Zorin OS 17: the best Linux distribution for beginners?

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Try out Proton Mail, the secure email that protects your privacy: proton.me/mail/TheLinuxEXP

[@mrGusliakov]

@TheLinuxEXP It would be interesting to see a review on the new distr Ubuntu Flatpak Fusion

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@jacksonreventan]

Zorin helped me take the first steps in this direction and even though it's no longer ideal for my use cases I'll be forever grateful for them. Wonderful distro. Would recommend to anyone who doesn't care about the newest software. Really wish I could still use it myself.

[@gabrielpar3519]

Well, if you are not a linux fanatic (like me) you don't care about features released 9 days ago

[@softwarelivre2389]

​@@gabrielpar3519file picker thumbnails are a big deal tho :(

[@jacksonreventan]

@@gabrielpar3519 Oh not those. Things like say.. Node js.

[@Linda-]

and since features like flatpak exist, you CAN even use newest versions of programs and tools even on an older baseline OS

[@LoganT547]

Same here, but got fed up with the long update cycles. It definitely helped me get comfortable with Linux though.

[@DavidWasman]

I was a paid contributor to 16. Their lack of updates, lack of newer Kernel support, and the atrocious behavior of their forum mods made me leave for Debian Bookworm. I wanted to support them, as I like having the option to help developers and keep the Linux community robust and diverse, but when I (and many others) brought up all the valid points you did in this video-- the forum mods replied angrily, defending the Zorin brothers and simply refused to understand that we were concerned about the lack of updates and support. Go look, now, at their support forums. Every post with, once again, valid concerns about their updater not working is met with disdain and anger by the mods. Any good distro is going to have detractors. Mostly because the people complaining have a vested interest in the OS and want it to succeed, since they are the core users. To push users away for asking genuine questions just rubbed me the wrong way. Criticism is met with a wall of mods and nothing ever changes. It's sad. I wish the brothers well, but their community needs an overhaul.

[@piet-0]

I am not a Zorin forum mod. But I think you are a bit exaggerating here. There is no lack of updates. Zorin updates just as frequently as the Ubuntu does. It's actually pretty frequent. Sometimes several times per week. If you mean the update of major releases. That's two years. That is not a lack of updates. It's very normal. Ubuntu does two years. Debian does three years sometimes. The upgrader works. Upgrading from 15 to 16 works. Upgrading to Pro works. Upgrading to 17 does not not work. It just hasn't been implemented yet, because going from Gnome 3.x to 4x is quite the challenge. Their forum mods are not angry, but direct. Clear and direct answers are helpful in the technical world. :)

[@DavidWasman]

​@@piet-0 While I am sure the mods appreciate you coming to their defense, what you said is not completely factual. Lack of updates: You have recently enjoyed many, but that was not the case for a significant amount of time. The stretch of time from 16.2 to 16.3 was an excruciating 10 months. Plus, having a distro (Zorin OS 16) running an old Kernel meant no one could use any hardware newer than 3 years old...until 17 came out this week. That's a major ball dropped. Also, Gnome 3.38 was ancient. There was always a way to update it to at least Gnome 40, but they chose instead to stay on 3.38 to focus on 17. That meant a massive amount of plugins/extensions/apps were unavailable to most Zorin OS users. Major Releases: Zorin OS does not update often. A total of 3 point releases in over 2 years is not a lot. Especially when those releases continue using versions that potentially are up to 5 years old. No one is asking for "bleeding edge", but for folks willing to pay $40, they prefer (and honestly expect) more frequent updates with greater parity to other Distros. That is not a lot to ask. Upgrader: While it "works" (see forums for many continuing issues), it should have been ready for 17. Upgrading from Free to Pro is no big deal: A few desktop styles, a name change, a few more apps and that's about it. Forum mods: Mods reactions have not been "direct", they have been crass and antagonistic. Many of the mods have had to personally apologize for their behavior, admitting they lost their temper. They are far too eager to defend the Zorin brothers when no one, including the Zorin brothers, asked them to. You have no idea how many legitimate forum posts were deleted or removed from view because someone dared to question or show concern for all the items stated above. That's how they keep the forum looking clean: They just hide the negatives. That's no way to run a business or forum. We should see the blemishes. Otherwise, you are creating bias and candy-coating reality. Let us see the issues, warts and all. I have no mission to hurt Zorin OS. Just prefer honesty about the Distro being long in the tooth and having questionable support staff.

[@Noodles.FreeUkraine]

No, I have no idea why their updater from 16 to 17 isn't ready the minute 17 is available-they claim "in a few weeks" and that is absolutely atrocious. Also, glaciers move faster than their update cycles. BUT it is the most beautiful distro I've ever seen, and it lets me concentrate on what I want to do. Just as with 16, the new version runs flawlessly on my ThinkPad X1 Yoga with everything working out-of-the-box save for the WWAN module which needs a single snap package to get going. As I spent a bit of time on the forums during the last couple of weeks leading up to the release, I haven't seen a single instance where a mod went out of line. On the contrary, there was a VERY helpful tone (mind you, these people aren't paid) and assistance was given whenever possible. Of course, your mileage may vary and if you enjoy Fedora instead-hey, more power to you.

[@DavidWasman]

@@Noodles.FreeUkraine Absolutely the best looking, aside from Deepin - but Deepin is extremely problematic. I love Zorin's easy approach to GUI enhancement. Their desktop layouts are great. It's why I used it. I liked having that granularity. I just could not deal with the waiting and other issues. I genuinely hope they work on their release cycles. Love to see it continue and flourish. P.S. not using Fedora. I use Debian Bookworm with KDE/Gnome.

