It's a franken debian. Which a lot of Linux users don't like for a variety of reasons but I think that debate is of a wider scope than this one submission.
The main Dev/Maintainer for Linux Mint 'Clem' is also based in Ireland. So these are the only two Linux distros I know of to be associated with the Irish tech scene which is small.
I don't use Zorin anymore, (I'm a dirty Ubuntu plebian) but I used to use it and it's great. The only thing I liked about Windows 11 was it's slick UI, and Zorin is basically the only Linux distro that replicates that without a ton of hassle. Zorin Connect is also awesome if you use your PC to watch TV on your TV.
If you're thinking of abandoning Windows, (which, honestly, who isn't these days) Zorin is a good choice.
> Zorin Connect is also awesome if you use your PC to watch TV on your TV
Zorin Connect is a fork of KDE Connect. If you're on KDE, you can use the standard KDE connect app to the same effect. I haven't tested it recently, but I'm pretty sure the Zorin Connect app will work with normal KDE Connect computers as well.
If you're on Gnome (like default Ubuntu) you could use plain KDE Connect but I find its UI integration rather lacking, as with all KDE applications on Gnome. However, there are re-implementations like good old GSConnect (https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1319/gsconnect/) or Valent (made by the same person who made GSConnect, https://valent.andyholmes.ca/) will replicate most of the Zorin Connect functionality as well.
If you're on something else, pick whatever KDE Connect implementation works best for your desktop, there are plenty of options and most of them work seamlessly!
IMO KDEs design is actually superior to anything Microsoft is offering. It is a great desktop experience, even with stock settings. Certainly better than everything Ubuntu does.
"visual design" in OSes is more of a spectrum, rather than a ranking. Windows and macOS looks better on the surface to most people who don't interact a lot with computers, but for people who spend a lot of time in front of the computer, KDE, Gnome and many other Linux desktops do a much better job to be functional, not get in your way and customizable.
Really depends on what you'd use the computer for, I don't feel like anything is much "superior" to something else, it all depends on the user and usage.
Before she passed, one of my Grandmothers was on Ubuntu for about a decade. I did have to stop by to run updates and install the handful of (windows) games she liked (worked in wine without issue). She had a few games from the late 90's she liked (cards, etc) and I was surprised how well they worked.
She didn't need much hand holding at all, just a working browser and shortcuts for what she needed. Setting up Variety and a folder of cute cat/puppy photos to rotate was a pretty big win for her as well.
I'm really impressed at the amount of attention to detail and polish went into making this a nice transition point for Windows users. The idea that if someone tries to launch the Microsoft Office installer, it will gently redirect them to either LibreOffice or Office 365 on the web, is a great idea to enhance the overall user experience.
I have not tried Zorin, but it is near the top of distros I would give to a "set it and forget it" non-techie.
Anybody have a top 5 list for distros in this realm? I'm an Artix / OpenBSD guy these days and I feel like I'm too far down the rabbit hole to know what's good for new folks.
Debian. I’m not trolling, it’s easy to install, very stable, and KDE, while allowing everything to be customized, is awesome out of the box. It’s way more oldschool than what I’m seeing of Zorin there but for the oldschoolers the feeling of owning his computer again has no price. I’ve been a pop!os user too for quite a long time and it’s very polished, but too fisherpricish for a desktop to me.
I don’t think distros with older kernels should be generally suggested to newbies who can have a smattering of hardware. Unsupported hardware can be such a showstopper for new users.
I have installed Zorin on my parent's 10 year old computer. They use it for browsing the internet and some video calls. Zorin works like a charm, and they have not had any major issues.
Stories of people giving grandma a Linux computer always surprise me.
Zorin in particular was the distro that made me stop using Linux a few years ago, the day I turned on my computer and all of the sudden everything was completely messed up. Took me a long time to recover the DE and get everything back to working condition. Immediately after I went back to Windows for the first time in years, which I don't love, but at least the OS is alway there when I turn the PC on.
