Here are a few tips to keep using Fedora Linux as your daily driver for many years, based on my actual experiences.
I have been a Linux desktop user and using Linux for daily driver for more than two decades. This portal and a few more I run, are managed in Fedora Linux workstation editions.
Over the years, I did distro hopping a good amount of time. I was using Ubuntu until Ubuntu 20.04 LTS – which was a great Ubuntu release from Canonical. It was fast, no snap stuffs, native deb packages, basic stuffs pre-installed with vanilla GNOME and Software.
Since Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, I left Ubuntu and using Fedora workstation completely since then. Earlier, Fedora was not that stable, per se. But over the years it became far more stable today than before. Although, by definition, it is a kind of “test” distribution for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), but it’s pretty stable. And you can keep on using Fedora by upgrading its versions every year if you follow some basic housekeeping.
Here are a few tips from my side, which I normally follow for my main workstation to keep Fedora fresh and keep upgrading without re-install.
Table of Contents
Fedora daily usage tips
Updating your Fedora Linux
Mainstream Linux distributions, such as Fedora and Ubuntu, consist of many core packages and the Kernel. Usually, what I have noticed is that in every week there are a few updates to packages. Of course, it depends on the application software you install on top of the stock version.
The important Linux Kernel gets a few minor bug fixes at least once in a month.
Considering this, you should update Fedora Linux using “sudo dnf update && sudo dnf upgrade” once or twice in a month. Don’t update every day or every week, unless there are some vulnerabilities fixes.
Upgrading to a new version
A major version of Fedora Linux releases in every 6 months. That is twice a year. Each major release has EOL as one year. That is, in each fedora major release, the 2nd last release becomes EOL.
Considering this, you might immediately upgrade to the latest version of Fedora when released.
But, for the best and smooth experience, I would suggest you to either:
- Upgrade once a year to the most stable release, Or,
- Upgrade to the most recent release at least after 2 months from the release date
This way, your system remains stable and you minimize kernel update surprises.
About GNOME or KDE
You might wonder that Fedora with GNOME (Workstation edition) is stable, or KDE Plasma or any other Fedora spins.
I have used KDE Plasma and GNOME (two main leading desktops) with Fedora for a significant time. They are both equally stable. Both KDE and GNOME have two releases per year and often synced with major Fedora releases.
Unless you have any specific choice or workflow, I would recommend Fedora Workstation GNOME edition for stability for a longer time.
Moreover, if you don’t have a choice about desktop, you can also try Fedora Xfce edition which is rock solid as well.
Keep your disk clean
Finally, the most important tips are related to disk space. When you keep running a Linux distributions on your daily driver machines over a course of many years, disk space tends to shrink. You create more files, pictures, documents. The dnf package manager may keep many cache files over time.
Keep a habit of deleting unused personnel files at least once in a month. Keep a look at your home directory files.
Run the below command once in a month to clear dnf cache. This would save some disk space.
dnf clean all
Also, if you are using many Flatpaks, make sure to run the below command once in a month. You can also read my complete Flatpak clean up guide.
flatpak uninstall --unused
Remember to open Software or any other package manager periodically and review the software you installed. If they are not needed, uninstall them.
Summary
I hope these tips help you to keep a longer running Fedora as daily driver. Remember not to install many software in your daily drivers unless they are necessary for your workflow. If required, you can create virtual machines and try them out.
Finally, don’t keep your daily driver laptop or desktop running for weeks or months. Always shutdown your device when not in use for a longer time.
Do you have such tips on how to keep Fedora install for many years? What are the actual tips you use? Let me know in the comment box below.