[@mellord83]

​@@DavidWasmancan you please explain to me the difference to the average user of having the absolute "latest and greatest" makes? What is so excruciating about having to wait 10 months (or whatever it was)?? Windows doesn't release a new version every year, it usually is at least 2-3 years and was it 5 years between the release of windows 10 and 11. Most people just want a nice distro that is easy to use and runs well and probably don't need the absolute latest and greatest. I was running Zorin 16 on my 3 year old Lenovo legion 5 laptop and it ran flawlessly with all the software I needed. I just don't see the big issue here. They will probably update the kernal in 17.1 or 2 or whatever, but seriously who cares??

[@jefft8597]

I started with Elementary OS but switched to Zorin 15 as my first Zorin OS. I loved the Windows 7 type layout and for the average user, even if it didn't have a lot of frills, it was just fine. I pretty much only use Internet browsers, watch KZbin and other movies, Libre Office, etc. and it has worked just fine.

[@vulpo]

I switched to Zorin when MS stopped supporting Windows 7 on my old laptop (purchased in 2010). I would often forget that I had switched to Linux! I don't use that laptop anymore, but Zorin served me very well until I finally bought a new one.

[@mgarrett227]

I just moved over to Zorin and I am loving it so far. The Wine app allowed me to install a music DAW that I had purchased for Windows, which blew me away! Now, I can move my entire world over to Linux and get Windows to just be a backup system. My 2i2 Focusrite worked right away, so far at least, and the DAW has installed and not had any issues. If all goes well, the Boot order WILL change soon, LOL.

[@chorba]

This distro looks wonderful for a family PC or for your parents, the font is very easy on the eyes and very comfortable to read. As a matter of fact, I installed Zorin 16 on my dad's laptop and it runs amazing. Also, the windows layout makes it very easy to learn.

[@needsLITHIUM]

Yeah, but the same can be said of many XFCE or KDE distros, or Cinnamon. Likewise for elementary OS or Ultramarine Linux Pantheon, but for Mac. Also, Endless OS is an immutable distro with a UI that basically looks like ChromeOS/Android x86 desktop layout. Prime OS is literally Android x86 with a fancy desktop UI. TBH, there are plenty of options, and most non-technical users will likely choose based on appearances/aesthetics or overall familiarity. They're all great options for people trying to ditch Windows or Mac.

[@chorba]

@@needsLITHIUM There are lots of great choices! That's the beauty of Linux

[@needsLITHIUM]

@@chorba Indeed! Freedom and Choice!🤙👍

[@Skelterbane69]

Remember that you can make virtually any distro look any way you want, so you shouldn't judge a distro purely on looks.

[@chorba]

@@Skelterbane69 i'm not judging, but for people who's not into customizing and just want a clean experience out of the box, Zorin is very good.

[@VinylRescue]

Coming from Windows I've found Zorin 17 better to use. I tried Mint after one of your videos ranking it high on your list. I couldn't get it to work for what I needed to get my music to play from my turntable through a USB interface and through a DAC from my computer. So I went back to Zorin 17 and I'm back in business. The extra niceties are not a priority for me, but useablility for my needs. I'm trying to move more to Linux from Windows since it may become a subscription OS in the near future with Windows 12. That's not confirmed from MS, yet! I'm using Zorin 17 on a WD Elements SSD via USB 3.0 and it runs great. I recently upgrade my CPU to a Ryzen 7 5700x and a new graphics card nVidia 1050.

[@VinylRescue]

Well, after installing Mint again on a separate SSD and some more research I finally got Pipwire with with Coppwr working with my USB interfaces. I can now play my alums from my turntables. Now I have two separate SSDs with a flavor of Linux that I can use to my liking. I still liked your video! 😁

[@nodak81]

I recently changed to Zorin and I'm liking it so far. I couldn't care less about having cutting-edge crap. I just want a distro that works. The only hiccup I've encountered was when installing the Brave browser, it hung up at 99% and just sat there forever but it finished after a restart. Updates seem to install super fast, compared to other distros I've used recently.

[@aqua-bery]

You're right, it gets the job done mostly. If you ignore the wine stuff (not really a thing most beginners dabble with anyway)

[@博麗靈夢-e5l]

Paying for a linux distribution is not terrible, it is just a way to sponsor and encourage people to make better distributions, they are also people who have to eat and live (it has a free version, and there is an emphasis on this being sponsored, paid and not The biggest difference in payment is the number of desktops)

[@ShadowPriestBear]

u r no paying ur donating for the project. OS is free.

[@renealbrechtsen9743]

Zorin is such a gorgeous os. Just wish it was more regularly updated.

[@martinMZ72]

Zorin is perfect for beginners and parents PCs. I installed it on my 80 years old stepfathers laptop. He is very happy with it.

[@Boz1211111]

i was considering this... question is why since there is alredy running os in place, what do you think?

[@Lon1001]

I have a soft spot for Zorin, when I was distrohopping on VM trying to learn more about linux and how different distros worked Zorin was the first one that really worked without any noticeable bugs or glitches for me. It was stable, smooth and fast, easy to customize to look how I wanted (with some weird artifacts from their own customization tools that I mostly ignored) and I was easily able to install just about every app I could think of. It's too bad they didn't hold off long enough to implement gnome 44 because that's a dealbreaker for me now. Maybe Zorin 18 will be the one to make me change distro.

