I've talk to a few people who have used Debain and had USB problems using FPGAs, has since swapped to Ubuntu and saw the issues disappear.
Indeed.
I've no doubt it's possible to use Fedora or Debian for mining, but the USB drivers for Fedora looked like a whole heap of ball-ache when I investigated using it for my x6500 (and I actually wanted to use it in preference to Ubuntu, it seems a bit more grown-up somehow). Not to mention the package installation system is different (.rpm), so I couldn't easily install various other apps either.
I would have thought that Debian should be easier to set up mining with than Fedora, purely because Ubuntu is based on it (it also uses .deb and .apt packaging systems, and I shouldn't wonder that the USB drivers are either the same or can be easily installed)
I can hear eyes rolling in Linux afficionados heads; it's true, I've only really being using it regularly for less than 18 months. And damn, I'm surprised that you Linux-centric-masochists don't inisist on recompiling the entire OS (and apps) every time before you start working each day...
everything needs doing yourself it seems! I am getting to like it though, considering ditching Mammonsoft altogether