How do people give their grandma a Linux pc and never hear from them again? Obviously a catastrophic failure like mine is not normal; and if you need 100% stability for a mission-critical system, I don't doubt you could accomplish it much better with Linux than Windows, but that's not by default. Do you disable automatic updates on grandma's PC?
And here I am looking at the Windows 11 machine I keep around to play a few games that has forced to me to do a complete reinstall four times because Windows updates broke it overnight, even though I had auto-update turned off...
My grandmother was fine for about a decade. I did all the maint. stuff though, including a couple rough upgrades, one where I tarballed her home directory did a clean install and restore the tarball. In the end, it worked fine for her, as she really didn't change much... the only apps she really used were the browser and a handful of old Windows games installed through Wine.
She had a couple old card and casino games she bought in the later 90's... they installed in WINE without any real issues at all, total surprise to me, but they were likely just using simple GDI calls or whatever, prior to DirectX really taking over. I had also installed a handful of similar games via the distro repositories.
She mostly used her browser for email (Yahoo) and to order grocery delivery once a week. She emailed and shared pictures with extended family quite a bit.
Nothing really extreme at all, and not really a heavy gamer by any means. Just casual play. Oh, she liked a few of the columns/gems type games as well.
I think it depends a lot on who you're recommending something to. A fellow developer who wants to be productive? Probably Arch or CachyOS. Someone curious about Linux but needs a lot of existing resources and hand-holding? Probably still Ubuntu, or maybe Mint. Someone who wants to really dig into things and see something new? TempleOS (RIP Terry). Someone who likes the same type of programming languages as myself? Mezzano.
I love Arch, but suggesting that even an above average Windows 10 user migrate to Arch without prior Linux experience is just irresponsible. They may be left with an unusable machine if they format their "C:" drive but don't manage to properly install Arch and a DE. Mint or even plain Debian seem far better for this, and updating such systems is usually more predictable.
My favorite set-and-forget distro. I've migrated several non-techie family members off Windows onto Zorin and they've had zero issues. The elderly folks in particularly seem to find the UI easier than Windows, mainly because I switch them to the "windows-95" like desktop arrangement.
It's a heavily themed Gnome distro with extra extensions and branded apps to supplement the experience.
Some themes are free, others (like the IMO rather complete Windows and macOS lookalike themes) require the paid version of the OS. I think that's an excellent way to get financial support for a product like this.
There are also some other nice-to-have integrations, like a pre-installed detection mechanism for certain setup.exes that will suggest Linux alternatives rather than opening them in the pre-installed Wine runtime.
"Zorin forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Andreas Fault at high tide, causing the valley to flood. Such a disaster would effectively wipe out all computer companies competing against Zorin in the world microchip market and leave him as the leading supplier of microchips; it would also kill millions of people."
> Improved support for Windows software: Windows App Support includes significant improvements that allow you to run even more Windows-native apps and games than ever before. It’s now powered by the latest WINE version 10. You can learn more about the Windows App Support feature here.
> Linux-based operating systems were generally built for engineers by engineers, with little consideration for regular users. We decided to fix this. [0]
I am extremely sceptical that any normal Windows user would have the patience to use WINE to get Windows software working. Sadly this feels like this distro is subject to exactly the problem they claim to solve.
I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort. Until then, the incentives will simply never align.
"I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort."
Dunno, I used to think that, but between Microsoft putting significant effort into degrading the Windows 11 experience and ever more stuff moving to the web, I'm not so sure about that anymore. My house is nearly full Linux now. The major thing that gets the gaming computer booted into Windows now is VR, and my oldest son is sometimes annoyed by needing to use Windows for some theater tech stuff. So it's not like we don't still have some things Linux can't do. But increasingly at our house it is the Windows-only stuff we find the annoying exception rather than the other way around. It's nowhere near as impossible as it was 15-20 years ago. The falling Windows is getting awfully close to meeting the rising Linux.
>I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort.
