Skip to main content

Fedora 21 Alpha (Gnome version) impressions after a week of testing



Reviewing an alpha or beta version of Operating Systems is like sticking your finger in a cake batter and writing about how the cake would turn out. So, this is not a review rather a week long test drive. All the bugs, problems , annoyances i may point out in this post might be corrected in the final release, so don't let this post put you off from the final release in the future.

Fedora 21 doesn't have a release name like previous Fedora versions and other Linux OS versions. Fedora 21 will come in 3 different versions : Cloud, Server and Workstation (Desktop).

For the purpose of this post I tested a Gnome Version of Fedora 21 Alpha Workstation. There's also a KDE Desktop version you can try out. Fedora 21 alpha had Gnome version 3.13.91 with it's added bundled apps.

This is the default Gnome desktop in Fedora 21. I loved the wallpaper and the desktop looks clean and minimalistic.



Clicking any of the three icons on the left brings up this dialog containing controls for adjusting volume, brightness, battery information, wifi networks, shutdown and lock controls.



Here's the desktop showing the calendar information.



Here are the list of Apps which come pre-installed in Gnome version of Fedora 21.



Details about the system.


The file manager looks great. I like the minimalistic icons on the sidebar.


This virtual box app is a nice addition for quickly trying out other operating systems without messing up the system.


Brasero is a software for ripping CDs and DVDs.


Clocks app looks great and also shows the day/night condition according to the time.



Fedora 21 also includes DevAssistant tool for developers. It helps developers to setup environments for projects easily so that they can concentrate on coding.



This is the Gnome Maps. It works just ok.


Gnome Docs


Empathy is a chat client which can handle multiple accounts.


 Firefox comes pre-installed. I prefer Google Chrome but Firefox also gets the job done.



Notes app is great to have to quickly jot down notes, reminders, etc.

Rhythmbox looks great here but i had problems playing music. Infact it didn't play any type of audio files in my testing. This will be fixed in the final release.



This is the settings menu.



Shotwell is a great photo viewer and manager.


Sound recorder looks great.


Weather is another app that impressed me. But it wont be used too often to matter much.


The system monitor app also looks beautiful. It shows the CPU and Network History in a slick graph. Cool aint it?



Coming from Elementary OS, I had difficulties in switching workspaces and getting to the App Drawer. Video player couldnot download the necessary codecs so I couldnot play any videos. Music player is also broken. Switching to other open applications was also a pain in the ass. The overall system was slow and laggy. Software center also doesnot perform well. One thing i loved was the Automatic Bug Reporting Tool. DevAssistant is a great tool which will help developers going forward. For the people who love Gnome Fedora 21 will be a great option when the final version is released. The people new to Gnome will fall in love with its looks and the useful pre-installed apps.

The first beta version is planned for October 28 and the Final release is  slated for the end of December. Gnome 3.14 was released few weeks ago so a lot of new features like multi-touch gestures for zooming, switching workspaces, etc will be added in the final release of Fedora 21. So. there's a lot to expect from Fedora.

If you are interested in trying out the Fedora 21 Alpha visit the link below

http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease



Stay High on Linux. Peace!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to enable Google Now in Nepal and other countries (Solve - Google Location reporting not available in your region problem)

Google Now was first introduced in Android 4.1 Jellybean and it has been used as a personal assistant by many android users ever since. However after the introduction of Android 4.4 Kitkat many users started to complain that the search update broke google now functionality.   Some of you might just have bought a shiny new Nexus 5 to enjoy a fine android experience but the lack of Google Now left you disappointed. When on the home screen of the default Android Launcher, swiping to the left should take you to the Google Now interface but for some of the users it is nowhere to be found. Also there are many people who flash custom roms to enjoy latest android builds on their devices. I am using Galaxy Nexus which didnot get the Kitkat update from Google. So i flashed a custom rom which promised the Google Now feature on the left side of the homescreen of default Kitkat launcher. But like some of you Nexus 5 users i was left disappointed. So i began my quest for searching a ...
68 comments
Read more

How to enable Google Now in Android 5.0 Lollipop in Nepal and every other countries (location reporting not available problem) [ROOT Needed]

  [This method works only on Rooted Devices] I had posted a guide earlier this year on How to Enable Google Now in Nepal and other countries. That method works flawlessly on both Rooted and Non-Rooted devices running Android 4.0 to Android 4.4.4 Kitkat. Android has now gone into major overhaul in both design and software functions like ART being now default in Android 5.0 Lollipop. But with the new version of Android, same old problem arrived for the people living in Nepal and many other countries - "Location reporting is not available in your country". Tried every available method to enable Google No w ? Still no luck??  Keep calm guys, I have a solution. Remember that this method works only on Rooted devices. Here's a video showing Google Now running on my Phone. (ignore Ariana Grande news there. I googled her only when I was shocked to hear Big Sean is dating her :D ) Here are the steps to be followed: Step 1 : Install any custom launch...
24 comments
Read more

Gnome Extensions I Use To Enhance My Desktop Usage

I am currently running Fedora 22 with Gnome 3.16 . One of the best features of GNOME are shell extensions. These extensions bring all sorts of handy features to GNOME. Installing and using GNOME extensions couldn't be any simpler. Simply browse over extensions.gnome.org  and look for the extension that appeals to you. Click the switch from Off to On, and immediately you're prompted to install it. That's it. Here are the extensions that I use to personalize my Fedora 22 experience and maximize my performance. Hopefully they can make you enjoy your Gnome Desktop experience. 1. Activities Configurator It can be used to configure the activities button and Top panel appearance. https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/358/activities-configurator/ 2. Alternate Tab GNOME Shell’s default Alt-Tab behavior groups windows into a single application icon and shows applications from all workspaces. This extension substitutes Alt-Tab with a window based switcher that ...
Post a Comment
Read more