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Well, I promised a Linux-based HTPC, built on Fedora, and I’m here to

deliver. Be warned, however, that this project is not for the faint of heart.

Figure 8-1 hints at the complexity. Of course, that’s not to say that a novice

couldn’t follow the steps and end up with an HTPC that is easy and fun to

use. What makes this project complicated is the frequency with which the

many components evolve. During the development of this project, nearly all

of the individual components were revised just enough to require changes

in the procedure outlined here. This project is based on a fantastic open

source program called MythTV that has all the features you’d expect from

a PVR, as well as games, weather, and more; however, it also has a long list

of dependencies.

This project is based largely on the work of Jarod Wilson. Jarod maintains

the definitive guide to installing MythTV on Fedora (see http://wilsonet.

com/mythtv/fcmyth.php) and has been a valuable ally, always willing to help

out. It’s very likely that things have changed somewhat by the time you read

this, but don’t worry—Jarod has you covered.

Fedora was chosen as the platform for several reasons. First, its origin is Red

Hat Linux, arguably the most popular Linux distribution in use. Second,

for our purposes it’s nearly identical to Red Hat Linux with the exception

that it’s still free and Red Hat ...