[@LouwPretorius]

Exactly my situation and I loved how smooth and almost deepin-like interface I really like. Also the Compiz effects works smoothly even on a vm. Like this Z17 alot.

[@jolynele2587]

i used zorin before and it's convenient. i can just double click windows executables to get them running. but i was a beginner back then, and now with more experience i've moved on. but if i had to recommend a distro to a friend for basic use it's definitely zorin

[@GarryGri]

Can I ask what made you "moved on." what are you running or doing now that you couldn't do with Zorin?

[@jolynele2587]

@@GarryGri it was just too hands on for me but it is a good distro. the visuals get tiring to look at after a while of using as well. i like something with more function and looks duller but more customisable so i switch to fedora kde. but i can do everything i want to do on zorin so it isn't a problem

[@GarryGri]

@@jolynele2587 OK, just wondered. The look of the operating system itself hasn't ever held much sway with me. Just what it can do. But I get where you are coming from now.

[@cameronbosch1213]

As much as I was interested in Zorin OS 17, they really should have delayed it to be based off of Ubuntu 24.04, which is the next LTS and next release of Ubuntu. In literally 5 months, 22.04, which is used for Zorin OS 17, will be very outdated.

[@aqua-bery]

I'm genuinely baffled at the ZorinOS team. There must be a reason for doing something that seems like a really bad idea

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I absolutely agree. I hope they’ll rebase it, but it will probably be a while before they do so…

[@domojestic4155]

@@aqua-beryAny time I've brought it up they reason that it's because using the older packages allows for better "stability." To quote one user who agrees with their dev process: "The commercial realities of having an OS that is the latest and greatest is actually not desirable. To produce a stable product its best to work on a release where problems are known and can be patched as required. Producing a commercial product based on the the latest greatest is asking for trouble by introducing problems that may not have immediate fixes." This makes sense for the server space, but when people are getting newer computers or updating PCs, this approach only hinders usability. Then again, there's also a conversation to be had there about e-waste, but that's a whole other discussion...

[@nomcognom2332]

Indeed. And for what I've been reading, the 24.04 will be a very good LTS version.

[@cameronbosch1213]

@nomcognom2332 Exactly. Because they won't be using a mismatch of GNOME and GNOME app versions like with 21.04, 21.10, and 22.04.

[@gotamd]

I think Zorin OS truly is the best option for true beginners. It's just so easy to use and includes all the basics software-wise. As far as following Ubuntu tutorials goes, it actually does work at least some of the time. On version 16, I was able to follow an Ubuntu tutorial to fix an issue with the Citrix client installation (which also impacted Ubuntu in the same way). There are a lot of people who don't really care about the latest and greatest, and just want something that's nicely packaged and easy to use. For those people, Zorin is great.

[@ShadowPriestBear]

yes even better than mint

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@besnikrrustemi]

Linux Mint will hold the crown for a long time even for intermediate and in some cases more advanced users as well. Out of the box it has everything a normal human would really need, you simply install it and forget about it. People who like to tinker and test different stuff are for Arch or Debian and build stuff the way you want or whatever your heart desires.

[@ShadowPriestBear]

i preffer zorin, mint givesme a lot a problems HW in different laptops and pcs, with zorin 0 issues.

[@HDR95]

​@@ShadowPriestBearhuh, opposite for me then. A few months ago I tried Zorin 16, it just works weirdly on my laptop. Mint, on the other hand, just works.

[@atanaspeev4960]

​@@HDR95That's why depend. Ubuntu and Mint are very slow and buggy for me. Arch based working much better 🤷

[@Alan-rt3se]

@@HDR95 Zorin 17 is a significant improvement over Zorin 16. Speaking as a life-long Windows user, Zorin 17 is the first Linux distro that I think could actually induce Windows users to give up Windows. Better than Linux Mint, at least in my experience.

[@tristanheckroodt]

Zorin OS 16 was my very first Linux distro when I switched to Linux a little over 2 years ago. While it no longer suits my use case, I can wholeheartedly recommend this distro to anyone switching from Windows. After distro hopping for a few months, I finally found my home with Linux Mint.

[@HeroRareheart]

I too found my home with Linux Mint but the lack of Wayland support lead me searching again. After my brother switched to Linux for gaming and landed on stock Fedora for himself I gave Fedora KDE a try on a spare laptop and love it, now I'm in a weird middle ground where I can't choose between the fresh yet familiar feeling envoked by Fedora KDE or the stable home-like feel of Cinnamon.

[@tristanheckroodt]

@@HeroRareheart Personally I don't have that big of an issue with the lack of Wayland support but I can understand why it is a turn off for some people. Linux Mint 21.3 will release with Wayland as an experimental feature, so it is nice to see that some work is being done on that end. The devs said that they will be taking their time with the implementation of Wayland since they are having quite a few stability issues with it. As far as I know the deadline for the full switch to Wayland is 2026.

[@AdamWarner]

I think Zorin OS 17 ahows just how much improvement there has been in the Linux desktop space over the last few years. I bought Zorin OS 16 Pro because I found it to be the best all round Linux distro at the time. But now, there there are so many more good options, im not sure i'd recommend it straight away anymore. Expecially as its already a bit dated upon release, and Gnome has been receiving meaningful and rapid updates, which i doubt we will see in incremental updates to Zorin OS 17.

