I installed zorin core 16.3.
My PC runs like a train.
All installed apps are updated to the latest version.
Zorin appearance gives me the possibility of having more interface and changing various colors of the folders.
I have installed many PCs at school with Zorin OS.
Very stable and safe.
The community has a forum when necessary for various issues or other issues.
The lite version reflects all the functions of the Core version.
I have recommended Zorin Os to many friends for its ease of use and continuous security updates.
I recommend it to everybody.
I bought Zorin OS Pro after a complete system failure on Windows 11. I originally bought my PC with Windows 10 then upgraded to 11 though I can say with both the 10 & 11 ports it was a real struggle getting games like Halo, Arkham Asylum and Dirt 5 to run consistently on my 1660 Super. For my daily needs as a student, researcher, amateur beat-maker and casual gamer, I'm very happy with the stability and capabilities of the Zorin Linux distro for a new Linux user like myself. It was easy to install, has easy app management, easy to customize, Updates are regular. It just works!
As far as my experience with Linux is concerned, Zorin (Lite) in my case, and with Upgrade gives me a lot of life to my old computers.
It would be appreciated to be able to choose to install an .iso creator in a graphical environment to customize the distro and thus be able to contribute to the community, based on the user experience for the Zorin version.
You can install Wine from the store without problems, it starts quickly and with the lightweight desktop based on drop-down menus and windows, we don't need much else. It is very customizable, free office from the store is also available. Simply great!
Zorin is exactly what we needed for our daily work. In our small team we run six laptops on Zorin pro and Core, so we got some experience by now. The installation is so easy, a beginner in Linux can do it without tutorial. Runs every time, be it lenovo or hp.
We need our OS mostly for productivity in our home office, for presentations on zoom etc. or just browsing the web or streaming - we never ever had any issue. Zorin is much more stable than other distros we worked with, it is fast. And what is very important for us: our laptops don't get as hot as we experienced with other distros.
it looks good enough, if you are not searching something spectacular like Garuda, if you just want the OS to get out of the way and let you do your work.
We want to concentrate on our work, not on mending our software. Zorin has proven to be perfect for us.
Version: 16.3 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-09-08 Votes: 1
I downloaded and installed Zorin OS Lite on a decade old Toshiba Laptop. TLDR: Everything works and has a lot of polish.
Zorin Os Lite is proof that XFCE can look great. The developers have done all the customization and made sure that everything will work right out of the box. Of course, a more advanced Linux user can get Ubuntu (which is the base of Zorin) and make it work like this, however, it's just nice to have a distro where you don't need to spend time to do so. It would replace Linux Mint as my main recommendation for Windows users who want to try out Linux.
Is the Pro version worth it? I'd say, pay for the Pro just to support the developers. They did do a lot of things for this OS to work.
Version: 16.3 Rating: 1 Date: 2023-09-01 Votes: 1
I recently tried out Zorin OS Linux and was thoroughly disappointed with my experience. From the start, the installation process was cumbersome and complicated, requiring me to jump through numerous hoops just to get it properly installed on my computer.
Once I finally managed to get Zorin OS up and running, I found that the user interface was clunky and unintuitive. The design felt outdated and there were limited customization options, making it difficult to personalize the operating system to my preferences.
Moreover, the performance of Zorin OS was subpar. Opening simple applications took longer than expected, and there were frequent lags and freezes that hindered productivity. The system also had compatibility issues with certain software and hardware, forcing me to troubleshoot and find workarounds just to get things running smoothly.
One of the biggest disappointments was the lack of software availability. The package manager was limited and didn't offer a wide range of applications. Many popular software that I rely on for my work were simply not available on Zorin OS, making it impractical for me to use as my primary operating system.
Overall, I was highly dissatisfied with Zorin OS Linux. Its installation process was frustrating, the user interface was dated and inflexible, performance was lackluster,
First off you can customize it a good bit so you can make the taskbar be similar to windows 11 or have no taskbar at all and keep it similar to vanilla gnome, there's a lot of ways to customize it yet not to many unlike KDE. The Software store is rather nice and has everything I need for my day, and all the apps that are exclusive to windows that I used I found alternatives for (For Example, Pinta to replace Microsoft Paint) And the ones I didnt find alternatives for I could still run via the play on linux app that is included with the installation!
To simply put it, it has all I need and no problems for me!
Version: 16.3 Rating: 2 Date: 2023-08-25 Votes: 0
Old foggie 69 been using Windows prolly 15 years, my old desktop computer 15 plus years. Just a few back it had a hard drive mess up it said, my guess prolly due to software foul up, not sure, anyway old desktop can't up grade or re-upgrade anymore, so, did some search, found Zorin, put that on old desktop, ran good one day, froze up, good thing didn't install, was in try mode running off usb, bugs prolly, and, noticed error messages from display when boot from usb, something was goofy. Wha'd I do? Finagled Chrome onto boot usb without signup to Google or anything of them, the Flex thing, all it is, is a glorified browser operation what it looks like. Works tho. Great to run guest mode as well without signin. Just use that like for watching tv, good enough for me. My opinion go Chrome, stable, works, upgradeable, can run off usb, also do private modes like incognito guest, or run signed in, whatever. Zorin didn't work, bugged out after one day, not gonna do anymore distros prolly, less it be a hobby. Thanks Linux, tried ya, didn't like ya, bail out to Google.
Version: 16.3 Rating: 1 Date: 2023-08-24 Votes: 0
As newer to linux, I have tested MX linux and linux mint without any problem.
I decided to test Zorin OS , but as soon as it starts loading, it gets stuck.
I disconnected the ethernet cable and tried a second time the test, zorin finished loading until the desktop appeared,
but as soon as I plugged in the ethernet cable to use the internet, zorin has blocked. no movement
I don't know why the developers of this zorin ignore this little problem.
The other distros I have tested respond well. I don't know in what this zorin is good for.
I remember when I was using this operating system just after Windows XP lost its support with Zorin OS 8. There were some hurdles that came with it. That all changed with 15.3 when I got a new PC, and oh man it runs so well, and it's a lot more robust, meaning I can do any everyday tasks without any other disadvantages.
My only issue is that it has a very limited library of software, at least up-to-date ones, which means having to install it by commands. At least critical packages like NVIDIA support works well for my main PC!
I Installed Zorin OS 16.3 Lite on an old notebook Acer Travelmate 5730 from 2009, with Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, upgrading RAM till 4Gb (max allowed) and SSD 256Gb.
Everything works correctly and runs like a charm. No problems or issues till now.
Very easy to use and immediately ready out of the box.
Very suggested to Windows switchers and to all the people don't want to lose a lot of time for the configurations.
Thank you so much to the developers!
Keep going this way!
Zorin is one of those distros when you're tired of hopping around. You try to replace it but realize that your computer is about getting tasks accomplished first and foremost. Sometimes you dont need a hobbyist distro, sometimes you just need things to work. Even if its not your primary os, definitely give this a try. I bought the $40 pro version, mainly to just support the project as they're doing great work. It's a distro I will eventually put on my mom/dads computer for ease of use, but a distro I can still use due to its packages, package installers, layout, and general comfiness. You wont impress your arch/gentoo friends with it, but you will be doing far less work maintaining your machine like they will.
I use primarily the Core version and it is fantastic. Very clean and polished interface. Solid, static, stable release with newer packages from their own repositories. I especially like their software store - it has a graphical user interface for Ubuntu packages, Debian packages, Snap packages, and Flatpaks. AppImages are available too. The Zorin brothers have created a distribution that is cohesive and easy to use with minimal fuss of where to get the packages/programs. Plus, you can still install Synaptic or use the terminal. The base is older with Zorin OS usually running behind the Ubuntu LTS release. Currently 16.3 is based on the older Ubuntu 20.04 LTS released April 2020 and Zorin OS 17 will be based on newer Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from April 2022. By the time 17 is released in a few months, we will be a few months away from the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release - for some users this might be a problem since Zorin is never on the newest/current base. With Zorin OS the base is irrelevant and for the majority of users. The best part is recently they came out with an upgrade tool that allows you to upgrade from 15 to 16 and later 16 to 17 without having to reinstall the operating system. Or you can upgrade from free Core version to the $39USD paid version. This new feature puts Zorin on-par with Ubuntu, Mint or Pop!_OS in ease of use and ease of upgrade. Great distribution for new Linux users or experienced Linux users like me. I like it because everything works right and there is no troubleshooting needed to make things function as they should. Zorin OS works especially well on a laptop too - it has Wayland and gestures by default plus... wobbly windows! The GNOME desktop is the older 3.38 perhaps but the new 17 version coming out later this year will have a newer GNOME 42 I think which is on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This is not the latest but it is more modern. Again, it is not much of an issue since Zorin customizes the desktop to create their own look/feel and offers several layouts from a traditional desktop like Windows or something modern like GNOME. If you are new to Linux don't waste your time - just install Zorin OS (or Linux Mint Cinnamon) and you will have everything you need and more to get things done.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 8 Date: 2023-07-23 Votes: 5
I'm using Zorin OS 16.2 Lite which has one of the most polished implementations of Xfce. Things run decently quickly even on this old 11-inch Dell 3180 machine with 32gb emmc storage and 4 gb of RAM. Zorin also attempts to fill in the space left behind by old "boxed desktop Linux" distributions like Mandrake and Xandros, especially as mainstream Ubuntu (which Zorin is based on) and Red Hat have pivoted to focus more on the enterprise space.