I think you're correct, but I also think this has already happened. Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux. With a huge success. Gaming on Linux is very close to being as easy as it is on Windows. That removes a barrier for many home users.
I do wish there was more commercial software. Getting Photoshop ported over would be the last hurdle for me personally. Everything else I can do through Steam, various open source programs like Calibre, Electron apps, and Web.
> Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux
I was gaming on linux when DXVK was just a library override in WINE before Proton or the Steam Deck existed. It's been fantastic to see how things have changed since then and I count this as a successful example of what's possible with desktop Linux.
If there was a commercial path to fund general purpose desktop computing on Linux, I'm certain that it is techinically feasible to achieve.
I think Valve have been very careful with where they put their efforts (hardware and software), their scope isn't that broad so much as it needs to have a direct link to steam. It's similar to why I don't think we'll have SteamOS released by Valve for generic hardware in the foreseeable future, because they're concentrating on their specific usage on the Deck.
Going broad means they need to support a whole lot more, and they probably can't tell users "go google it" in a similar fashion to how MS can't shrug off windows problems entirely when they happen for their users. The geeks are perfectly content with using a range of existing distros and there's little gain in adding one more, besides those that want the Valve/Steam brand umbrella to cover even more of PC gaming like they own the platform.
For running Windows only Steam games the support is very good. And actually "regular user" friendly .
But at the same time most professional Windows software will not run at all or will only run if you put significant effort into it. The idea of giving any Linux distro to a novice and telling him "he can run Windows applications" will result in server disappoint and frustration.
For the median Windows user who wants to try something new, running native Windows apps really truly needs to be no fuss and “just work.” This has been, erm, not exactly my experience with Wine.
I don’t mean that as a dig at Wine, I know it’s technically impressive and incredibly valuable. Granted, I haven’t tried to use it in years, and I’m sure it’s improved a lot in that time. But if I set a family member up with a Linux distro, I’d be shocked frankly if they figure out how to use Windows on their own.
>With Zorin OS, your next computer can be the one you already own. It’s designed to be the perfect Windows replacement for everyday users, professionals, and everyone in between.
Sorry for sounding curt, but this is yet another flavor of the week distribution that claims it's the best choice for everyone. It's exactly what everyone has needed for decades..
There's nothing wrong with making yet another distro, but call it what it is: another shade of brown. It will not, ever, evolve itself beyond what hasn't already been delivered by the top distros. Users discard it when they're having issues and the next flavor of the week distribution is popular. Or the rug is pulled and the distro simply rots away. This is the defacto progression for Linux distros. It is nowhere close to a full replacement for everyone, let alone Windows 10.
I don't run Zorin or Elementary, but have looked at them... they've been around for several years now and have put a lot of effort into being a good option for the typical user.
A LOT of people are just fine with a working browser and maybe Steam for their games. Most people aren't doing a lot of tinkering and in concert breaking things doing so. It's a perfectly reasonable option.
Beyond this, having had catastrophic fails in both Windows and Macs over the years, the typical user isn't equipped to handle them either.
It's made by two Ukrainian brothers in Ireland.
It's a franken debian. Which a lot of Linux users don't like for a variety of reasons but I think that debate is of a wider scope than this one submission.
The main Dev/Maintainer for Linux Mint 'Clem' is also based in Ireland. So these are the only two Linux distros I know of to be associated with the Irish tech scene which is small.
It seems like it's franken-Ubuntu, if https://zorin.com/os/details/ is to be believed.
Ubuntu is Debian-based, but I don't know how much leap-frogging occurred
I don't use Zorin anymore, (I'm a dirty Ubuntu plebian) but I used to use it and it's great. The only thing I liked about Windows 11 was it's slick UI, and Zorin is basically the only Linux distro that replicates that without a ton of hassle. Zorin Connect is also awesome if you use your PC to watch TV on your TV.
If you're thinking of abandoning Windows, (which, honestly, who isn't these days) Zorin is a good choice.