[@BillyNoMates1974]

I think some people miss the point of Zorin OS. Old crap like a Packard Bell laptop from 2011 runs Zorin OS 17 sweet. Ok it has 6GB ram but having eye candy on an old out of date laptop is a win. Windows 10 runs ok-ish on it but Zorin OS makes this laptop fly. This laptop would have ended up in the bin otherwise.

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@BillyNoMates1974]

@@AnthonyManzio the zorin iso image will give you the option to install or run a live system. Select to run a live system first and check out everything works (like wifi card etc). then select to install and the installer will give you the option to either wipe the hard drive or install alongside Windows 10. then you can dual boot.

[@AnthonyManzio]

@@BillyNoMates1974 I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GB or best 50gb for zorin 17

[@BillyNoMates1974]

@@AnthonyManzio that would help. if you use a tool in windows to resize the hard drive, remember to reboot afterwards so that the NTFS fielsystem readjusts all of the pointers. then progress with your Zorin install

[@AnthonyManzio]

@@BillyNoMates1974 okay on the second drive

[@Bareego]

Just tried it, and it even made my hdmi sound on monitor work, which no other distro has done until now. Much impressed.

[@shwetaverma630]

It works for me in both LMDE and Mint

[@DBBravo]

I have this working on mint, although pulseaudio does sometimes take a second to start playing audio, as if the service was stopped and boots up when audio is played. One things are sounding there is no delay but that bothers me a bit

[@matthewtaylor8394]

I switched my mum who is in he mid 60's and my dad in his early 70's with older PC's over to Zorin 17 from Windows 10. They are not tech savvy in anyway but with a bit of a learning curve they transitioned to it with relative ease. If you are a newcomer or just an average Windows 10 user this distro is ideal to make the transition into Linux. For people that have been using Linux for several years or longer and like to play around with it then better distro's are available. Zorin 17 is a solid distro though and will help a lot of people move over from other platforms.

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@matthewtaylor8394]

@@AnthonyManzioThe easiest way to do it is to install Zorin on the other hard drive you have that does not have Windows OS on it so probably the D:/ or E:/ drive. You will lose all data on the the drive you install a new operating system on so be warned if you have anything on that drive the data will be lost. Duel boot should be an option that comes up automatically when you boot. Just select Zorin OS for Zorin or Windows boot manager for Windows 10. Alternatively you could also create a partition on a drive for Zorin in Windows 10. I would recommend at least 64gig for this depending on what you are using Zorin for. Apps documents ect.

[@Linux_ASMR]

I really like the look and feel of Zorin OS, but customizing Gnome so heavily is a sure way to break things down the road, that list of preinstalled extensions gives me anxiety 😅.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

That’s probably why they take so long to update anything!

[@frankhuurman3955]

love Zorin and am a donator to the project because I see it as the perfect "modern-looking" step away from Windows if I ever need to recommend a Linux distro. But I do really hope they keep a more recent updating schedule in the future. Also I'm sure that a lot of work went into the upgrade tool that would make upgrades from 16 to 17 seamless, so perhaps having those tools in place will pave the way for staying more recent in future releases :)

[@craigd9305]

I was wondering the same thing - about the update tool.. Hopefully they can begin to close the gap so that the distro is not as outdated.

[@galactustales]

ZorinOS has to work a lot on this release to make it up-to-date. Frankly there isn't any need to revamp the OS for 24.04 base. Just update the internals and they are gold. But it is BY FAR the best foot forward to dive into Linux. It does things so effortlessly which would take user effort elsewhere.

[@matthewsjardine]

I owe a lot to Zorin OS. I played with Linux a couple times over the years. It wasn't until Zorin OS 15 that I started to adopt Linux as my OS of choice. With a kernel update, I think it would be excellent for new users and those who just want a reliable PC with little to no hassle.

[@dragonballjiujitsu]

Sponsor ad starts at 1:07 and ends at 2:14 As for Zorin OS. Its the best Linix distro out there at the moment other than maybe Linux Mint. It may actually edge out mint a bit. Most people do NOT need the latest kernel or the latest version of Gnome and I love than Zorin release their OS when its ready instead of a releasing a half bakes beta every few months on some ridiculous cycle. Most people just want their distro to work. I've had the least amount of problems from Zorin than almost any other distro. (with the exception of mint). Currently running Zorin OS on my MacBook Pro and my 2010 Mac pro. It works great. Installed the needed WiFi drivers right out of the box. You can install any software available for Linux in any format you like. Snaps, flatpak, app images, .debs It is the best implementation of Gnome I've seen right out of the box.

[@Felipe-rn1gf]

fr, even because the support for these versions is great, and zorin is not ubuntu, it is just based

[@joriskemper5392]

I would say generally for newcomers both Mint and Zorin are pretty well out of the box. Mint is a bit more up to date and Zorin looks a bit more refined.

[@HaveSomeRubicon]

Started off with zorin 16 lite, tried arch when i got a new pc but eventually ended up going to the zorin 17 core beta and i havent regretted one bit of that decision

[@jpmyers6950]

Nick great video. I bought Zorin 16 last week thinking I could upgrade to 17 when it came out yesterday, nope. Not available for weeks, really not happy about that. And they raised the price of the premium version from $39 to $49.

[@Noodles.FreeUkraine]

They also clearly state what you pay for: the CURRENT release with all its updates. Nothing more, nothing less. It would have taken you app. 60 s of due diligence to google the release cycle. Tbh, I do agree they should grandfather in recent purchases, most software vendors do. But they never promised anything of the like, so there is no need to blame them for it.

