The latest release of Fedora Core Linux, Core 3, makes me one happyLinux user. Linux has been gaining ground on the desktop, and thedesktop applications have certainly improved. The desktop, though, neverreally felt right until the recent Core 3 release.

Red Hat, the major Linux distributor, produces FedoraCore Linux to offload a lot of the work that goesinto supporting individual Linux users. Red Hat refined their productsand services to focus on larger enterprises. Fedora then fills the gapfor desktop and individual usage. You can download Fedora Core Linux forfree.

Fedora has gone through a number of major releases, starting with Core1, 2, and now, 3. The third time's the charm as far as I'm concerned.Fedora Core 3 includes GNOME 2.8, the source of most ofthe improved goodness. I've been a GNOME user for years, and preferGNOME to KDE, the other major Linux desktop. With the 2.8release, GNOME finally feels right for day-to-day desktop usage.

For example, USB devices that I formerly had to manually mount nowautomatically appear on the desktop when I plug them in. This may be ano-brainer in the Windows world, but has always been a problem in Linux,since device vendors rarely support Linux, leaving the work forvolunteer Linux developers.

The latest version of GNOME, though, dramatically improves the supportfor hot-plugged USB devices. I plugged in a BusLink MP3 player, and aniPod-like icon appears on the desktop. ...

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