After Ubuntu blinded me and Kubuntu froze on me, I found myself staring at the one trail I usually avoid: Fedora./
Fedora is the distro I’ve historically kept at arm’s length. It moves fast. It updates constantly. It breaks extensions. It expects you to know what you’re doing. It’s the opposite of the calm, stable, predictable environment I want during the school year. It’s the distro that I want to love but always gives me headaches.
But here’s the twist:
Fedora might be the only distro modern enough to actually support my hardware.
Ubuntu 25.10 and Kubuntu 25.10 both shipped with kernel 6.17 — the same kernel that triggered both of my villains: the Flashbang Bug and the Big Freeze. Fedora traditionally tends to ship newer kernels weeks or months before Ubuntu touches them.
If anyone is going to fix AMD ACPI regressions early, it’s Fedora.
So I downloaded Fedora 43.
And for the first time in this journey, I had a real decision to make:
GNOME or KDE Plasma?
Fedora GNOME: The Smoothest Ride on Linux
Fedora Workstation is GNOME the way GNOME is meant to be — no Snaps, no vendor patches, no weird packaging decisions. Just pure upstream GNOME with the latest Wayland improvements. While I really like the Unity-esque Ubuntu version, there is something refreshingly simple about Fedora’s take.
Why GNOME on Fedora is tempting
- The smoothest gestures on Linux
- The best Wayland session available
- Beautiful animations
- Excellent touchpad behavior
- Fast updates to GNOME itself
- Minimal desktop environment drama
If you want the modern Linux desktop experience, Fedora GNOME is the gold standard.
But here’s the catch: GNOME still hides complexity. If the kernel misbehaves, GNOME won’t save you.
And after Ubuntu 25.10, I know exactly what that means:
- No brightness override
- No advanced power controls
- No way to force brightness persistence
- No tools to fight the Flashbang Bug
Fedora GNOME might be smoother than Ubuntu GNOME, but it’s still GNOME. If the kernel is broken, GNOME will politely step aside and let it break you.
Fedora KDE Plasma: The Power User’s Toolkit
Fedora’s KDE Spin is a different beast entirely.
If you want, I can draft Part 5 now — or wait until you’ve actually tested Fedora and write it based on real results.
KDE Plasma on Fedora is:
- Equally fast
- Highly configurable
- Surprisingly stable for a “spin” (okay, it’s not actually a spin anymore…)
And unlike Kubuntu, Fedora KDE isn’t weighed down by Ubuntu’s slower kernel cadence.
Why KDE on Fedora is tempting
- Full visibility into power management
- Tools to inspect ACPI behavior
- Controls for brightness, suspend, and wake events
- Better debugging tools
- Faster kernel updates than Ubuntu
- Plasma’s Wayland session is finally mature
If any desktop environment can help me fight the Flashbang Bug or diagnose the Big Freeze, it’s KDE Plasma.
But here’s the catch: KDE Plasma doesn’t fix kernel bugs either. It just gives you more ways to see them. Just like Kubuntu did. And after Kubuntu’s s2idle freeze, I’m wary of KDE’s suspend behavior on this hardware.
The Real Question: Can Fedora’s Kernel Save This Laptop?
Fedora GNOME and Fedora KDE Plasma are both excellent desktops.
The real question is:
Does Fedora’s newer kernel fix the ACPI regressions that broke Ubuntu and Kubuntu?
If Fedora’s kernel:
- remembers brightness
- enters s2idle reliably
- wakes without freezing
- doesn’t blind me
- doesn’t lock up
…then Fedora becomes the first distro in this entire journey that actually works on the ThinkBook 16 G6 ABP.
If Fedora’s kernel is still broken?
Then the problem isn’t Ubuntu.
It isn’t Kubuntu.
It isn’t GNOME.
It isn’t KDE.
It’s the kernel + Lenovo firmware combination. Even with my eBay browsing, that’s not a trail I’m ready to hike.
My Plan Going In
I’m testing both Fedora desktops:
- Fedora 43 Workstation (GNOME)
To see if the smoothest Wayland experience on Linux can finally behave on this hardware. - Fedora 43 KDE Spin
To see if KDE’s transparency and Fedora’s fast kernels can finally tame the Flashbang Bug and the Big Freeze.
This is the first time in this journey where I’m not just testing a desktop — I’m testing the kernel itself.
Current Status
Fedora 43 GNOME and Fedora 43 KDE are both downloaded.
Both are on Ventoy and are ready to install.
This is the last hope before I have to consider more drastic options (like a ThinkPad or *gasp* Linux Mint).
Next Up: Part 5 — Did Fedora Save My ThinkBook?
Part 5 will be the conclusion:
Did Fedora fix the villains?
Did GNOME or KDE behave better?
Did the ThinkBook finally become a reliable Linux machine?
Or is this laptop simply cursed?
Stay tuned.
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