[@bayuchandrasukma820]

Man, I remember being so sick of Windows and daring Zorin as my first foray to where we all are right now. This looks fantastic! Would be a nice one to pair with the laptop or family PC for a smooth, no-nonsense yet familiar-looking OS there.

[@eyjzdrkxjqzfuhqyzybf]

The old kernel is an Ubuntu "issue", not a Zorin OS one. And it's not actually an issue, as Ubuntu patches their kernels with security/bug fixes (and hardware support in the form of HWE). They have no choice to do that because even the LTS kernels wouldn't last as long as the lifetime of an LTS Ubuntu release. Red Hat does the same thing: they don't bother to use an LTS kernel, they just patch the kernel they started shipping the distro with.

[@博麗靈夢-e5l]

Although the version is a bit old, it is still a novice-friendly distribution that can be used out of the box. It is very convenient for Windows users to adapt to Linux distributions.❤🎉

[@PeterHonig.]

I personally don't see ZorinOS as necessarily the best choice for a first-time Linux user, but I do see it as a viable choice for folks who are not particularly computer-savvy and want a "family-friendly system". I generally recommend Linux Mint Cinnamon for Windows users who are switching to Linux, as it is very Windows-like and makes the transition rather easy (I myself went that route). After a while, I switched to Ubuntu, which I really disliked and decided to find something else. I finally settled on Kubuntu KDE Plasma, which is currently my all-time favorite.

[@sobarkola8180]

Can you tell me more about what you like about Kubuntu KDE Plasma? im planning on switching to linux and would like all the info i can get.

[@korakys]

When I needed to install Linux on my mother's laptop last year I tried out Zorin, but I was concerned about the very low contrast not being suitable for aged eyes (and it wasn't clear how to tweak it). Seems like a pretty pedantic reason I guess but little things count. I went with Kubuntu in the end; very easy to customise that one to big fonts and clearly contrasting colours.

[@remuz123]

What should i use to "start" with linux ? A wrong question. What should i use to start and STAY with linux ? A better one. Wndows migrants do not care about the latest packages and latest kernel hacks. They do care about steam working, mainstream applications working and least but not last : support. Both in updates and tech support. POP has it. So does Zorin. A company both with real revenue to support itself and PAID team to back it up.

[@yunanux-xh6zs]

PopOS and Zorin are almost similar. It just depends on what mainstream applications you're using and if they have a linux version or at least a better alternative?. To answer your question PopOS.

[@bardmoss]

One differfence in the layout themes is that, when you change the theme in Zorin OS, you have to then set up the rest of the desktop all over again. In Bodhi 7, they have literally dozens of themes which change everything -- but they change it without removing the user changes already made.

[@AndreaBorman]

Zorin Os is very very attractive distro and it looks a lot like Windows. Though I would say Mint is best for new users. Because all 3 of Mint's desktops,Xfce, Mate and Cinnamon have the Windows style start menu and taskbar that Windows users are familiar with. You can also change the desktop on Mint to KDE or another desktop of your choice. But most new users will just stick with the default and Mint has everything out of the box. So you don't need to find or install anything. Unless like me you want to change the web browser or media player which is easy to do. The Zorin Menu is just one of Gnome Extensions which is something I never know until I read about it. But you can just install Ubuntu or Gnome and add that yourself with the Arc Menu and Dash To Panel which are more customisable.

[@khoanguyen0001]

Just know that Zorin 16.0 is based on Ubuntu 20.04, while Zorin 16.2 is based on Ubuntu 22.04. Don’t know why they update the base on a minor release but here we go. I think Zorin 17 will get the same treatment.

[@chairman67]

I prefer to use dark themes, but Zorin OS's dark theme is too dark for me.. it's closer to black.. don't like it.. so I can't use Zorin OS.

[@jonumand]

I started with Mint. 1 hour later, I switched to Manjaro, then after 1 week I switched to Kubuntu (Can remember that I updated Manjaro, and then Gnome would not start). About 1 week after, I switched to Fedora. 1 month later, Nobara 35 launched. On my desktop, I'm still using Nobara (Nobara 38) Now I'm using Fedora 39 Silverblue on my laptop (recently switched from Nobara when 39 launched). I feel like Fedora Silverblue would be perfect for new computer users eg. children in schools. Everything just works and is way more intuitive than on Windows. And updates just work flawlessly.

[@RedPlasticLabel]

I use pop os in my general purpose laptop and mx in the audio production dedicated laptops

[@grahamclark4518]

Watching on Zorin 17.2. Its what I started with on Zorin 16. I've also got Ubuntu Studio, Fedora 40 and OpenSusie

[@brq034]

For those of us older Linux users, I feel like Zorin occupies the space Mandrake and Xandros occupied. A paid version of Linux that’s great for home use and small offices. I don’t mind paying for distros if they provide support as a perk (Red Hat already does this corporate users, Zorin does it for home users).

[@kyoujinko]

I did use Zorin 16 on one of my laptops and it was ok, but I really am not interested in changing, but then im on Debian 12, so thats the kind of Linux user I am 😉

[@alarmingly_good]

I started my Linux adventure with Ubuntu, and now that I have switched to zorin17 I haven't felt this happy with my laptop in a long time

[@baltmatrix]

Zorin has been great for so long but it feels like the pandemic put a massive roadblock on any kind of forward movement. Remember Zorin Grid? It's STILL not out yet in any form....nearly four years after it was announced. There literally been nothing since then. Zorin 17 feels like a mishmash of items and I don't want to be a hater but I cannot justify using some of these components with them being so old.