Zorin is perfect for prolonging the lifespan of old machines (with its Lite edition), new Windows switchers who want a familiar environment, education settings, and small businesses who need the reliability of paid-support. I don't mind paying for a Linux distro as long as they are upfront about what you're getting (in Zorin's case paid support) and aren't misrepresenting themselves and charging for free as in beer software like Lindows/Linspire did in the early 2000s with their Synaptic front-end CNR.
Moved out from Windows after almost 25 years. have been using Linux in WSL for many purposes. I don't feel alienated when I moved to this desktop. it is very easy to setup and I loved their search where they automatically was searching packages from internet. I almost got everything other than office suite and snagit alternatives. So far, I am very happy to work on this OS.
The only downside I heard about is upgrading to a newer version of zorin. I didn't have to do it because I am using their latest. But as a professional i can't just clean install without valid reason. Hope they would provide that in their future updates
I have a relatively new laptop, Ryzen 5 and Zorin OS is a perfect on it, no issues whatsoever.
Out of the box it is easy to customise and works as it should, I find the XFCE desktop environment easy to manipulate compared to others.
Fast and efficient for all of my everyday and work requirements, comes with all of the pre installed programs to get you up and running. Added to this the OS looks great too, unlike many other OS's that appear clunky by comparison.
I have hopped about a lot and tried many other distros but Zorin OS is always my return go to when others fail to impress or simply have not got the same stability.
Of course with any distro we all have our useer preferences as to how they look and feel, personally I like the task bar at the top and to add plank dock at the bottom as it seems more instictive in use. As said, customising is easily achieved with the Zorin OS XFCE desktop.
Overall, a great, uncomplicated distro and not trying to be too clever where many are failing!
Version: 16.2 Rating: 5 Date: 2023-07-02 Votes: 2
The os is beautiful, fully featured and fast and I really do like it. The issue for me is that I bought a new laptop and installed zorin 16.2 and some of the hardware did not work.
This is because it is using a relatively old kernel by todays standards. It will work fine if you have a laptop between 2014 and 2020 but not after or before these years generally. Preceding 2014, it will be too slow because it is too heavy and after 2020, newer hardware simply wont work and wont be seen by the operating system even if you compile the driver yourself.
In my case the webcam and the fingerprint reader did not work because zorin is still on ubuntu 20.04 with its kernel.
You also cannot upgrade the kernel and i have tried, it wont boot, so your stuck with a new laptop.
Its a shame because its a beautiful os that is let down by dated foundation.
Another issue I encountered was because it uses gnome as the base, it has the gnome-software process which memory leaks and slows down older systems because it over utilises the ram.
This process seems to start leaking when you install apps and continues to rise.
Zorin also does not play nice with gnome tweaks.
Steer clear if you have a post 2020 laptop.
When zorin developers start updating to an expected standard and stop following older ubuntu lts versions, I might give it another look.
There is old, stable up to date and bleeding edge but unfortunately zorins back end is just old. Zorin 17 will be based off 22.04 of ubuntu and will have the same issue with newer laptops.
I have been dabbling in Linux for a few years now (having dumped Windows after it killed my hard drive) and have found that Zorin installed the easiest, ran the quickest, identified on its own all of my peripherals, and has NOT HAD ONE FREEZE UP OR CRASH! A few years back I had to locate and install Cheese to operate the camera and Zoom so that I could stay connected with family and colleagues. They were easily found and installed. And running Software Updater daily has kept me up to date on patches and improvements. So it is the #1 Linux distro I recommend particularly for those coming over from Windows, Mac or even a complicated Linux distro like Arch.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-05-31 Votes: 7
I have been dabbling with Linux since red hat 4.0 ( I was clueless) and have mostly used variations of Ubuntu, Though like others I have trialed many others before Zorin. I can make it run but I am still mostly a novice.
I have an HP all in one (with not enough RAM and too expensive to redo the board and add ram), from 2016, upgraded to running win 10. Joined with my HP 9020 printer scanner. I was ok but started runnning slow, required multiple reboots of both devices. Making life in the office a pain.
I loaded Zorin OS (I liked it well enough to pay for it) my inital challenge was the documentation ( yeah that much of a novice I read the directions) for partitioning as the documentation was not exactly what’s was on the screen. I talked to support but they were not as helpful via email as I might have liked.
Once I got past they and was fully setup .ZorinOS had that machine running like a scared cat
I downloaded the scanner software from the available options to find the combination of Zorin and the simple scanner software worked better and was more functional than the HP printer scanner software on my HP computer with Windoz 10 had been as long as I owned the combination. I have no had connectivity issues since staring ZorinOS
Because of my specific quirks I ended up buying a scanner suite ( can’t remember the name, everything is at the office and I am at home right now) that is phenomenal .
I will be slowly moving any devices except my current macs to Zorin OS as I can readily access my windows office files though the partition to pull the up in libre office.
I have an older Mac mini no longer getting new MacOS updates that will be a learning tool to have it run Zorin too.
I really like the ZorinOS
I find this distro to be very fast and efficient. It's gorgeous to look at and gives UI options to match essentially any desktop you'd like, which is impressive given its speed.
I'm still pretty new with Linux, and I've found ZorinOS to have the least amount of difficulties in doing what I need to do. I downloaded the Pro version and made my donation as I do value the team's efforts.
I've tried Pop_OS, Fedora, Ubuntu, and others I can't recall. At the end of the day I am sticking with Zorin because of its speed, ease of use, and compatibility with Ubuntu.
I have been a Linux user for over 20 years. I think I still have a Breezy Badger live cd around here somewhere, probably next to my old OS X Snow Leopard install cds that I just can't seem to toss. Currently I'm using Ubuntu, openSuse, and Fedora VM's for different work projects because I like variety and I can get paid to play with each.
I have two older laptops at home. And old MBP that no longer runs the latest Mac OS, and an old Dell Latitude. I have tried so many different distos ( I actually have the MBP ssd partitioned to run Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, openSuse Leap, and Zorin). Previously, I had the best experience with openSuse Tumbleweed, but I ran into problems with a kernel update. After spending a ton of time debugging, it was just apparent it was time to give up and try something else.
Came across Zorin OS on this site. Sounded like something that might fit my use case, as I wanted a stable distro that would not randomly update something important and I'd be stuck reinstalling again. I installed Zorin Core on the MBP and Zorin Lite on the Dell about a month ago, and I couldn't be happier. I think I've found a distro for these two computers that I can trust to work for quite some time.
Easy install, even installed the wifi and graphics drivers for the MBP, which are often something I need to do post-install via CLI. Beautiful interface and easy to customize as it comes with a custom Zorin Appearance control panel that allows you to change desktop themes in the GUI (not a common feature of Linux distros).
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-05-14 Votes: 8
Hello, as a long-time user of Ubuntu and its derivatives, I came across this system by accident. Everywhere on forums and various sites, this system was presented as an alternative to Windows and MacOS. Since I used to use on my old laptop Lenovo G575 with 2 GB ram and integrated graphics on Linux mint 17 board, later I bought an older Lenovo B50-30 4 GB ram and ran it on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. What did not suit me in Ubuntu were frequent problems with wi-fi, spontaneous disconnection of sound and problems with stability (while Canonical itself declares how stable their system is), so I decided that it would be more ideal to use some derivative of Ubuntu. at first it was Mint again, but somehow I didn't like the same desktop scheme anymore. then I caught Zorin OS 16 based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, I tell myself that I won't give anything for the test. I don't know why, but every time I decide to try another distro, I always end up going back to zorin. The desktop, connectivity, reliability is on a completely different level than the base from which it is derived.
+ Stability
+ design
+ Zorin connect
+ speed and clarity, simplicity
- HDMI input, when connected to the TV I have to manually adjust the sound from the internal speakers to the TV and vice versa when disconnected. in the new version, they could add some dialogue box where they ask me when connecting, whether to adjust the sound, or even better not to ask at all and just plug it in :)
Hi.
I have been using this O.S. (with updates) on a 10 year old SAGER laptop with the optimus GT650 video card.
This O.S. was easy to install and has run flawlessly. This old laptop lives on! I even can play Steam games and watch all kinds of videos. I had to download another app to get the camera to work correctly but this O.S. is great for salvaging old, but once high- end hardware like this old Sager laptop with the I7 3rd Gen CPU.
I also like the fact that this O.S. knows enough to use the Nvidia graphics instead of the lesser intel graphics. This laptop has both and has caused issues with other operating systems including situations with Windows 7 that came on it way back then. This O.S. also runs faster than Windows 10 on this machine.
Keep up the good work!
Version: 16.2 Rating: 7 Date: 2023-05-01 Votes: 5
Zorin is actually the distro that got me into Linux and I would have to give them a ton of credit for that. It has a BEAUTIFUL interface, friendly support, and AWESOME wine integration. However besides that, I just can't recommend them to anyone besides ABSOLUTE beginners or people on really good hardware.
