Frequently Asked Questions
As is normal for any Linux distribution, we get a lot of questions. Some are asked regularly, and we would like to try to answer some of these Frequently Asked Questions here. You might also be interested in the FedoraMyths page, which details the facts behind a few common myths about Fedora.
General Information
What is the Fedora Project?
The Fedora Project is an open source project sponsored by Red Hat and supported by the Fedora community. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products (such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux) but Fedora is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc.
What is Fedora Core?
Fedora Core is the offspring of the Fedora Project. Fedora Core is a stable and modern Linux distribution based upon Red Hat technology. The last version of Red Hat Linux was version 9 before the Fedora Project was started. Fedora Core 4 is the most recent version released in June 2005. Fedora Core includes ground breaking technologies such as SELinux, Xen and more.
What is Red Hat?
Red Hat is a supplier of Linux software and solutions based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Started in 1995, Red Hat is one of the original Linux pioneers and has encouraged great new products such as the GNOME desktop and OpenOfice.org. Red Hat supply enterprise class Linux solutions as well as backing the Fedora Project. Fedora Core is the basis for most of their Linux products.
Why is there a red hat everywhere?
Obviously,as you can see from the image on the left, the Red Hat 'Shadowman' Logo includes a red hat. So, the branding from Red Hat Linux has continued into Fedora Core so the menu icon is a Red Hat and many applications include the Red Hat logo. If you don't like the Red Hat logo, you can change it to a blue hat logo.
Where can I download Fedora Core 4 from?
Fedora Core is a free distribution which can be downloaded from the Red Hat FTP site or from one of the mirrors. It is recommended to use a mirror located near you to gain the maximum speed possible. For a basic graphical install, you only need to first two CDs but for Development (Compiling) Tools and Administration Tools, you will need all four CDs. Source CDs are not needed unless you are rebuilding packages. You can also download Fedora Core using the BitTorrent file sharing system.Torrents for Fedora Core 4 are available here.
Where can I find other great Fedora Core resources?
You can find hundreds of websites with information relating to Fedora. If you know a good one, not listed here, contact me:
- Fedora Project - The Offical website for the Fedora Project.
- Fedora Forum - The offical forums of the Fedora Project. Great for asking questions.
- Fedora FAQ - The inspiration for this guide but is out of date and does not cover the same scope as this guide (hopefully)
- FedoraNEWS - Serves information and the latest Fedora news. Includes tutorials, HOWTOs and the Fedora Weekly newsletter.
Where can I get help for Fedora Core?
- Fedora Forum - The offical discussion forum for the Fedora Project. Many excellent voluneteers willing to help out.
- fedora - The #fedora IRC channel on irc.freenode.net is a good place to go for help. There are usually ~350 about so there is usually someone who will have had the same problem as you.
- Red Hat Mailing Lists - There are several Fedora Core related mailing lists provided by Red Hat. One of the most popular is the fedora-list which often has hundreds of messages a day
- Fedora Communication - A page with a list of all the main mailing lists and IRC channels.
What is the Fedora Foundation?
The Fedora Foundation is Red Hat’s next step in its commitment to build a true open source community around Fedora. The purpose of the foundation is to expand the collaboration within the community and between the community and outside projects. Red Hat hope that the foundation will expand to cover many Fedora related sub-projects with Red Hat continuing to devote significant engineering resources to the overall project. This page gives a more comprehensive view of the Fedora Foundation
Add-on Applications
How do I install Java (Sun JRE 1.5.0)?
- See General Notes
su -
cd /opt
wget http://www.evolutioncolt.com/fedoraguide/files/jre-1_5_0_04-linux-i586.bin
sh jre-1_5_0_04-linux-i586.bin
rm jre-1_5_0_04-linux-i586.bin
ln -s /opt/jre1.5.0_04/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libjavaplugin_oji.so
gedit /etc/profile.d/java.sh
- Copy and paste this into the java.sh file:
export J2RE_HOME=/opt/jre1.5.0_04
export PATH=$J2RE_HOME/bin:$PATH
- Save and close the file
source /etc/profile.d/java.sh
alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jre1.5.0_04/bin/java 2
alternatives --config java
- Press 2
- Press Enter
You should now have a working Java 1.5.0 installation. You can use the alternatives command to switch back to gcj or Sun Java.