Anyone use linux? mandrake user question about fedora

[SuicideCoder]

Hi,

Just wondering cause mandrake 9.2 pwns so much in respect that when you goto install a program, if it needs a package from a distro cd it asks for it and automatically installs...i wanna know if this is common to all linuxs or just mandrake.

also wondering if fedora can read a windows ntfs hd and let you copy files from it like mandrake can

and lastly, does fedora have a hardware control center like what is in mandrake...

[the reason i want to use fedora is its more new and updated then what mandrake would be]

[sauce]

RPMs (Redhat Package Manager) were originally on Redhat but most distros are finding them very handy because of their ease of use. For example, to setup a webserver with php and MySQL, you do not have to download the source, compile, edit configs and run - which is very time consuming. Instead you install the RPM like a W32 installer and voilla!

To be able to read Windows partitions you would need to install a Samba server. I have not used it so I cannot help any further.

PS. I recommend Debian or Slackware. Redhat / Fedora is the Windows XP equivilent :p