> Zorin Connect is also awesome if you use your PC to watch TV on your TV
Zorin Connect is a fork of KDE Connect. If you're on KDE, you can use the standard KDE connect app to the same effect. I haven't tested it recently, but I'm pretty sure the Zorin Connect app will work with normal KDE Connect computers as well.
If you're on Gnome (like default Ubuntu) you could use plain KDE Connect but I find its UI integration rather lacking, as with all KDE applications on Gnome. However, there are re-implementations like good old GSConnect (https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1319/gsconnect/) or Valent (made by the same person who made GSConnect, https://valent.andyholmes.ca/) will replicate most of the Zorin Connect functionality as well.
If you're on something else, pick whatever KDE Connect implementation works best for your desktop, there are plenty of options and most of them work seamlessly!
IMO KDEs design is actually superior to anything Microsoft is offering. It is a great desktop experience, even with stock settings. Certainly better than everything Ubuntu does.
"visual design" in OSes is more of a spectrum, rather than a ranking. Windows and macOS looks better on the surface to most people who don't interact a lot with computers, but for people who spend a lot of time in front of the computer, KDE, Gnome and many other Linux desktops do a much better job to be functional, not get in your way and customizable.
Really depends on what you'd use the computer for, I don't feel like anything is much "superior" to something else, it all depends on the user and usage.
I haven't used it yet be KDE Linux(still in testing) looks to be promising immutable distro
Fedora has had an immutable KDE distribution for a while: https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/kinoite/
Got my grandma a desktop from Free Geek (great org here in Portland, OR). Been running Zorin for many years and I basically gave her no instruction.
Before she passed, one of my Grandmothers was on Ubuntu for about a decade. I did have to stop by to run updates and install the handful of (windows) games she liked (worked in wine without issue). She had a few games from the late 90's she liked (cards, etc) and I was surprised how well they worked.
She didn't need much hand holding at all, just a working browser and shortcuts for what she needed. Setting up Variety and a folder of cute cat/puppy photos to rotate was a pretty big win for her as well.
I'm really impressed at the amount of attention to detail and polish went into making this a nice transition point for Windows users. The idea that if someone tries to launch the Microsoft Office installer, it will gently redirect them to either LibreOffice or Office 365 on the web, is a great idea to enhance the overall user experience.
I have not tried Zorin, but it is near the top of distros I would give to a "set it and forget it" non-techie.
Anybody have a top 5 list for distros in this realm? I'm an Artix / OpenBSD guy these days and I feel like I'm too far down the rabbit hole to know what's good for new folks.
Debian. I’m not trolling, it’s easy to install, very stable, and KDE, while allowing everything to be customized, is awesome out of the box. It’s way more oldschool than what I’m seeing of Zorin there but for the oldschoolers the feeling of owning his computer again has no price. I’ve been a pop!os user too for quite a long time and it’s very polished, but too fisherpricish for a desktop to me.
I don’t think distros with older kernels should be generally suggested to newbies who can have a smattering of hardware. Unsupported hardware can be such a showstopper for new users.
I have installed Zorin on my parent's 10 year old computer. They use it for browsing the internet and some video calls. Zorin works like a charm, and they have not had any major issues.
Stories of people giving grandma a Linux computer always surprise me.
Zorin in particular was the distro that made me stop using Linux a few years ago, the day I turned on my computer and all of the sudden everything was completely messed up. Took me a long time to recover the DE and get everything back to working condition. Immediately after I went back to Windows for the first time in years, which I don't love, but at least the OS is alway there when I turn the PC on.
How do people give their grandma a Linux pc and never hear from them again? Obviously a catastrophic failure like mine is not normal; and if you need 100% stability for a mission-critical system, I don't doubt you could accomplish it much better with Linux than Windows, but that's not by default. Do you disable automatic updates on grandma's PC?
And here I am looking at the Windows 11 machine I keep around to play a few games that has forced to me to do a complete reinstall four times because Windows updates broke it overnight, even though I had auto-update turned off...