First of all, I noticed for some unknown reason, the desktop kept on lagging for no reason. I blamed that on my old laptop, but it got to the point where it just completely froze, and when I tried to boot this distro it wouldn't boot. Since this was my first time using it, I decided to give it another chance and reinstalled it (I had to do it twice as when I did it the first time, the installer crashed). It went really well and it didn't take long to get all my apps back in place. That was when I discovered timeshift and wanted to create a separate partition to store my timeshift backups and some other personal files. So I went to a live disk to resize the partitions. Guess What? The gparted crashed and the distro wouldn't boot again. I ended up restoring from a timeshift backup, which didn't work. I was just having a real headache which this distro and installed Linux Mint. WOW OMG! It was fast, everything seemed to integrate really well, the installer didn't crash, gparted disk resize didn't crash either, and there was a ton of support on the internet. Sure the interface and WINE integration isn't as great, but those are 2 small things I would be willing to trade for faster speed, better documentation on the internet, and better reliability (notice how I didn't say stability). For most people,I would recommend Linux Mint for beginners, OpenSUSE for people who want the most reliable/stable distro and/or people who are Windows power users, and EndeavourOS for developers, gamers, and people who want the newest technology.
TL;DR: Zorin is great for Linux Beginners, people who want good Windows Apps support, and people who have good hardware. I won't recommend people who want something more than a "beginner's distro", somebody with moderate to older hardware (including lite), people who value reliability,and people who want something that won't get in their way all the time.
Zorin Os is an excellent distribution, very well thought out, especially for Windows newcomers.
Thanks to Zorin Os Lite I was able to rescue an old laptop I acquired in 2014.
It is sometimes forgotten that Zorin's philosophy, just like Windows, does not favor extreme customization, so if you use it, as most users do, for work and leisure, it is ideal.
In favor:
Stability.
Friendly and familiar environment.
Modern and beautiful appearance.
Stability.
Easy and quick installation.
Support (Pro version).
Easy installation of Windows games via Lutris.
Very complete software.
Excellent software store.
Lots of help available on their website and community forum.
Easy customization via Zorin Appearence.
Against:
Takes a while to release a new version.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-04-24 Votes: 0
I have been using Zorin on and off for about 3.5 years. Great distribution. Everything looks consistent and everything works fast.
Some people complain about the Ubuntu base being old (all to common among Linux fanboys). Their 16 series Zorin came out about 16 months after Ubuntu 20.04 and that is the base for Zorin OS 16. They come out with their versions significantly after the most recent Ubuntu. Ubuntu 22.04 came out about a year ago - expect Zorin 17 based on Ubuntu's 22.04 LTS base to come out sometime between July and December 2023 based on what the Zorin developers have posted on their website. For some people that may be a limitation but it really does not hurt the OS.
Anyway, I say all this because the age of the base is NOT relevant with Zorin OS. They tweak and polish the packages to look consistent and work right with Zorin - that's why it takes them time to put out the next version I suppose. Furthermore, they have the newest packages for their default programs with their own PPA repositories. They back-port newer packages like LibreOffice which makes the base moot. One nice feature of Zorin is that it includes Ubuntu/Debian packages, Snap packages, and Flatpak pages by default. Nothing additional to install to get Flatpaks and Snaps. Also, Flatpaks & Snaps offer you newer packages that again, is another reason the underlying Ubuntu base is not that important.
The one thing that I would like to see on Zorin is what Canonical has on their flavors - the ability to upgrade from within the OS and not have to do a fresh installation in order to upgrade. The developers are promising that feature. Will it be on Zorin 17? That is unknown for now. But that is definitely one feature many people including myself would like to see that other distributions like Pop!_OS, Mint, and Ubuntu already have.
Regardless, Zorin is fast and looks good too. It is simple for the new user and has all the features an advanced user needs/wants. It has a few layouts on Zorin Core which makes it look better than traditional GNOME. Their Lite version based on Xfce is good too but I prefer the GNOME version which is Zorin Core. The Pro version is $39 which gives you some support with installation, additional pre-installed packages, and a few additional layouts. If you are thinking of giving Zorin a donation, just give them the $39 and you get a few extra features. Most experienced Linux users probably won't need the Pro version.
Zorin is a very nice Ubuntu based distribution that is rock solid, looks great and is very stable.
Very stable, no problems so far. I have been using it since over two months ago and I am still very satisfied.
Have tested and used many different Linux versions since I started using Linux over twenty years ago. I've always been looking for a well-thought-out, stable, day-to-day usable Linux distribution, Zorin OS is exactly that. I have made some adjustments and use, for example, Synaptic, Vokoscreen, ClipIt, digikam, Telegram desktop, VLC, KeePassXC, Timeshift, Stacer etc. which are not installed by default.
Then I have installed deepin icone theme and I use dark theme. But this is also the case with Linux, you have many customization possibilities, yes almost endless possibilities. You install roughly what you want, adapt what you want and use it how you want. Zorin is significantly simpler and less complex than windows. So are you looking for a flawless free operating system that works every day? then install Zorin OS.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 8 Date: 2023-04-14 Votes: 1
I’m kind of a veteran Linux user so probably not the most obvious “target” of Zorin still I value simplicity, user-friendliness and every effort to bring my OS of choice to the “masses”. I installed and thoroughly tested Zorin Lite 16.1 in one of my machines which was uneventfully upgraded to 16.2 in the meantime.
“Looks” is an asset in my books but not the ultimate criterion by which to judge a distribution. Zorin surely has the looks though the effort to simulate the feeling of Windows and MacOS is evident in its choice of palette. Zorin’s custom-themed Xfce looks polished and the desktop layout is absolutely sensible and functional. Nevertheless there is a single detail which is almost a deal-breaker for me. Other will find this inessential. It is a classic “bug” in certain themed Xfce (and sometimes Mate) desktops: the mouse cursor is offset when you try to diagonally resize application windows. It is very annoying to me. There are many threads on Zorin forum about it but proposed solutions are either installing third-party themes or editing the default one. Not acceptable when it comes to a distro which aspires to work out of the box and on top of that to charge its users for using a premium version. Linux Mint 19.3 Xfce for instance shipping its own version of customized Xfce had solved this problem long before Zorin 16’s release.
Other users of Zorin Lite complain that the lite version is not so light yet it has been performing very well on a 6-year old middle-of-the-run setup turning increasingly to low-end by today standards. Software selection is satisfactory. My sole objection concerns “Parole” as default video player. It cannot provide accurate seeking with large video files encoded with h264 or h265 codecs. Albeit a member of the Xfce family of apps, other Xfce-based distros justifiably skip it. MPV or VLC would be excellent.
The major problem Zorin developers have to address but not specific to the Lite edition is their excessively slow release cycle. With the latest Ubuntu LTS released a year ago and every major Xfce-based distro out there already migrated or migrating to latest and greatest Xfce 4.18, the development of new Zorin lags markedly behind.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 1 Date: 2023-04-12 Votes: 1
Zorin OS is a privacy nightmare. But if you're not worried about that perhaps you're not aware or you simply don't care?
I encourage people to read their Privacy Policy.
That aside, Zorin OS standard, and only, install is just packed with too much stuff out of the box.
Both GNOME and XFCE edition feels very heavy. As a result, the performance just isn't there.
If you want to steer from the built in theme options expect some issues.
With Flatpak and Snap available expect some inconsistencies amongst the app lands. Pick one or the other and make it simple for beginners as you boast who you cater to.
To me, this feels extremely cobbled. More isn't always better.
Zorin OS 16.2 is an excellent operating system that offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features. It is based on Ubuntu and comes with a lot of pre-installed software that makes it easy to get started with your work or entertainment needs. The desktop environment is sleek and modern, and the overall design is very polished. Zorin OS 16.2 is also very stable and reliable, making it a great choice for anyone who wants a hassle-free computing experience. I recommend this system to everyone.
The Zorin OS is awesome! Lots of stability combined with a consistent, unified and extremely beautiful interface. The care that the development team took in this interface was exemplary, always attentive to details (icons, buttons, options, the system as a whole is very concise and beautiful, even in an XFCE for modest PCs). Another extremely positive point is the perfect integration with Windows apps through a good wine implementation.
Undoubtedly, Zorin Os is the right distribution for anyone looking for a definitive migration from Windows to the Linux world!
My experience is the following. For more than 20 years that I have known Linux, I have tried to move and put aside the Adobe applications, MS Office, Macromedia, Corel, Cubase, Ezdrummer, and an endless number of small applications that I used to develop my work.
My first step was to start using Freeware applications instead of all the pirated software I was using, portable versions of things like Photoshop, installing GIMP and Krita as an alternative, etc. In short, I was first replacing the Software.
Just this year I decided to move completely and my choice was Zorin OS core for which I bought a specific SSD in case of anything.
I've been using the OS for a couple of months now and the truth is that it's wonderful, stable, light, fast, usable, as well as a very polished and beautiful aspect. The console used it very little.
To be honest, it is a Distro that for people who develop in product environments, be it design, editing, music or in any other environment that needs an OS that works immediately and start working, this is one of the best alternatives. especially for its light environment by default, a real delight.
