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So you guys may have heard of Linux and Ubuntu, two open source operating systems which have slowly been gaining more popularity over the past few years. But have you heard of Fedora, the 2^nd most popular Linux-based operating system after Ubuntu?

Fedora is another open source Linux OS sponsored by Red Hat, a prolific supporter of such projects. The operating system itself was based on Red Hat Linux 9 and created in 2003 by the Fedora Project team. Since then, it has gone through many incarnations, 11 versions, and many different looks. One of Fedora’s key features is it’s integration of other open source programs into its systems, including PulseAudio, Firefox and OpenOffice 3.0.

So what we’re going to do here is compare the features of both Windows XP (Still the most commercially used OS in the world) and Fedora 12, using some high tech graph technology borrowed from NASA. Well, not really, but it’s still good.

Default Word Processor	Microsoft Word	Open Office 3.0
	Well, since Open Office isn’t the most technical application out there, it is free, while XP is either bundled as a paid extra or just purchase only. Its a Tie.
Score	1	1
Cost	Roughly £35	Nothing.
	This one’s easy, even though windows XP now costs the same as a new video game, Fedora still is free, and thus wins.
Score	1	2
Availability	Sold on the internet, in stores.	Download only, not included in mainstream market PCs
	Hmm… well since you need an operating system in order to download and install Fedora, unless you have a copy on a disk, you’re pretty much stuck with XP until you do.
Score	2	2
Long Term Support	No support from Microsoft in 2014, internet.	Full support for current and previous version, none for versions before previous.
	Seeing as the only support for XP will come from online forums come 2014, Fedora takes it, as there will be support as long as the company survives.
Score	2	3
Program Compatibility	Compatible with most new applications until further windows releases.	Compatible with some, but may require patches/fixes from the internet.
	This one’s also tricky, as XP, in the style of older Windows releases such as 98, will continue to be supported by most applications, while others may not work on Linux-based OS models like Fedora. I guess it’s a win for XP
Score	3	3
Hard Disk Presence	1.5 GB	90 MiB-175 MiB
	Smaller size wins this one.
Score	3	4
RAM memory limit	3GB	No Limit due to installed PAE kernel.
	Another Fedora victory, as the PAE kernel installed in the operating system removes limits on how much RAM can be used, while XP only tolerates 3GB or less.
Score	3	5

So it seems that Fedora is twice as nice as the older, slower XP… however, I still wouldn’t use it… You see, many programs, such as games, DVD software and other applications used for entertainment which I currently use on my home PC system are just not going to work on Fedora… it’s a shame I can’t use this amazing system, but the negatives just somehow outweigh the positives. But there is still hope. Using a program known as a virtual machine you can run Fedora in a program window on your computer, thus letting you try it yourself at home, which I implore you to do. So, give it a go, check out fedora now at www.fedoraproject.org, run it on your new pc or virtual machine and leave us some feedback in the comments section below.

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Tags: comparison, Fedora, Linux, Linux Fedora VS Windows XP, office, Open, OS, RedHat, Ubuntu, vs, windows, Word, xp