While Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution, Fedora is the fourth most popular. Fedora is based on Red Hat Linux while Ubuntu is based on Debian. Software binaries for these two distributions are therefore incompatible. Both distributions release a new version every 6 months but there's a difference in their long-term support models — Ubuntu offers support for 18 months after a version is released and also releases LTS (or Long Term Support) versions every two years that are supported for 5 years. Fedora, on the other hand, offers a shorter support period of only 13 months. This promotes promotes leading-edge software because it frees Fedora developers from some backward compatibility restraints, but also makes Fedora a poor choice for product development (e.g., embedded systems) orweb servers. There are other differ
ences between Ubuntu and Fedora, such as bundled apps, desktop environment and the size of the distribution.
Comparison chart
 | Fedora | Ubuntu |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel type | Linux (Monolithic) | Linux (Monolithic) |
| Company / developer | Fedora Project (sponsored by Red Hat Inc.) | Canonical Ltd. / Ubuntu Foundation |
| Source model | Free and open-source | Free and open-source |
| Initial release | 16th November 2003 | 20th October 2004 |
| Default user interface | GNOME | Unity |
| Website | http://fedoraproject.org/ | www.ubuntu.com |
| OS family | Unix-like | Unix-like |
| Latest stable release | Heisenbug (Fedora 20), 17th December 2013 | 14.04 Trusty Tahr, 16th April 2014 |
| License | Primarily GPL | Various, primarily GPL and GFDL |
| Working state | Current | Current |
| Package manager | RPM Package Manager | dpkg |
| Update method | yum (GUIs avialable) | APT (GUIs available) |
| Available language(s) | Multilingual | Multilingual (more than 55) |
| Introduction (from Wikipedia) | Fedora /fɨˈdɒr.ə/, formerly Fedora Core, is an RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and owned by Red Hat. The Fedora Projec | Ubuntu (IPA: [uːˈbuːntuː] in English, [ùɓúntú] in Zulu) is a computer operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux, a popular Linux distribution. Its name comes from the Zulu word "ubuntu", translated as "humanity to others", describing the ubu |
| What is it? | A popular flavor of Linux (free operating system based on Linux) | A popular flavor of Linux (free operating system based on Linux) |
| Security | No real threats | No real threats |
| Supported architectures | amd64, i386 | amd64, i386 |
| Release date | 16th November 2003 | October 20, 2004 (2004-10-20) |
| Software used | RedHat based (uses RPM files and yum) | Debian based (uses .deb files and apt-get), sometimes non-GPL compliant |
| Distribution Based on | RedHat, RHEL | Debian |
| Popular Applications | Mozilla Firefox, Rhythmbox, Evolution, Rhythmbox, Libreoffice, Nautilus (file manager) | Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, Rhythmbox, Evolution, Libreoffice, Nautilus (file manager) |
| Gaming | OK for gaming, supports Steam | OK for gaming, supports Steam |
| Development and Distribution | Developed by contributers, IBM, and RedHat, Inc. | Developed and distributed by Canonical ltd. |
| Price | Distributed freely under GNU license | Distributed freely under GNU license, support can be purchased, ad supported |
| Targeted applications | Home, devs, and business | Home users, developers, Business |
| Developed and supported by | RedHat, IBM, and contributors | Canonical Ltd. |
