Review: Fedora 39
Reviewing a Fedora release is like watching an aging rock band make yet another farewell tour. Neither Fedora or the band offers many surprises; the latter usually plays the same songs in the same style while the distro's release date gets postponed a couple or three times.
And, just as the farewell tour is only worthwhile as long as the band doesn't get bored, so too is a Fedora release only worth installing if the developers are doing more than going through the motions (as with Fedora 36).
The good news is that the flagship Workstation edition of Fedora 39 -- despite a two-week delay in its release -- is more than just a compilation of greatest hits. The distro offers solid improvements -- more speed, a more nimble desktop, and a smoother experience. Its take on the GNOME 45 desktop is appealing, even to those of us who don't understand the need for GNOME, and its performance should impress even people who swear by KDE Plasma.
Though, Fedora being Fedora, some things never seem to get better. The Anaconda installer remains as aggravating as ever, and the Fedora take on the GNOME software center is no better than Ubuntu's (still awkward, still frustrating). And, of course, a couple of other irritating bits cropped up during the week or so I ran it, because, of course, Fedora.
Still, those were annoyances, but not reasons to discount Fedora 39 as a step forward. Yes, it's still not the first choice for those of us who don't write code, but with this version, I could run my writing business and not keep muttering curses under my breath.