I have been a ubuntu user for a while and familiar with the Ubuntu desktops and which I typically like to use as a dual boot with Windows. Ubuntu has lot of support through packages and lot of community help with troubleshooting issues. I started with Old Pc with very old hardware and upgraded from Puppy Linux to lite versions of Ubuntu.I have even tried Mint for a while ,which I like being minimalistic but getting the job done. I was looking for something where I wanted to spend less time on the command line and have it integrated well into the desktop experience, therefore gave Zorin an try. It is snappy, aesthetically good and lot of support for packages. Zorin connect is a good feature to have.I hope this OS continues to be supported and stay around for long and would like to see it grow.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 7 Date: 2023-02-24 Votes: 3
I really like Zorin and have been using it daily. But there are problems that cannot be reported! as there seems to be no bug report page or contact! and their forum doesn't work! I have tried to write in their forum about my technical problems but the first post is never approved! so i gave up. Tragic when you see how good this distribution is.
If I will use this distribution again! hard to say, in any case they must be significantly better at support in the future. Their Facebook page is very poorly updated, the forum seems to have major technical problems! and no place to report bugs!
For the last 20 years or so I have been a Linux user, needless to say I have tried countless distros. Years ago I actually enjoyed spending hours settings things but nowadays I want something very simple, something I can get running as quickly as possible. The fact that I am maintaining half-a-dozen computers makes ease of setup a priority to me.
Anyway, with Zorin I can get a system up and running exactly to my liking from install to completion in less than an hour. I have been using it for a month and haven’t had a single issue in all that time. Of course, not everyone will be using the same programs etc. that I have selected but you should give it a try if you are looking for something that is simple to setup.
I really can’t put myself in a noobie shoes but I think anyone with a minimal amount of experience installing operating systems won’t have any trouble using Zorin
I love Zorin Os.
It's stable, fast, intuitive, user friendly.
All the time I've been using it, I've only twice resorted to the terminal, the first time to install Microsoft sources, and the second time to install neofetch. Anyway it was very easy to do it thanks to the instructions that guide you through the process.
The software store is very complete and has everything I need, just a click away.
As for games, thanks to Steam the offer has improved substantially. Also, through Lutris I have been able to install two Blizzard games, which are not available for Linux.
The Zorin Os website is very complete to provide the necessary help. There is also the community that is always ready to help, especially the newbies.
In my case, I have installed Zorin Os Pro, as a way to support the project, and I receive support from the developers.
In summary, I am very happy with Zorin Os, I don't have to suffer from telemetry, unwanted advertising or being forced to try to impose programs that I am not interested in.
I've bought an old Fujitsu lifebook T4215 touchscreen laptop and
had been trying to install a Linux distro that would
recognize stylus input for its touchscreen.
Tried Ubuntu, Nobara GNOME, Artix XFCE, Artix plasma,
EndeavourOS, GhostBSD, Voyager.
None of them showed stylus events.
Tried to install some recommended packages,
to compile and install driver source code for this,
perhaps having made mistakes,
and not succeeded.
Installing Zorin OS 16 Lite solved this problem out of the box.
I just started using it,
maybe some tweaking will be necessary, but the stylus works.
Thanks to the developers.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 4 Date: 2023-02-04 Votes: 0
Good Ubuntu Linux distro but there are quite a few bugs and is quite slow compared to faster distros like Ubuntu Budgie. Some bugs include how the "Authentication required" popup for the keyring keeps on popping up even if I input my password, running "howdy" for password facial recognition does not work well as often time the face detection "times out", when I open the lock screen it goes back to the lock screen and so each time I have to open the lock screen twice which takes a lot of time from me just to get to the app I want to use, sometimes when I have a search app running the entire computer would freeze and the icon images would disappear and so I would have to restart the computer and lose my unsaved work from apps like Xournal++, and I uninstalled the built in python3 accidentally and it also uninstalled the gnome desktop packages also (Ubuntu Budgie does not have a built in python) and thus my entire computer crashed and would only be in TTY mode so I had to switch distros on my computer. The pros of this OS is how there seems to be a large community of Zorin users, it runs on Ubuntu which supports a lot of apps I run like Matlab and Miniconda, and is quite better than Windows and Mac with ease of use and great Linux specific software to use like Libre Office and the Lutris game engine. Overall though, I would not recommend this distro and in fact would recommend people not to use this distro until the bugs I mentioned are fixed.
Switched to Linux from Windows. I chose Zorin OS because of its good looking Interface. I love it. Would never want to use Windows again. I love that you can easily customize it and the Zorin Connect App works super well. I really enjoy using my Smartphone to controll my PC. It is super cool to see how good the performance is compared to Windows. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-01-15 Votes: 9
I've been using Zorin OS for a while now and I have to say, I'm really impressed. The user interface is sleek and easy to navigate, making it perfect for both Linux beginners and experienced users. The GNOME desktop environment is a great choice and it's inherited all the powerful features of Ubuntu.
One of the things I love about Zorin OS is how lightweight it is. My computer runs smoothly and quickly, even with multiple windows and applications open. The ability to run Windows applications on Zorin OS is a huge plus and makes the transition from Windows to Linux much easier.
One of the standout features of Zorin OS for me is the Zorin Connect app. This app allows you to easily sync your android phone's notifications with Zorin OS, browse photos from your phone, reply to text messages and share files and web links between your computer and phone. Unfortunately, I have an IOS device and I couldn't test this feature, but it's a great option for android users.
For tech-savvy Linux users, Zorin OS is a great choice. It's based on Ubuntu, so it's stable and reliable, and it has a wide range of software available. The terminal is fully functional and you can run commands and scripts easily. Additionally, you can customize the look and feel of Zorin OS with the built-in customization options.
Overall, I highly recommend Zorin OS to anyone looking for a powerful, easy-to-use, and attractive Linux distro. It's perfect for those new to Linux as well as seasoned users, and it has a lot of features that make it stand out in the crowded Linux distro market.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 7 Date: 2023-01-06 Votes: 8
Attractive is about the best to describe this distro. Most distros are basically all stirred with the same stuff only dressed up a little differently. Many offer at least a couple if not more desktop environments. That's really all that changes in these over kill of distro choices. Everyone has got to make their own rather than just customizing a few distros. Yeah, choice is great except when it's far too many and cannibalizes the whole ideal of choice. After trying a few distros, you discover they all start looking like the same recipe only the ingredients are added in a different order. Why rebuild a house when you can just throw a different color on the outside and rearrange the furniture? Distros sort of happen this way, and it's too bad because if we had more people working a fewer distros' things would actually work better and advance the platform sooner. But I never see that happening, all I see if more distros and more fragmentation doing no good to a decent OS desktop platform.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2023-01-05 Votes: 4
I like it !!
I only give it a 9 because (so far) it does not seem to have the "SUSPEND" or "SLEEP" options for shutting down in such a way that it can be brought up again quickly.
On the plus side, it has Libre Office built in, and the option to install "Only Office."
I feel that one of these is critical as so many of us are used to the expensive office, and so most of us need something like that
Plus number 2 - one can choose from several common browsers. I have nothing against Firefox except that it doesn't work the way I, personally, am used to.
So far, the only negative I've found is that when I did a "search" for CALENDAR, one came up, but I still don't know how to set up a shortcut to it.
I am expecting a cheap laptop soon which will probably not have an OS on it, and I am NOT going to put out the big bucks for the common one most people use, when I can have a clean, simple, trustworthy version of Linux for FREE.
The two ultra light distros I tried do not have the features I think I will need, so it looks like Zorin may be the best bet.
This is not an easy decision as there are several great distros out there.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-12-22 Votes: 6
I am using Linux on and off for 25 years. I tried multiple times to completely abolish Windows (later MacOS), but I always fell back into the professional arms of Microsoft (later Apple).
But after installing Zorin Pro on an old MacBookPro 7,1 , I switched to Zorin on all my older Macs and now all but one of my Computers run on Zorin (or Pop!).
With Zorin I could keep the look and feel of my Macs and use a modern OS, regardless the age of my systems. It just works and it performs better than MacOS.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-12-19 Votes: 0
This is a gorgeous distro; the screenshot doesn't do it justice. And if you run the Lite version you get the single best implementation of xfce I've seen anywhere.
This may be the single best distribution for Windows users coming over from the dark side. Not only is the interface and workflow familiar but you can even run (some) Windows programs via the highly integrated Wine infrastructure. Audacious!
All in all, this is a quite impressive effort and one that I come back to frequently, even though I don't personally have (or want) any Windows connection to my OS.
In my opinion, after having tried various Linux distributions, and I'm not an expert on these platforms, because I've always used Windows, Zorin is the best distribution for those of us who don't understand anything about Linux. Easy to install, easy to configure, and easy to use. I recommend it to all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who don't want to install Windows 10, try ZorinOS, you'll love it just like me. Or for users who have a team of more than 10 years, that Zorin is the best distribution and easier than the others. It would have to be ranked 1 for ease and speed.
I tried this distro in its Lite version on my 2010's Lenovo C200 and I was satisfied with it: all the applications worked very well, XFCE desktop was eye-candy (in my opinion, it is the best distro equipped with XFCE I have ever used before!) and RAM consumption by idle was really low (about 510/520 MB) such as Linux Mint 21 MATE which I usually use as primary OS. I also loved Flatpak support out-of-box, even though not all the packages worked properly maybe because of my PC's age. Really recommended distro both for beginners and experienced GNU/Linux users!
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-11-22 Votes: 7
I've been using linux for at least 6 years, i started with ubuntu, then moved to mint, then to ubuntu mate, then KDE neon, back to mint and recently tried Zorin. Even though i've distro-hopped a few times I am by no means an expert, although the main reason I distro-hopped was to find an OS with a clean and beautiful interface without imposing too many limitations (elementary cough cough) and which would allow me to be as productive as possible.
