Fedora Core 5 Linux is a very stable operating system that works well for most tasks. I personally use it for work and home tasks as a Linux administrator for a web hosting company. It’s stable on the desktop as well as in the server environment. Although the installation process is finicky (The Fedora Project hasn’t worked all the bugs out of Anaconda yet) once it is installed it is very simple to use.

While not 100% intuitive for a first time user, most folks will get used to it very quickly. It comes with Open Office 2.0, and Mozilla.com’s excellent FireFox browser. Installation of new software is quite easy thanks to the RedHat Package Manager, and most mainstream Linux software is available in this format. Hardware detection is excellent, with no major problems that I’ve found.

So, if you’re thinking about trying Linux, give Fedora Core 5 a try. Sure, you could try Ubuntu or another distribution, but Fedora Core 5 is my personal favorite for every day use and I highly suggest it.