[@neffscape6353]

Zorin is probably the best distro for general "non geek" users out there. It looks modern and polished, it's very stable and doesn't feel too technical or difficult to use and understand. I installed Zorin 15 on my relatives PC some years ago, they then upgraded to 16.3 a couple of months ago and they will upgrade their version early next year. They couldn't care less about their version of NVIDIA driver (they are on Xorg anyway, on a desktop without touchpad, so they don't need 1:1 gestures). I wish Linux Mint would look like Zorin, because in fact I think is rationally still a better distro for linux newcomers. But... it's so ugly I can't possibily recommend it to friends. If only Mint had a GNOME flavour!

[@purplesprigs]

"They" is plural.

[@neffscape6353]

my relatives are plural too @@purplesprigs

[@mikehawk6918]

@@purplesprigs they pronoun 1. used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified Example: the two men could get life sentences if they are convicted 2. used to refer to a person of unspecified gender Example: ask a friend if they could help

[@pcm298]

We do not recommend recommending Gnome to Windows or Mac users. Gnome's UI is tablet-like.

[@neffscape6353]

@@mikehawk6918 Sorry guys I'm obviously not a native speaker. I didn't understand my mistake "I installed Zorin 15 on my relatives PC (so two ore more people) some years ago, they then upgraded to 16.3 (my relatives upgraded to 16.3). Aren't pronouns used correctly in this case?

[@peterschmidt9942]

Zorin OS was what got me interested in Linux again. I really like the simplicity of it and that you can change layouts. One downfall of Gnome was that you have to add plugins to get functionality which is a pain. Here's they do it for you which for a beginner is certainly helpful. While I didn't stay with it, I did eventually swap over to mainly Linux. For my use, I found it too restrictive and not as up to date as I would have liked to be (as I was using newer hardware at the time). It also had issues with Nvidia for me also, so great if you don't have this type of GPU.

[@alexanderbronola]

I tried it on my 10 yr old tablet. I like it. All devices are working except these few weirdness, 1. You can't use touch keyboard to type on a search text box. As soon as you touch the keyboard, the search text box is gone. 2. You can't hide or show the window by touching the app button on the taskbar. 2. It still slower than devian 12. Hopefully, lite version would be much faster.

[@JamesMcCloskey]

Zorin OS is awesome!

[@xpower7125]

question: are the i7 13700K and 4050 laptop laptop supported on Wayland? I used ZorinOS 16 on my old PC (ryzen5 2500u and vega 8) and OH BOY the experience was just the best I've ever had on Linux

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@phillip1211]

The best distro of beginners??? Frankly, I've tried em all, and this is the best distro full stop. Smooth, clean lines, stable, works, upgradeable and easily personalised. what more does anybody want? It may not be FULLY customisable but if you want an OS to just work away in the back ground, then this is the one. If you want to spend hours mucking around with the OS instead or actually using/working on you laptop or computer then look for something else.

[@Aluminio_siete_tres_siete]

Mint does what you say zorin does but better, and still allows you to customize a lot if you choose so.

[@ApexPredator644]

Should I shift my spare laptop to zorin 17? Currently it has Mint Xfce variant.

[@TheBicPen]

Funny enough KDE Neon is also on 6.2 and nvidia driver 535. Although with the nvidia drivers, 535 is the current stable version. 545 is a beta.

[@MrAppleguy2000]

They're using the 6.2 HWE kernel, which is still supported for a while (6.5 just came out a few days ago). So please do your research next time ❤

[@piet-0]

The kernel is on 6.2, because Ubuntu 22.04 is on kernel 6.2. So it's not actually a Zorin issue, but an Ubuntu issue. I am sure, Ubuntu 22.04 will get a kernel upgrade, and so will Zorin 17 accordingly.

[@enkiimuto1041]

As a 16 user, I'm a bit on the fence with 17 due to the themes. I barely use the dark blue, i needed less contrasting colors, and their dark mode doesn't do that =/

[@gin496]

Well its been a few months and Zorin did eventually update the kernel to version 6.8.0-40, but like you pointed out various system apps still use the older versions

[@AstoundingAmelia]

for me using the latest zorin on my HP probook x360 (im typing on it rn) i find zorin to have EXCELLENT touch support which other distros dont have

[@domojestic4155]

10:52 "I'm sure these reasons exist somewhere, maybe." For me, it's primarily to do with using the official versions of apps. Spotify, for example, ships their app as a Snap on Linux, and the closer I am to the official distributors, the better. I get that the flatpak is likely not very different, but having to depend on an intermediary agent _on top_ of the app developers is just an extra potential inconvenience I don't want to have to worry about. The same can be said about the JetBrains suite of products and Slack (though that one's still in beta). Plus, if you want to avoid using packages for dependency safety reasons, there are apps that use Snap instead of Flatpak as their distribution-agnostic alternative, such as VSCode and Blender.

[@julian.morgan]

All in favour of paying / donating for software or a service / support on Linux - devs gotta eat and pay bills after all. I just don't think Zorin have ever differentiated themselves enough for me to think their project was all that special. That and there's plenty of other projects that seem to do amazing things through a sense of real community. Clem at the helm of Linux Mint is a great example. That said I do think Linux desktop devs should perhaps pay a bit more attention to making it easier for beginners to feel really 'at home' with Linux DE's from the get go. Of course with both Gnome and KDE you can make your desktop look like anything you want, but it's not fair to expect beginners to have the confidence to experiment.