My grandmother was fine for about a decade. I did all the maint. stuff though, including a couple rough upgrades, one where I tarballed her home directory did a clean install and restore the tarball. In the end, it worked fine for her, as she really didn't change much... the only apps she really used were the browser and a handful of old Windows games installed through Wine.
With complete sincerity: I would like to hear as much about your linux-using retro-gamer grandma as you feel comfortable sharing, she is an icon.
She had a couple old card and casino games she bought in the later 90's... they installed in WINE without any real issues at all, total surprise to me, but they were likely just using simple GDI calls or whatever, prior to DirectX really taking over. I had also installed a handful of similar games via the distro repositories.
She mostly used her browser for email (Yahoo) and to order grocery delivery once a week. She emailed and shared pictures with extended family quite a bit.
Nothing really extreme at all, and not really a heavy gamer by any means. Just casual play. Oh, she liked a few of the columns/gems type games as well.
I think it depends a lot on who you're recommending something to. A fellow developer who wants to be productive? Probably Arch or CachyOS. Someone curious about Linux but needs a lot of existing resources and hand-holding? Probably still Ubuntu, or maybe Mint. Someone who wants to really dig into things and see something new? TempleOS (RIP Terry). Someone who likes the same type of programming languages as myself? Mezzano.
Never heard of Mezzano until today, looks neat! Do you run in a VM? How much general purpose computing do you do in it?
ArchLinux is the best alternative for yesterday's Windows 10 user
I love Arch, but suggesting that even an above average Windows 10 user migrate to Arch without prior Linux experience is just irresponsible. They may be left with an unusable machine if they format their "C:" drive but don't manage to properly install Arch and a DE. Mint or even plain Debian seem far better for this, and updating such systems is usually more predictable.
How so? Arch is much more technical and does not even come with a graphical package manager by default.
My favorite set-and-forget distro. I've migrated several non-techie family members off Windows onto Zorin and they've had zero issues. The elderly folks in particularly seem to find the UI easier than Windows, mainly because I switch them to the "windows-95" like desktop arrangement.
I'm a little confused: does it have its own DE, or is it just a heavily modified Gnome?
It's a heavily themed Gnome distro with extra extensions and branded apps to supplement the experience.
Some themes are free, others (like the IMO rather complete Windows and macOS lookalike themes) require the paid version of the OS. I think that's an excellent way to get financial support for a product like this.
There are also some other nice-to-have integrations, like a pre-installed detection mechanism for certain setup.exes that will suggest Linux alternatives rather than opening them in the pre-installed Wine runtime.
It's Gnome.
Zorin 18 is greeeaaat! Been a long time user.
I am using Zorin in my Computer Lab. It works well on legacy hardware. I am running Zorin on Intel Dual Core processor, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD.
Given the positioning as an alternative to Windows 11 (and presumably macOS), I would have hoped that it didn’t chase the latest GUI design fashions.
Well the latest gui design fashion is chasing Windows 7’s Aero look…
MacOS liquid glass is just Windows Vista.
This
www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mac+OS+X+Aqua
Windows 7 chased macOS's Aqua look...
God we can only hope so
it actually has all the themes even win95, not sure if they still maintain it tho.
Namesake? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Zorin
"Zorin forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Andreas Fault at high tide, causing the valley to flood. Such a disaster would effectively wipe out all computer companies competing against Zorin in the world microchip market and leave him as the leading supplier of microchips; it would also kill millions of people."
> The project was started in 2008 by co-founders Artyom and Kyrill Zorin.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorin_OS
> Zorin OS is the alternative to Windows
Keep in mind that Zorin is a Linux-based OS and can't run Windows apps.
> Improved support for Windows software: Windows App Support includes significant improvements that allow you to run even more Windows-native apps and games than ever before. It’s now powered by the latest WINE version 10. You can learn more about the Windows App Support feature here.
> Linux-based operating systems were generally built for engineers by engineers, with little consideration for regular users. We decided to fix this. [0]
I am extremely sceptical that any normal Windows user would have the patience to use WINE to get Windows software working. Sadly this feels like this distro is subject to exactly the problem they claim to solve.
