Key Takeaways
- Fedora Linux didn’t quite fit my needs as a workstation due to slow package manager and app crashes, especially with KDE Plasma.
- In my experience, Fedora’s bleeding edge nature may lead to more technical issues with newer software in default repositories.
- Considering Fedora’s drawbacks, I plan to switch back to Garuda Linux for a more stable experience without daily software crashes.
I use Linux as my main desktop, and recently I decided to investigate Fedora Linux as a workstation. I’d heard the community talk it up but never given it a fair shake myself. After about a month, I don’t think it quite fits the bill for my needs.
Why I’m Moving on to a Different Distribution
Fedora Linux (the KDE Plasma spin) was what I installed on my main PC after giving elementary OS a try. I didn’t have any installation issuse, and I did like the default layout and general theming. After that, though, I started hitting snags no one mentioned in the countless Linux distribrution listicles and forum discucsions I read.
What immediately stood out to me as I was installing apps I needed, though, was how slow the package manager dnf is. I was amazed at how long I had to wait for the results of simple package searches. None of the Linux listicles or forum posts mentioned that. I’m no command line warrior, so dnf’s speed isn’t a huge problem for me, but whenever I do pull up a terminal for a quick package install, I’m always taken aback.
Most of my frustration lies, though, with crashes. The operating system itself stays stable; I’ve never had a complete system freeze or shutdown. The apps I’m using, though, crash on the daily. While the screenshot I captured above is of a fairly niche app, Vesktop, crashing, it’s happening with Chrome, Firefox, Spotify, and others too. It doesn’t happen incessantly, so I can get by with Fedora as my daily driver, but it happens just enough that it’s noticeable and annoying.
It’s the apps crashing and not Fedora itself, so assuming I’m not a moron, I suspect the issue truly lies with Plasma. I’ve been a Plasma fan for a long time, and I’ve not had such persistent issues on other distros using Plasma. A difference here is that Fedora is more “bleeding edge” than other popular distros, meaning the software available in its default repositories is newer than that of Ubuntu, for example. Software that hasn’t been around as long also hasn’t been debugged as long, so maybe I really am a moron for not expecting the bleeding-edge version of Plasma to have technical issues.
Plasma is my favorite desktop environment (DE), though. So given the choice between leaving Plasma for a different Fedora spin and leaving Fedora for a different distro running Plasma, well, I have to tip my hat at RedHat and move on.
Looking Forward
I think next I’ll try going back to Garuda Linux. I wrote about switching to Garuda a few years ago, and at least at the time it felt both bleeding-edge and stable. I don’t recall daily software crashes. The only reason I gave it up was that using Windows became less than optional at work for a while.
Overall Fedora seems like a fine distro. Obviously, I haven’t given it a real chance by trying it with other DEs. But right now, my love for Plasma and my need for stability are joining forces and leading to distro-hop elsewhere.