[@bartez8018]

Is Zorin stable and good for old parents, that are not good in computer staff at all? They have old laptop with windows 10 which works so bad and I think to install some linux distro (to more faster and lightweight) in theirs laptop and replace windows 10

[@swiiishgin1515]

yes. install the lite version, it will utilize less ram.

[@Gilded30]

honestly zorin are doing a wonderful job catering for non tech savy users that wants a similar look to windows; but personally the usage of old bases (like kernel and ubuntu 22.04) its a dealbreaker for me, since lets just make the assumption that we want to install zorin 17 to a computer with newest nvidia card and the experience would be terrible thanks to this old kernel, drivers and base

[@jodydoolittle2850]

@TheLinuxEXP, you set the fixed number of workspaces in the Multitasking tab in settings

[@kodata1021]

On my main machine I am running endeavouros(my first arch install got demolished in an update) paired with KDE Plasma, eagerly awaiting for 555 nvidia driver for full wayland desktop while on my laptop lenovo legion 5 I'm rocking zorin with very small tweaks from my side. Love both and both are ran on wayland as daily driver. Also nice overview, just wanted to point out that since then they released 17.1 which updated kernel and most of the addressed concerns on being outdated. Hopefully 17.2 will come just as fast with more updates!

[@deusexaethera]

I just can't get behind a distro that customizes a desktop environment _this_ much. Just use KDE already, it's made to do what Zorin devs have had to tie GNOME into a pretzel to accomplish.

[@tigerscott2966]

Well, I finally got Zorin to work on a 10 year old laptop - i just had to switch to a Solid State hard drive.. $20.00 for a new hard drive at Amazon. 0 for the Operating System. zorin is a GRAND SLAM!

[@sol_mental]

Yeah, so, I'm a old Zorin user here, I have my install for the last 3 years... I does not break. It just doesn't. Simple like this. As someone who works with art and stuff like that, it also never left me with the feeling that I was behind in any way and I have found nothing that simply doesn't work. Zorin is that one distro that it will not break and that has consistency in mind (in the pov of an end user). But that's just my experience. I have Zorin because I actually daily drive Arch and when it breaks, Zorin is my fallback no questions asked it simply works. Am I dumb then from not only using Zorin? Yes, yes I am. But using arch is a fun ride with lots of cool customizations and it is a mini universe xD so yeah dualbooting is my way to go.

[@AnthonyManzio]

How to install Zorin, 17 core? I should shrink my windows partition to 15 GBb or best 50 GB and assign a drive letter. One partition is needed? How do I do a dual boot? I want to keep Windows 10 64 bit. My computer uses MBR Legacy bios, no TPM will it work? 2010 System Model HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook PC.Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 MHZ, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), 6 GB RAM with, two hard drives each of 509 GB. Name NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M Adapter RAM 1.00 GB (1,073,741,824 bytes). I Couldn't care less about gaming.

[@Felipe-rn1gf]

@@AnthonyManzio 50gb for windows, on free space make the zorin partition

[@AnthonyManzio]

@@Felipe-rn1gf Okay

[@gabrielpar3519]

Well, lets remember that we can install most of the apps by other way (like PPA etc) manually instead of using the default ones in the distro

[@jakobw135]

If you like the latest FEATURES of Zorin OS 17, can you import and use those in other Linux distros?

[@OutOfNameIdeas2]

It's simply unbeatable. No other linux version even comes close. This is actually a good windows replacement because it sinply just works. No shity unstable updates constantly. It always comes in a working state, and that's more than any other distro. It also is very user friendly for both mac and windows users.

[@HarshitSingh-so1cp]

Garuda gnome and zorin are really beautiful distros but garuda has all the latest and optimised features.

[@Michael-it6gb]

What I would recommend is something that has lots of support. Like Ubuntu or Mint.

[@Noodles.FreeUkraine]

Or Zorin, which is basically Ubuntu under the hood, so you get all the support from Ubuntu and the Zorin crew on top.

[@50-50_Grind]

Installed it and looks promising to me. Had a better out of the box experience than Ubuntu, Mint, LMDE, Fedora and OpenSUSE. Could install the Windows application mp3tag right away ... and it works.

[@crypti1c]

For anyone who wants a better maintained Linux distro that keeps a similar level of familiarity and ease of use for Windows users, I'd highly recommend Nobara OS. Switched from Zorin and have had no complaints

[@victorjohnson7512]

Been using Zorin for years. Like it better than Mint or Unbutu.

[@AliYar-Khan]

much needed. I was going to use Zorin OS as my main. But now will use Linux Mint or Linux Mint Debian Edition

[@I401]

Zorin OS was one of the operating systems that just broke for me on multiple different hardware. It wasnt a fast breaking, but it slowly broke over time the more I used it back when it was on 16. I dont know about 17, but I hope its no longer problematic

[@zbiromax9228]

Zorin os 17 ma w systemie wbudowany screen obrazu i opcja dwa, screen ale wideo. W opcji wideo brak dźwięku. Cisza. Co to może być za przyczyna? Ktoś wie?

[@ivanmoniz5124]

@TheLinuxEXP what recommend for use. And which one you use?

