Fedora vs Windows 10
When comparing Fedora vs Windows 10, the Slant community recommends Fedora for most people. In the question“What is the best laptop OS?” Fedora is ranked 2nd while Windows 10 is ranked 36th. The most important reason people chose Fedora is:
Fedora is backed by RedHat, the 2nd biggest Linux kernel contributor in the world. Using a distribution made by RedHat means that it will be fine-tuned to work as efficiently as possible since it's made by the same people who work extensively on the kernel and know its ins and outs.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Backed by one of the biggest Linux kernel contributors
Fedora is backed by RedHat, the 2nd biggest Linux kernel contributor in the world. Using a distribution made by RedHat means that it will be fine-tuned to work as efficiently as possible since it's made by the same people who work extensively on the kernel and know its ins and outs.
Pro Integration with GNOME
It perhaps has the best integration with GNOME (GNOME software works out of the box).
Pro Focuses on innovation
By using bleeding edge software, Fedora allows for innovation to take place by testing out things which other distros are not willing to try due to fears of having instability issues.
Pro Fast and stable updates
Pro Frees developers from some backward compatibility restraints
Fedora has a relatively short life cycle: version X is supported only until 1 month after version X+2 and with approximately 6 months between versions this means that a version of Fedora is supported for approximately 13 months. This promotes leading-edge software because it frees developers from some backward compatibility restraints.
Pro Strong commitment to free software philosophy
Pro Fast performance
Pro Very good integration with Flatpak and Snap Packages
Pro Huge array of binary packages ready to install
Pro Can still be installed in a bad sector on the hard disk
Pro Linus Torvalds' distro of choice
Pro Create user after the installation
Very good for selling PC‘s with Fedora.
Pro Frequent updates to latest versions of software, so quick security and other bug fixes
Latest version software often means quick bug fixes, more useful features. For example, for a daily user of TeX, the latest TeX distro is a must. It's also useful to be able to use recent external hardware such as USB Wi-Fi dongles or printers.
Pro Minimalist GNOME
Fedora Workshop does not come with bloatware. It is a minimal GNOME installation, which makes it very simple and nice to use out of the box.
Pro The best choice for sysAdmin and developers
Nearly flawless, perfect performance and consistency with development and operational software.
Pro Latest version of Windows.
Pro DirectX 12
The newest version of Microsoft’s DirectX application programming interface, which handles visual and other multimedia tasks on Windows-based systems.
Pro Good compatibility with Windows 7 software
Both applications and drivers created for Windows 7 work well on Windows 10.
Pro Better than all the other Windows versions
Iv'e tried Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, Xp and I'll choose Windows 10 every time. It's better than all the previous versions (yes even Windows 7, which is overrated in my opinion).
Pro Returns to a more familiar style start bar unlike Windows 8
Pro Built-in support for VPNs
A VPN connection can be established from the "Change Virtual Private Network" panel. Quickest way to access the panel is by searching for "VPN" in the start menu.
Pro Built-in way to play DVDs
No third-party software is required to play DVDs.
Pro Tablet mode is a pain to use
The tablet mode of Windows 10 has many issues compared to other major tablet operating systems like Android, for example:
- 1.) In the tablet mode the desktop is replaced by the Windows 10 start menu
- 1.1.) As there is no Desktop there is no proper launcher to start your apps so you always have to open that windows 10 start menu...
- 2.) Virtual keyboard often don't come up automatically(you need to click on the keybord icon near the systray to bring it up)
- 2.1.) If the keyboard is docked and comes up it will lay over the window and if(like here on slant) the entry box is on the bottom of the page it will lay over that box so you have to manually undock the keyboard and move it to any other border which of course breaks other options like scrolling a page etc.
- 2.2.) Virtual keyboard and virtual touchpad have no customization options so you can't make them bigger or smaller etc.
Cons
Con Updating to a new release can be problematic
While there are a few tools on offer that will upgrade an old Fedora release to the newest, there can often be problems with these methods. Some that may not even crop up at first but will show later down the road. Being that upgrading can be an issue, it can be exacerbated by the fact that Fedora updates every six month, which means twice a year there is a risk of completely borking ones install.
Con Proprietary drivers are unsupported
Fedora does not support proprietary drivers, meaning that users may have problems with a lot of hardware when using Fedora. The software to make that kind of hardware work can be installed, but it can be done only through third-parties and it's not easy for the average user.
Con Unstable
Some packages may break, because there isn't an option to test them before rolling them out.
Con Dnfdragora needs work
As the default package installer, this piece of software needs a lot more polish. It's not explicit in saying things are installed, more granularity in package selection is needed, and the ability to move columns around to see if you're installing the correct version.
Con Optimus support is straight terrible
Running on a laptop with optimus gpu or the driver for your powerful gpu is not gonna happen.
Con Not for beginners
It is not a user-friendly distro like ubuntu, PCLos. You will be required to learn a lot of commands even for simple activities.
Con Slow
It is quite slow on some computers.
Con Basically owned by RedHat
Community? Forget it! RedHat says what Fedora must do.
Con Too many changes to upstream packages leading to a "Fedora way" of doing things
Linux should be Linux, but Fedora is constantly introducing breakage and changes which move things in the wrong direction and make things worse for everyone.
Con Controlled by big corpos
Con 86'ed
Description of the word. Support for 32-bit architecture ended with Fedora Release 30.
Con Wayland does not work with Prime/Optimus
On a pc with hybrid video, you must use Gnome on Xorg to let the Prime or Optimus technology work.
Con Collects a lot of user data and sends it Microsoft by default
By default Windows 10 gathers information related to contacts, location, calendar and input (text and touch). The process for opting out of all data collection efforts is both time consuming and requires a reasonable amount of technical know-how.
Con Includes ads by default
Even in the Pro version.
Con Lacks polish
Many interface and functionality changes have not been finalized yet, creating an inconsistent user experience. For example, there are both simplified Windows 10 style settings menus as well as Windows 7 style settings menus that can easily create confusion.
Similarly, many of the bundled applications (People, Photos, Groove, Mail, Calendar, etc) lack functionality compared to their counterparts in previous Windows versions.
Con Forced updates to Home and Pro versions
Since Microsoft has a checkered past in regard to Windows updates, many people worry that a bad patch might break applications, drivers, peripherals or even brick their computers.
Con No guest accounts
Windows 10 lacks the ability to set up Guest accounts.
Con Installs bloatware
It installs many Windows Store apps by default. Moreover, it updates them automatically even after you uninstalled them, then they come back when you install a bigger update or service pack, eg: the creator's update.
Con Start menu lacks expected customization options
It's not possible to cascade menus, pin files, locations or apps to the list (it's possible to pin apps to the live tile section) or add custom menus.
Con Horrible stock performance on old hardware
Would recommend windows 7 (or even 8.1) on older (older than 5-6 years) hardware.
Con No built-in way to play DVDs
Third-party software is required to play DVDs.