I used KDE neon but I was not happy with the vanilla theme that came out of the box, I customized so much I ended up breaking the OS lol, I stuck with KDE for 3 years. I switched to mint cinnamon which was nice but the interface always left me wanting to change things, so I customized it and still didn't like what I ended up with.
Then I switched to Zorin and OMG, what a difference! I no longer have to spend hours trying to customize the interface to try to make it look the way i want. The icons look great right out of the box, fonts are gorgeous, theming is amazing! I have not had o do much to the desktop environment to get going the way I like it. I know more experienced users love arch, live and die by it but for me Zorin is gorgeous and works for my purposes. I totally recommend it!
Version: 16.2 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-11-07 Votes: 7
Having tried at least half a dozen of the top suggested distros for me zorin was a no brainer,the transition from windows was made as easy as a new distro could be,I'm only a casual user and found everything I needed from the startup apps to get myself going,installation of a few more apps went seamlessly including some windows apps that i thought were just that little bit better than the supplied ones,but overall the out of the box experience was fantastic,I've switched from windows because of a few security issues that I had with it despite having good antivirus programs on my pc, only downside I've had with this distro were a few long winded opening off apps especially the windows one,but that's a small price to pay for the extra security that this distro has provided, by the way I'm no spring chicken as I'm 70 yrs old and the thought of switching to linux did worry me a bit,but overall its been a great experience with a minor learning experience,
I am in the process of migrating to Linux after 40 years as a Windows and Mac user. My many systems include an iMac, several MacBooks, and a half-dozen P51, P52, and X1 Extreme Thinkpads. I've more or less settled on Zorin OS Pro after distro-hopping between it, Ubuntu, Fedora 36, and several others. Zorin strikes me as a very user-friendly OS that allows me to be productive immediately without a lot of wasted time and effort, which is what I am looking for. I'll leave the experimenting up to those with more time to burn than I can afford.
I opted to pay the $39 for Zorin Pro for the extra functionality, installed software apps, and the knowledge that I'm not missing out on any Zorin features. In my opinion, it's a small price to pay. My use case is one of a software and app user; i.e., I create content such as photos and documents, send and receive emails, manage investments, consume multimedia, etc. I don't play any video games or do any software development.
Software availability in Zorin is excellent, and I find the software store to be well-stocked with FOSS apps. Also, many of the more specialized apps I use are web-based and are thus independent of the OS -- i.e., they work equally well with Linux, Windows, or MacOS, so the fact I'm using Linux is irrelevant in those cases.
Installation of Zorin is made very simple and easy with its graphical interface, which is great because I'm still learning basic terminal commands. However, I can see that it will be very useful in the long run if I learn to use the terminal. In a way, it reminds me of the early pre-Windows days of computing and the need for a good knowledge of DOS commands.
I had been using 16.1 for the past year and have recently upgraded to 16.2.
Zorin OS is based on Debian and Ubuntu LTS. This means it doesn't upgrade frequently. But when it does, in my experience, it has a smooth path to do a distribution upgrade just by using the software apps in Zorin.
Zorin OS is an admirable attempt to make a Linux desktop distro that installs and works well for former Win 7, 8, and 10 users. I went deep into Zorin OS last year when I had two Japanese laptops that just couldn't upgrade to Win 11. After I backed up a huge amount of files and folders for my teaching at Google Classroom, book manuscripts, videos, audio, etc from the Win computers, I wiped an install Zorin core 16.0. And soon after I upgraded smoothly to 16.1 without any issues. Wiping Win 10 (which had bogged horribly down in MS update hell) lead to both the Sony laptop from 2011 and the Panasonic laptop from 2013 running like new computers. I did upgrade the onboard RAM to 8GB in both machines, but Win 10 had me wondering if I really needed 16GB. 8GB is plenty for comfortable computing and webbrowsing on Zorin.
I think Zorin is misunderstood or perhaps not appreciated by some because some suspect it is too much of a mix of things. Consider, it is based on Debian and Ubuntu. Its desktop environment is a mashup of Gnome and XCFE. For software it fuses GNOME, Snap and Flatpak. This can lead to confusing situations where a user might install a DEB package and then also install the same program as a Snap. However, this is a minor issue (and you might find one version works better, or updates sooner). I have found it very helpful that three different package management methods are used (and integrated from the software management program) because, otherwise, some apps I just can't get or get to run on my computer. For example, it's surprising how difficult it has been to get the once-popular DVD authoring program, DEVEDENG, installed and running on Linux desktop distros. But I really need this program.
I also run Anti-x and Xubuntu on other machines (and the Sony laptop is dual-boot with Zorin 16.2 and Anti-x), so I'm not exclusively locked into Zorin. However, Zorin is the OS is do most of my office work, online teaching, and eve home computing on. I highly recommend it for those shifting from Win 10 to Linux--people stuck in Win 10 ought to consider it. They have also recently improved capabilities to run Win apps on Zorin, so that is an added benefit--you can continue to use those legacy Win apps if you can't find Linux replacements.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 3 Date: 2022-10-29 Votes: 1
Disappointed - from the description it was supposed to be a distro aimed at users looking for a smooth transition from Windows or Mac. I tried three versions of Zorin: Core failed to install the kernel, Light didn’t have the pre-built themes configured to mimic Windows or Mac, so I then paid for the Pro version. The latter would not recognize the Wi-Fi card and would not complete the installation since it couldn’t access the Internet.
Zorin support responded quickly but wanted diagnostic details not easily provided from an incomplete installation. Working from Terminal to find a workaround for a failed installation defeats the promise of a seamless experience.
Request for a refund was declined as I had already downloaded the Pro file.
I would not recommend this distro, certainly not for the intended target audience seeking a smooth transition to Linux.
Version: 16.2 Rating: 6 Date: 2022-10-28 Votes: 2
I'm reviewing version 16.2 pro. Still finding bugs that have been not been fixed since the initial 16.0 release. It's not horrible, but it's not great either.
Although Zorin gives the user many options on how the distro desktop looks, it is still a dated distro with lots of things that can break. Zorin still has issues with Nvidia video cards. I was finally able to get the Nvidia drivers loaded, but it took awhile and a few tries. I ended up watching a YouTube video several years old to get a clue on how to load them.
It can look good, but a distro needs to be more than just "looks good". It needs to be reliable, and not subject to breakage from all of its extensions.
Zorin is not a distro that I could recommend to others.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 1 Date: 2022-10-25 Votes: 1
Ummm... this is a bloated mess. There is nothing streamlined about this distribution. Seems more attention has been placed on looks rather experience and performance. This is so slow and jenky it's painful. Spent the first hour going through all the prepackaged junk and removing it. Only to have it crash trying to remove an application. After reboot, there were issues with the interface. I was surprised how temperamental this distribution is. And it's for beginners?
Sorry but this is a very hard pass for me.
Highly NOT recommended.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 7 Date: 2022-10-18 Votes: 5
Takes too long to update... when it releases a new version, almost two years have passed, even Ubuntu isn't that slow. Now they created a version based on Ubuntu 20.04 while 22.04 is already there... When they decide to create a version based on 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04 would be already released for months.
The same issue applies to ElementaryOS. If you don't like to live in the past, you enjoy having access to latest technologies of the market, then Zorin is not for you. It never releases a version at the same time of Ubuntu's, it takes more than 1 year to update itself so when they did, it's too late, they're closer to Debian stable than Ubuntu's.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 6 Date: 2022-10-13 Votes: 1
Installed and used Zorin fo rover a month on a computer for my neighbor kid. I have 15 years experience as Linux user and distro hopper. On the surface looks good, but alas there are snap and flatpak package installed by default. If removed something needs fixed. Very stable if your carefult but there are still missing items. Hdmi sound would not work out of box install pulse(not installed by default) and conflicted with alsa items and other multimedia programs. Start Over new install and removed most also and many snap packages imediated and rethemed. I cound of done the same things with a new installed of x ubuntu or debian 11.4 xcfe. Was really a deal break, not recommened for new linux users. Needs more work before claims of Windows replacement out of box.
I've tried many distributions, but Zorin worked right out of the box better than expected. Any issues that arose from my own misdoings were easily corrected. This is by far my favorite distro to date and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and capable OS. I hope to see Zorin successful in helping people, companies, and institutions make the switch to open source software. The path they've taken with making Zorin familiar to Windows and Mac users will certainly help them be successful.
After distrohopping for a long time, I found a distro which feels like home.
Works like a charm, looks great, no snaps preinstalled.
I removed the snap service, increased the swap size in my encrypted LVM, adapted some small settings and it simply works.
After my opinion there is no need to go for the PRO version, but it is great to support them. If you come from Windows, you will appreciate all shortcuts your are used to use before. I have used Archlinux for a long time, but I never looked back.