[@kaffeeringe]

Per chance I recently switched to ZorinOS. The desktop is configured just as I like it. And thanks to Flatpak the apps are always up to date.

[@Deadmeme64]

I've used Zorin on a work laptop for a while and while I think the OS look absolutely beautiful, that old base really holds it back for me. At this point I wish they would have just waited until Ubuntu 24.04 before releasing a new version.

[@GarryGri]

Zorin should be all bout Windows compatibility. That's what it has always been pushed on. And that includes Wine, Play on Linux, and gaming with GOG GALAXY, and STEAM support. I don't really get the 'for beginners' aspect though. It's a distro that works out of the box for a specific purpose. If it works for that pulpous and that's what you want and need why change? The "I used it when I was a beginner but now I'm experienced and have moved on" people are to a degree what is wrong with the perception of Linux users as people who care more about fiddling with an operating system more than actualy using it for a purpose. That type of attitude puts 'normal' people off using Linux at all! Because they just want an operating system to work for what they need. And in many cases Zorin could be that system.

[@jasonescudero3185]

I just want to ask, even if this doesn't use the latest version Gnome, is it safe to use from a security standpoint?... I mean, I'm not bothered if it doesn't have the latest features or bells and whistles that Gnome has to offer but what I'm more interested in is that will this version of Zorin get the latest patches and security updates in order for it to be safe to use?...

[@timothynoll4886]

So I don't expect an answer, but I'm curious. If Linux is so notorious for being customizable, can you update some of these out-of-date things yourself? Isn't it possible to dive "under the hood" yourself and give yourself newer or perhaps nicer versions of the software?

[@horsethi3f]

Does Hibernate work out of the box?

[@celstark]

I’m always curious why things like Zorin and Mint get described as “for beginners”. I’ve been using *nix daily for about 30 years. I’m currently building up a compute cluster shifting it from xCat + Ubuntu 18 to Warewulf + Rocky9. Not really “a beginner”. One workstation has Zorin 16 and another I drive a good bit has Mint. They’re pretty and focus on UI tools. Underneath they’re just Ubuntu so add whatever non beginner tools you want to get your work done. Why are they “for beginners“ as if they won’t work for others?

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Generally, when I say “for beginners”, it leans it’s easy to get started with this one, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do more advanced stuff :) Basically: for beginners: start here, stick to it later if you want, not for beginners: don’t start here :)

[@christopherfothergil]

In my humble opinion Zorin is an excellent distro. Having used and tried all the rest I personally found this is the best by far and works straight after installation. The only downside if your into gaming it is not for you. I do have the paid version only to help the developers and not necessarily to make Zorin core any better.

[@BaremetalFlesh]

finally, a KZbinr has a good sponsor

[@dexterman6361]

Is it possible to customize gestures? For the desktop overview and grid? KDE does not seem to have it right now

[@spaceman6581]

So, Why do they use old kernel and old software to run this version?

[@ShadowPriestBear]

im using Zorin on my work laptop and it runs fantastic, I have a Legion 5i Pro 16" 7ma Gen, so thats no true that zorin works bad on new PCs.

[@devdofuturo]

2:35 This was the best feature of gnome in the last 10 years

[@needsLITHIUM]

I still prefer KDE, XFCE, or window managers like Fluxbox, Openbox, IceWM, etc. Basically, I'll stick to MX Linux/AntiX, maybe Q4OS if I need a proper server and AntiX doesn't cut it. The only GNOME desktop distros I tend to be able to stomach are Vanilla OS and Endless OS, Mint Cinnamon (on technicality), or Nobara, but even then I'd prefer Ultramarine KDE over Nobara. Hell, I'd prefer PCLinuxOS over anything RHEL based. I used to love Zorin -- but back then, I loved Ubuntu back then, too, and Ubuntu's default DE was Unity.

[@ozmodiar5561]

I've tried Zorin OS and it's not bad, but Linux Mint has given me less issues with third party equipment and drivers.

[@elRanchito2013]

I have been using ZorinOS for some time and was glad to see the addition of the "Upgrade Zorin OS" App....but with the release of version 17, the upgrade app still only shows 16.3?

[@gaminglizard9]

Their announcement page says that "Upgrades from Zorin OS 16 to 17 will be available in the coming weeks."

[@Noodles.FreeUkraine]

Yes, it's mind-boggling that they wouldn't make it available the day the new release pops up. Not like they didn't have enough time on their hands. I had to wipe my 16.3 installation to facilitate the upgrade.

[@ThatGamePerson]

Honestly I don't always use Zorin but I love the polish on it so I usually have it on my crappier laptop. (Plus I believe in what they do, so.) When I was testing 17 though, I had to update to nvidia 545 to get partial eGPU support (it doesn't work great though, some bugginess). I would love to switch to ARC though...

[@RedSntDK]

I didn't even know about this distro, and I've been looking for one when I switch from Windows 10 in 2 years time.

[@googlymooglyman]

Isn’t it also worth noting that Zorin_OS has major updates far less often than mint and Ubuntu

[@olivergtagodev]

imo, Zorin OS is good for old laptops or PCs like 5 or more years old but if it's recent, it would be good to use mint, fedora, ubuntu, or any distro that has a large community.

[@Noodles.FreeUkraine]

No idea where you got that. My ThinkPad X1 Yoga is like 2 years old and everything worked out of the box: the special buttons, touchpad, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, touchscreen, pen, sleep, all of it except WWAN which needed an additional snap package. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