some of them myself (because they were missing or they were outdated), Fedora offers all of them, at lastest upstream version, easily installable via yum. Speaking of yum, it has much improved in speed over what was shipped in Fedora Core 4, what has made it a lot more usable. Fedora doesn't stop at shipping lastest versions of just some utilities; regardless the fact that 2.6.15 was kernel version shipped with FC5 when it was released, I have 2.6.17 installed today, which fixed firmware erorrs I was getting on my ipw2200 card. One earlier update made suspend work on my laptop. In my opinion, that's a lot better than needing to wait six months for next release or using development one. Rapid progress and always shipping lastest upstream versions is one of the main reason I love Fedora. However, it's not the only one. TeXmacs, a popular tool for writing scientific papers (part of Fedora Extras), just works. It correctly detects that I want A4 paper by default, which has not always been the case on other distros. Firefox has never been better. With some 3rd party packages, I can also get Flash and MS core web fonts, but even default ones are quite good. Installer has improved more in a single relase than it did in last three, GNOME has never looked better, and, yeah, automounting USB keys and external hard drives just works. My USB soundcard is autodected and I can control it via GNOME mixer. And so does networking - NetworkManager tends to crash here and there, but it has gotten a lot better than it used to be, and it's really useful. The repository-that-should-not-be-named provides me with aditional codecs for Totem, so I can watch movies and listen to music. If that's not enough, there is also mplayer, vlc, xine - just pick your choice. It's fascinating that, usually painful to install ATI fglrx driver, can be installed with yum using a single command, and there is no need to manually configure anything. Compile icculus.org Quake 3 for yourself and play it; lastest gcc and subversion are included, ready to be used, and releavant libraries (sdl, openal) are in Extras. Fedora Core 5 is the first, and so far the only distro I managed to use 3 months, without wanting to install something else; it provided me with everything I needed from a distro, and I could fix every problem encountered with search over the forum. I finally have "the one" distribution to recommend to friends wanting to try Linux, without having second thoughts.

Stefan Neufeind - Germany
- simply works :-) - broad hardware-support - up-to-date software to work with - Xen integrated - first release to "really" incorporate Fedora Extras - offering an even wider application-support.

Roger Lacson - CA, USA
To tell you why I like Fedora Core 5....it's the FUTURE OS. It's a proving ground for new technology that will survive from losing my job/business.