Very stable compared to other Ubuntu based versions like Pop Os. It is my daily operating system and I use web browsers like Edge, which in my experience, only Zorin works correctly. The same has happened to me with Steam and Proton, they work perfectly. I have returned to Zorin after using Pop Os for a long time and now I do not change it for anything. I use it daily to program, play and office. Many say that the UI is similar to Windows and that this distribution "is perfect" for those who come from there, Zorin OS is more than that. Zorin OS is currently working on a project called Zorin Grid, which is very useful for those of us who work with many networked computers.
i am relatively new to Linux, i have now test driven most of the Linux distros, especially the ones aimed at new people and especially those coming from a windows background, my feeling is Zorin OS, is the best of them all, for ease of use, for getting a feel for the Linux system and for getting things done, they seem to have done the really hard work for us, my hat off to them for that, still i keep looking at other distros, but i am sure i will stay with this one, i think for anyone new to Linux they could do no better than to start with Zorin OS, for me it was worth paying for, all though you can also get it free, the paid for version has everything the normal user would need, well done Zorin OS, it all just seems to work, something i haven't really found with other distros,
First, a little background: I am a computer repair technician with 20+ experience, focusing on ease-of-use for the end-user. As far as I'm concerned, if it's too complicated to use, there's no point in using it. I've been an Ubuntu user since 6.06, and only recently began looking at other distros in earnest.
When I came across Zorin, I was immediately impressed by the layout: It was simple, yet reminiscent of Android. You're given the option during your welcome tour to make it look Mac-Like, Windows-Like, or neither. The dark theme is very pleasant, and everything feels like it's where it should be,
While form is fantastic, functionality matters more. I found Zorin to be both capable of being a solid workstation that's mindful of your workflow, while not getting in your way; a capable gaming OS with Steam, Lutris and Wine installs working well; and a fantastic, HTPC distro with much lower RAM requirements than other "premium" distros.
Under the hood, it's Ubuntu, so users who are already comfortable with Debian-based distros can take off with Zorin immediately, but that's not where it shines...
New users to Linux can also quickly grasp how to use and decorate the operating system. So far, I've had ZERO calls for support on this OS. I strongly suggest this distro for new Linux users, whether coming from Windows, Apple, or Android/ChromeOS. While advanced users would benefit from a more robust entry, for example, MX w/ KDE, there is, in my opinion, no better distro to introduce new users to the world of Linux than Zorin Core.
The only issues that I've encountered have been typical of Ubuntu based distros: limited 5G WiFi support, and no native way to span a single picture across multiple displays.
Also, don't let the name fool you: Zorin Pro doesn't add anything to the mix as far as functionality. It's a large assortment of hand-picked programs and themes aimed at ease-of-use, but its purchase helps to finance further development of the OS.
They have a fantastic community, as well as a very helpful Telegram channel.
The Core version is amazing. It looks really good and it's really fast. I was using another xfce distro before and applications are opening more fast on Zorin Os than my old distro.
But I can't say the same things about the lite version. It needs more compassion and love. The lite version isn't lightweight and I think core version more optimized than the lite version :lol I readed some negative comments on here and these confirms me.Zorin OS's scores fall because of the Lite version.
The idle ram usage of lite version is 1 gb. Applications are opening very slowly. Come on guys it can't be a lightweight distro.
My advice to Zorin OS team, get a damn real old computer(max 4 gb ram) and try to optimize the Lite version. You can do it guys!
Over the past 25 years, I've worked with every distro under the sun from Mandrake to PopOS. I finally settled on Zorin as my daily driver. The Wine and Nvidia integration is well integrated and smooth. Games under Steam run as smoothly on Zorin as Windows with very few exceptions. The desktop options are brilliant, even on the free "Core" edition. Zorin is blazing fast, a joy to use, and very much overlooked.
Every time I switch out of Windows 11 and boot Zorin, it's like a breath of fresh air. I've never enjoyed a Linux distro as much as this one.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 6 Date: 2022-08-26 Votes: 0
I really have mixed feelings with this distribution, I love the way it is worked and how they seek to make a comfortable, intuitive and uniform operating system. Visually it is beautiful, both its Gnome and XFCE versions. The problem I have with this distro is that it feels heavy, it feels slower than it should, I don't know if it's because of the Ubuntu base or what, but that really brings down everything good that it has... I wish they made this distribution with another base such as Fedora, OpenSUSE or Debian, because I repeat, the focus and direction of this project seems very correct to me and the work they do to give us a comfortable desktop is excellent. Hopefully they can improve the performance of this distribution, I would use it as my main operating system without a doubt, but given the above, sadly it won't be like that...
Version: 16.1 Rating: 2 Date: 2022-08-21 Votes: 0
Zorin is nice if you come from Windows and have a state of the art computer, new and powerful.
But if you have an old computer that needs a new life I dont suggest Zorin. Once upon a time It had a fast and good ISO named Zorin LXDE a couple of years ago for those old computers.
Nowadays it has Zorin XFCE but it is much heavier than the LXDE version.
For what I need . A Packard Bell laptop... It is impossible to install. Too heavy. I have to give it a 2. The 2 points are for the looks,. It's a pretty distro. As for my laptop I am going to run on it the linux distro called LXLE with LXDE ;)
This distro seems to be what many other distros want to be. It is so reliable that I often forget that I have others on other machines and on another hard drive that I swap out; I find myself just staying on Zorin.
Yes, it's Ubuntu based and relies heavily on Ubuntu updates etc, but it's a polished, glitch-free operating system. I paid for it and am running the "pro" version and it's money well spent.
It installed very rapidly and pulled in all the new updates during installation. It recognized all of my hardware and was ready to do anything I wanted, including multimedia.
Boot up is very fast at about 12 seconds from off to login screen, then 3 seconds from that screen to the desktop. Nice!
Tweaking and personalizing is a cinch with plenty of menus to do what you desire for your own experience. The version I use is a Gnome based desktop with modifications by default that make it seem more like XFCE or early KDE. You can do anything you want with it if you prefer to make it look and function like regular Gnome, if you wish.
An easy 10.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 2 Date: 2022-07-26 Votes: 0
As Newer in linux, I tried 3 times Zorin 16.1 but I faced some issues:
1- when i start the computer with ethernet cable pluged, Zorin OS stacked at logo Zorin (in the black screen)
2- i unpluged ethernet cable and retried starting, Zorin complete its loading to the end. i started to check some applications, no problem, but as soon as i plugged the ethernet cable, the system freeze, no movement. i switched of the computer using the button.
3- to reconfirm, I retried with the ethernet cable plugged, the same scenario, it freezes at login ZORIN.
I hope this, helps the developers of Zorin OS.
Conclusion: bad competency from developers of Zorin. There is a regression.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 1 Date: 2022-07-11 Votes: 1
Zorin OS Lite
Without a doubt, the best looking out of the box Xfce theme out there. But like some other popular eye candy distributions, once you start to actually use it and begin scratching below the surface, things start to reveal themselves.
I understand what Zorin OS is attempting to do and I very much appreciate it for that. Looks aside, it is very sloppy.
Zorin OS is a hodgepodge of Ubuntu, Flatpak and Snap packages on a fresh install. You have no choice, it's just there.
A beginner to Linux most likely will not understand the issue with this. In addition, you're stuck with it. Attempt to remove pieces of this and something breaks.
Even with lite, it is not very lite. Xfce is not what it use to be and Zorin OS piles on top of that. So this should be considered a mid-weight distribution. Performance is inconsistent as well.
Overall, not something I would recommend or rely on. It was fun to play with and explore but that's it.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 6 Date: 2022-06-26 Votes: 1
I installed Zorin 16.1 because DW reviewer Jesse rated it so highly and it was one of his top distros of 2021. I like to support Linux companies and so I purchased the Zorin Pro version. Installation on my convertible worked well and all of my hardware was detected. It discovered my screen rotation and tried to get it right, but I ended up disabling this feature because it was invariably incorrect. The hi-dpi screen was automatically set to an appropriate scale and the touch screen worked as expected.
I used Zorin once or twice per week for 3.5 months until it finally failed to boot anymore. It has some nice features for beginning Linux users. For example, when it connects to a WiFi network, it tries to sniff out a login portal page and automatically presents it. Video codecs were easy to install with simple searches of the online forum documentation, as were MS TTF Fonts. Slick integration with my Android phone. Built-in remote system console capabilities. The screen layout is clear, un-geeky, and it's easy to find what you need. Lotsa themes to choose from. It looked crisp and business-like, and apps ran smoothly.
Software updates were problematic. Like Windows, auto updates happen whether you want them to or not. And I found it ran two updaters: one for the system and one for extras like snap. Some updates worked, others didn't. Often, just rerunning the updater manually fixed the problem. Some system updates would fail, but I just used apt to fix them. Some apps I had to remove and reinstall to update. Overall, not a very beginner experience.
I travel and am frequently on my cell-hotspot or a guest on a network other than my own. Bandwidth is often limited, capped, or traffic destinations are monitored. My VPN (PIA) ran nicely. But I was constantly fighting apps that grabbed my internet connection the moment it was available. Having your bandwidth hogged, or spent on stuff that can wait for home connections, or getting a destination violation notice from a network admin is not fun. And updating your system in the airport, or on an airplane is a great way to brick your laptop for the remainder of your flight. The very things I hated about Windows, were front and center in Zorin.