I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort. Until then, the incentives will simply never align.
[0] https://zorin.com/about
"I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort."
Dunno, I used to think that, but between Microsoft putting significant effort into degrading the Windows 11 experience and ever more stuff moving to the web, I'm not so sure about that anymore. My house is nearly full Linux now. The major thing that gets the gaming computer booted into Windows now is VR, and my oldest son is sometimes annoyed by needing to use Windows for some theater tech stuff. So it's not like we don't still have some things Linux can't do. But increasingly at our house it is the Windows-only stuff we find the annoying exception rather than the other way around. It's nowhere near as impossible as it was 15-20 years ago. The falling Windows is getting awfully close to meeting the rising Linux.
>I think the only way desktop Linux will ever approach something an "ordinary" computer user could use is if a corporation puts significant money behind the development effort.
I think you're correct, but I also think this has already happened. Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux. With a huge success. Gaming on Linux is very close to being as easy as it is on Windows. That removes a barrier for many home users.
I do wish there was more commercial software. Getting Photoshop ported over would be the last hurdle for me personally. Everything else I can do through Steam, various open source programs like Calibre, Electron apps, and Web.
> Valve has put large amounts of money and development time into Linux
I was gaming on linux when DXVK was just a library override in WINE before Proton or the Steam Deck existed. It's been fantastic to see how things have changed since then and I count this as a successful example of what's possible with desktop Linux.
If there was a commercial path to fund general purpose desktop computing on Linux, I'm certain that it is techinically feasible to achieve.
I think Valve have been very careful with where they put their efforts (hardware and software), their scope isn't that broad so much as it needs to have a direct link to steam. It's similar to why I don't think we'll have SteamOS released by Valve for generic hardware in the foreseeable future, because they're concentrating on their specific usage on the Deck.
Going broad means they need to support a whole lot more, and they probably can't tell users "go google it" in a similar fashion to how MS can't shrug off windows problems entirely when they happen for their users. The geeks are perfectly content with using a range of existing distros and there's little gain in adding one more, besides those that want the Valve/Steam brand umbrella to cover even more of PC gaming like they own the platform.
For running Windows only Steam games the support is very good. And actually "regular user" friendly .
But at the same time most professional Windows software will not run at all or will only run if you put significant effort into it. The idea of giving any Linux distro to a novice and telling him "he can run Windows applications" will result in server disappoint and frustration.
>can't run Windows apps.
Wine?
For the median Windows user who wants to try something new, running native Windows apps really truly needs to be no fuss and “just work.” This has been, erm, not exactly my experience with Wine.
I don’t mean that as a dig at Wine, I know it’s technically impressive and incredibly valuable. Granted, I haven’t tried to use it in years, and I’m sure it’s improved a lot in that time. But if I set a family member up with a Linux distro, I’d be shocked frankly if they figure out how to use Windows on their own.
>With Zorin OS, your next computer can be the one you already own. It’s designed to be the perfect Windows replacement for everyday users, professionals, and everyone in between.
Sorry for sounding curt, but this is yet another flavor of the week distribution that claims it's the best choice for everyone. It's exactly what everyone has needed for decades.. There's nothing wrong with making yet another distro, but call it what it is: another shade of brown. It will not, ever, evolve itself beyond what hasn't already been delivered by the top distros. Users discard it when they're having issues and the next flavor of the week distribution is popular. Or the rug is pulled and the distro simply rots away. This is the defacto progression for Linux distros. It is nowhere close to a full replacement for everyone, let alone Windows 10.
I don't run Zorin or Elementary, but have looked at them... they've been around for several years now and have put a lot of effort into being a good option for the typical user.
A LOT of people are just fine with a working browser and maybe Steam for their games. Most people aren't doing a lot of tinkering and in concert breaking things doing so. It's a perfectly reasonable option.
Beyond this, having had catastrophic fails in both Windows and Macs over the years, the typical user isn't equipped to handle them either.