< Spins
This page is the draft to help to answer the question, 'What is a spin?' and related questions a user of the new Fedora Spins website might have.
What is a custom spin?
A custom spin is a selection of Fedora software that is contained in an ISO image that you can boot directly from a CD, DVD, USB flash drive. Using a custom spin live image you can try out a particular set of Fedora (and custom) software without touching the contents of your computer's hard disk.
What makes up a spin?
Official spins of the Fedora project only include software from the thousands of packages in the Fedora software repository, possibly with some customization of settings or changes to how services are used. However, as an individual, you can include your own software packages, data, or drivers to do anything you choose.
Can a custom spin be a LiveCD or an installable DVD?
The only differences between LiveCDs and LiveDVDs are their sizes. They are created exactly the same, with the latter simply containing more software. However, there are installable custom spins that, instead of booting to a live version of Fedora, boot to a Fedora installer that can be used to install Fedora to your hard disk.
Why custom spins rather than Fedora out of the box?
Custom spins let you experience a select set of Fedora software, possibly in a particular way. For example, a desktop live CD could boot directly to a GNOME desktop, with 3D desktop effects enabled and selected backgrounds, colors and featured applications. With further customization, a custom spin could boot directly to a movie player or launch a Web server is that ready to publish custom data.
What kind of custom spins exist now?
Official Fedora spins include GNOME desktop, KDE desktop, XFCE desktop, developer, Fedora Electronics Lab, gaming, and several specialized language spins. Check the Spins [1] page and the Fedora download [2] page for up-to-date listings of spins you can download.
Spins are pretty cool. How do I create one?
Tools for creating live CDs, DVDs, and USB sticks include livecd-creator and Revisor. To create a custom set of installable software packages, you can use the pungi command.