For the most part, Zorin ran well. Until it didn't. After one of it's unwanted auto updates, the system refused to boot using any boot screen selections. I probably could have resurrected it with some grub surgery, but I found no compelling reason to continue using the distro. It was OK, but it wasn't exceptionally good at anything. Perhaps my needs were not the focus of the distro.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 8 Date: 2022-06-24 Votes: 5
ZorinOS offers a familiar, aesthetically pleasing environment for Windows expats, a friendly forum, and for the most part a stable environment for day-to-day workloads. What ZorinOS does really well is balance giving you enough dials to twiddle to feel like your desktop experience is tailored, without overwhelming you. Quite possibly my favorite feature is the Flatpak support, although it would be a nice little quality of life tweak to let users set times when it is convenient for Flatpaks to update and mark them as the preferred medium in the software store.
All that said, over the last year of testing I have been unfortunate enough to experience system breaking bugs on more than 3 occasions after only a few months of normal use, all stemming from the apt package manager breaking in increasingly bizarre ways. I'm sure, however, that can be explained away as hardware trouble, so don't let it dissuade you too much. I honestly recommend ZorinOS to anyone interested in making the leap to Linux with as little fuss as possible. Have fun!
Like most other people, I was on windows but left it some years ago.
I found it difficult to find a distro of linux that I liked on a permanent basis until I came across Zorin.
I found it days before version 16 came out and was impressed by the eye candy which drew me in so I bought the pro version.
After installing I was hooked. Its fast, stable and just works.
I have yet to find anything that does not work.
I love the integration with google drive for backups that run seamlessly.
I love the different desktops and its general integration of the environment no matter what application you open.
The environment runs very smoothly and my printer installed perfectly with cups which is integrated nicely into the os.
Things I use such as abd, iso burning, browser, office etc work seamlessly as does natural integration of windows based apps which work natively with wine and no additional config is required.
Zorin is put together very well for a polished user experience and I also have very little need to install apps using terminal as the zorin store had all the apps.
Chrome deb installed as all dependencies were already there.
After having used Windows for many years I changed to macOS, and have for the last 12 years primarily used a virality of MacBooks and iMacs, and enjoyed the stability and user-friendliness compared to Windows.
In 2019 I had a job where I helped a customer that used Ubunto, and later I began programming in Python, and again used Ubuntu.
I began to love using Linux, and I got curious and tried a great variety of distros to test them and see the difference, and which one would fit my use the best.
I came across Zorin and found it to be even more user-friendly, so I built a new PC with an AMD Ryzen CPU and bought Zorin Pro, and this is by far the best machine and OS I have ever had.
Zorin just has those extra features that make it even more useful than macOS, and it contrary to macOS runs on any PC, and you don't have to buy Apple's extremely overpriced machines.
I would choose Zorin over any other OS anytime.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-05-16 Votes: 6
I'm running Zorin OS on my main machine (laptop) since a few months now and I really love it!
it's fast, stable with slick interface
the installation process is easy (the same as Ubuntu) and the distro is simple to use
I had to apply some tweaks to fit my needs but nothing difficult
booting Zorin OS on a 2 years old mid range PC with an SSD is very fast, it takes less than 10s
all applications are started instantly or so
I'm a long time Linux user (96) and I can recommend Zorin for a daily use!
in the past I have used Slackware, Redhat, Mandrake, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop_OS and now Zorin OS at work or at home
Version: 16.1 Rating: 3 Date: 2022-05-13 Votes: 0
It has most of the essential applications you need. But the ram usage is too much for the Lite version. It is around 1.3 gb compared to other distros running XFCE running at 500-600 mb, which can also be comparable. I've also noticed the CPU usage increased a lot which causes freezing on applications sometimes. I don't know what caused this but it definitely needs an improvement. or maybe it shouldn't be called Lite anymore. It can't run on older hardware like it used to before so that's a bit sad.
Absolutely Brilliant. I liked everything about it and cared enough to leave a review and rating, I have tried all other linuxes rated higher than zorin and I have no idea why Zorin is number ten but not number ONE. The only problem is that installation might be very slow if you choose to download updates from web option. Dont do that, it takes hours, so just download updates after you install zorin.
It might even be better than windows in the near future. Lets hope that the Zorin programmers keep up the good work.
I have been usin Zorin for a week now and trying and installing a lot of stuff. Could not break it yet which is a record for me. Usually installing and uninstalling this much app bricks linux easily but not zorin. So really impressed by its stability too.
Considering the user interface and elegance....no other linux can be compered to Zorin....excellent.
My system is quite modern so I have no idea about its performance on old/outdated systems but other than that I recommend it to everyone especially to beginners.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 8 Date: 2022-05-02 Votes: 2
As promised, This review is of Zorin Lite. I previously reviewed Zorin and gave it a 10. I soooo loved Zorin that I thought I would try the lite version as I do not really like gnome. I love XFCE. Unfortunately, the lite version did not run perfectly as the original does so have installed the original version again. Again, it runs perfectly - absolutely the best os I have ever used. I'm not sure why the lite version had troubles but I had freezing issues and playback issues that I did not have with regular Zorin. I give it an 8 because of that. I just found it odd as I actually expected it to perform even better than the original. I still highly recommend it. Possibly the lite version will work perfectly on your machine. If not, I can almost guarantee the original will. Enjoy!!
Version: 16.1 Rating: 8 Date: 2022-04-27 Votes: 0
Great beginner Distro, would recommend it to every new PC user (in general, even if they have not used a PC before (also Linux Mint is a great beginner distro)) or to a person migrating from either Windows or MacOS. Most of the things are pre-made for you (which is also one of the reasons for me personally to not give it 10 points), it is fairly stable (though imo not as stable as Debian or Arch (yeah I have never had any problems with arch)) but it is pretty outdated and is running GNOME 3.38 (wich is more than 2 years old). Though exactly the fact that it is outdated makes it more suitable for the average user, it has standard integration for Flatpak, Flathub, Snap, Ubuntu Focal, Zorin’s own packages and the standard apt library.
A great experience for real. Everything is very simple. I move my desktop to Linux about 2 months ago. Started with ubuntu. As well I tried Federo and some other distros. But Zorin is the best looking, fastest and the easiest one.
It haves a phone sync program which is the same as KDE Connect but the Zorin one looks much prettier.
It auto-detects the Nvidia drivers. That's the coolest part for me because Zorin was the only distro that could detect my graphic card :D
I highly recommend this OS. The only big problem is Windows Network doesn't work. But we can just use the terminal to mount Windows.
Before I talk about Zorin OS, I must give you an insight into my experiences with Linux. It all started in March of 2020, when the world went into lockdown and when I learnt to do much more things than I used to. I was using Windows 10 on my main laptop (Dell Latitude e5420 - i7 2760qm - 12 GB DDR3 RAM - 480 GB SSD) and boy, it was buggy, to say the least. I knew only about Windows and I was not introduced to Linux.
Come April and I first heard about Ubuntu and Linux Mint, the 2 biggie distros that an average Windows user hears of. I started using them but because I was a noob, so much so that I found THEM hard to get around and do work with, I shifted to Windows 7. Windows 7 performed much, much better than 10, but I still felt as though I was missing something.
Enter 2021. It was September. I first heard of Zorin OS. I saw Youtube reviews of the same and went to their official website, and it appeared that the Zorin brothers did a very good job of advertising their product as a drop-in replacement for Windows and macOS. I was convinced to try it out on bare metal. I installed the OS and instantly fell in love with it! This is THE distro that converted me from a Windows user to a Linux user.
I then learnt much more about Linux and tried other distros, Ubuntu and Mint included, this time on VMs, and I found them noticeably easier to use than when I had tried them the first time in 2020.
Zorin OS is versatile, because it can be used by both absolute Linux beginners or by power users. Zorin looks beautiful, right out of the box, and it required only little tweaking to make me feel at home. I installed my required apps and games in a matter of minutes. I wish I could support the Zorin Group by purchasing the Pro edition when I get the opportunity to do so.
Zorin OS is a pleasing user experience for me. The team / the Zorin brothers have worked on every detail for years, so that the simple installation, the aesthetics, the clever design and the marketing will give you an overall concept that counts to the best in the Linux world. As far as I know, the Zorin brothers have a degree as software engineers, explaining the quality of the work. What I really like:
- a very good hardware detection (computer, scanner, printer)
- the universal applicability also in the professional context
- an intelligent compromise between the mature and punctually optimized base (Ubuntu 20.04 LTS), the repositories and Snaps or Flatpaks by default.
I personally like Snaps. On my hardware, at the first start, certainly slower than deb-packages, but then during current operation very normal and with a security bonus.
Another observation: Zorin Core 16.1 does not use the Gnome Shell 3.36.9 like Ubuntu 20.04, but the more modern version 3.38.4 (though I have no idea if 3.36.9 got all the goodies backported from 3.38.4). Zorin Lite is not based on XFCE 4.14, but the latest version 4.16.3 has been inserted. The most recent LibreOffice 7.3 is available. Thus, Zorin 16.1 is more modern than the actual Ubuntu base 20.04.4 and runs with virtual bug-free software. Support end is in 2025.
Since I do not have to change anything after the installation (for that, the time and the desire are missing) and I have not had a single error, I must give 10/10. Excellent stability like Debian, or a mature Ubuntu LTS point release like 20.04.4.
Simply put one of the best distro i've ever encountered with!
I have used lots of Linux distros like Ubuntu (18, 20.04, 22.04), Arch, Manjaro, Debian, Centos, Kali etc. list goes on. but after some kernel crashes i grew tired from distros and turn back to Win, then Mac and now again i found peace at Zorin. Pretty underrated and solid OS to say the least. I am well-endowed when it comes to Ubuntu and i love Gnome though, Zorin was my ideal because it was based on Ubuntu 20.04. This is my second try actually. I have tried Zorin a couple years ago.
It also has flatpak support. Anyway, it just do the job. Meeting my needs. Also takes away my immersive gaming hobby for the good.
Excellent for students, office and general use. If you are looking for distros to daily use, that's the one for sure. Stable and have an impressive UI which is pretty rare for distros. I hope that the Zorin community gets bigger.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-04-14 Votes: 2
I've been distro-hopping lately, both for my business, and for my personal use. In business, we're one of the companies held hostage be devs who refuse to write for Linux. We're stuck with Windows, however, part of our business is computer repair, and "Install Linux" is one of the easiest answers to give when customers are fed up with their computer. After much work, installing, partitioning, formatting, re-installing, imaging, and lots of hours spent tweaking settings in every distro from Ubuntu to Arch, and several in between, I've landed on Zorin. I'm not sure how DW.com comes up with their rankings (page hits, I really do get it.), but my top 3: #3: KDE Neon, #2: Garuda Gaming Linux, and #1: ZorinOS. Hands down. Even ZorinOS Lite stands head and shoulders above the other "light" distro variants. The install is smooth, but takes a while longer than other installs. The partition editor leaves a bit to be desired, while more than good enough for your basic install, or even shrinking down a partition and installing in a dual boot environment, it lacks some of the more advanced options that I've seen recently in other distros. However, when the OS boots to the DE, you're greeted with a beautiful, easy to use desktop, and a welcome tour that really does seem to cover most of the necessary bases. Changing themes is as easy as right-clicking on the task bar and choosing "Zorin Appearance" (the same task can be accomplished in the start menu). The software channel has a large repository to work with, with a layout that those familiar with Ubuntu will recognize. It runs smoothly on all of the PCs I've installed it on, and even works out-of-the-box with the accursed RTL8818AU Wifi chipset (5 GHz included). It has issues waking from sleep, sometimes. Generally, it's just about being patient while the display figures out what it's going to do, but, on other distros, waking is immediate.
Hardware lists:
HP 15 with Pentium quad core, 4GB DDR4, touchscreen. Intel graphics, HDD.
HP Pavilion G7 with AMD A4 and Discrete graphics, 6GB DDR3, HDD
MSI Gaming board with AMD FX6300 OC'd to 4.0GHz, 16GB DDR3, AMD Radeon RX 4GB GDDR5 Graphics, SSD
Asus P5kDel AP/WiFi with Q9500 C2Q, 8GB DDR8, NVidia Graphics 2GB GDDR5, SSD
Dell Lat e5320 Core i5, 8GB DDR3, SSD
Dell Lat e5440 Core i5 8GB DDR4, HDD
Let's get to it:
Pros:
Easy to Install
Attractive Desktop Environment
Recognizes PCI and discrete Graphics and USB WiFi adapters out-of-the-box (Every one I plugged into it, as a matter of fact)
Actually helpful welcome tour
Cons:
Wake from sleep sometimes slow or buggy
This is my new daily OS on all of my personal systems, and my go-to suggestion for customers, whether they're moving from MacOS, Windows, or other flavors of Linux.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-04-08 Votes: 7
It took longer to install and boot up than I thought compared to distros like antiX or puppy. After installation, however, I got an out-of-the-box beautiful desktop without my needing to tinker with the window manager like the aforementioned distros. It ran a tad slower than expected on my old Vista machine when I installed it on a Sandisk Ultra Flash card. It'll probably run faster with newer hardware and with direct installation on the HD. I don't like the fact that I could access the Windows folders and files, but maybe that's a plus for some people.
The menu and setup for taskbar shortcuts are intuitive and simple. The software app is great! I finally found a distro that I hope I could fool my Dad into finally ditch Windows 10S on his netbook. It's as close to Windows as it can get without all the Windows cluttered menu options.
fantastic ilnux distribution- completely replaced my old mac and has every app to do everything i need every day.
i installed a few apps for email but all the built-in apps for browsing, music, movies, podcasts, photos, cloud sync and more were all available out of the box and since i paid for the full PRO version i have everything in need to replace my old macOS and more.
installation was easy and straight forward and the support docs were helpful getting me setup for everything i needed. the support is great and the gnome desktop environment is clena and easy to use and looks great.
Perfection in an operating system. I thought this computer was toast. Turns out, it works perfectly. This is one of the absolute best operating systems I have ever used. I have struggled to find one that works properly. This is the one.
Everything works. It starts up. It never freezes or crashes. It plays all files I have tried. It always shuts down cleanly. The great thing about this one is that I don't have a single question about anything. I understand it all and it all works.
I was working originally with Ubuntu at work, but I tried Zorin at first for curiosity (and comparing it with Pop!_OS), I ended up installing it in my laptop (where I used Windows, and I don't even miss it)
I have to say it is pretty comfortable, very user friendly (more user friendly... I think is impossible) and simple, it's pretty light and I've had no hardware issues.
I have no cons yet, although I'd like to try Pro version, Core gave me a pretty good experience already, so I think it would be worth to upgrade to pro someday.
If you are a beginner or a Windows user, Zorin suits you perfect!
Pros: Everything works. Easily configurable. Solid. Very nice support forum (explored it as part of decision to try the distro out).
Cons: Not really a con but the cost of the Pro version is $39.. I say not a con because 1 it's worth the money and 2. I have donated to many other distros that I liked and seemed worthwhile projects; I would have donated to Zorin.
Zorin has a solid and well known pedigree, and the interface and overall experience show it. An easy 10 rating for me on my Acer Aspire laptop with intel CPU and graphics. Zorin does come with evolved nVidia graphics software, but not needed in my case as it detected and loads proper drivers for what I have.
Highly recommended.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-03-28 Votes: 1
I love it!
The only thing I struggle is the package manager, it shows me versions of Flatpak and Snap (and DEB?), and for a newcomer it's really confusing because the same applications might have different name variants and if you look in the details, also different versions (some really old).
I went for direct download of .DEB files from vendors instead of using the software manager.
The system itself is snappy, uses very little resources (which was my goal, switching from Windows 10).
I really don't miss any tools, except I was a proficient Notepad++ user with all the plugins available in there, I'm slowly getting used to Visual Studio Code and Notepadqq.
I have set my theme to "Night mode" or "Dark mode", but other applications don't seem to pick that up, so I have to manually set the themes there to dark.
Version: 15.3 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-03-25 Votes: 2
Pretty much one of the best Ubuntu flavor distributions I've every used. I prefer it to Mint and I do love that minty flavor.
Installation is smooth, configuration is easy, while retaining the functionality that a more advance user would expect (not just having a terminal available).
It has a solid software library and plays nice with most .deb files outside of it's own depot.
The integration of WINE into the OS is also a plus, it's pre-configuration makes general deploying Windows software much less of a pain.
(Still, not even it plays nice with QuickBooks, but since most people are going to the cloud with that.. mute point.)
The only issue I've had with it is that it changed desktop environments on an update, leaving me to manually switch environments afterwards.
Other than that it's a excellent go to distribution and especially good for introducing new users to Linux for the first time!
Continue to be impressed with Zorin on each subsequent release. It was my first and I always end up coming back. I like that it is simple, elegant, and has a great software center. Definitely a good distro for beginners, students, etc. The lite version also looks impressive and can run on old hardware. Its a good distro for things just working and getting things done, but also enjoy a nice GUI. The Zorin appearance application is great, love to switch desktops every once in a while.
Pros:
Stable, inuitive, makes it easy on the user to get and install software of all kinds.
Cons:
Stability means not cutting edge, but this distro has always had everything I need
I used Zorin, Mint, and Manjaro GNOME as my first distributions when exploring Linux a few years back. I was always impressed with the ease of use with Zorin but started liking rolling releases more and leaned on Manjaro which for me is the best version of what GNOME should be and their Cinnamon & Plasma desktops are superb. I also liked Linux Mint in how well optimized it was and how fluid it functioned along with having a simple upgrade path like Pop!_OS. Anyway, I thought Zorin was stale because they took too long with updating to Ubuntu 20.04LTS not fully grasping their philosophy. But I understand more they use Ubuntu's LTS as a base but update/backport many of the popular applications like LibreOffice to ensure you have newer software despite an older base. Zorin's base is about stability while making sure their popular applications look right with Zorin's theming and it is the newest version possible. I still like what Linux Mint does with background updates and having an upgrade path and eventually Zorin will have that too. With Zorin, updates are minimal, point-releases are easy, and the base is super stable/secure. Their layout switcher is awesome and their GNOME version is splendid to look at! It does not matter they are not on the newest GNOME stack because it's more about Zorin's own theming and look. Furthermore, their software center store is the BEST - it includes applications for Debian, Ubuntu, Flatpaks, Snaps, and their own repository with newer versions of popular applications. With their software store you can find almost any kind of application for Linux with a graphical representation and description. Of course, if you don't like their good looking and easy-to-use GUI software center, you can use APT, Synaptic, or GDebi. Zorin does a really good job at ensuring a seamless experience for the end-user regardless of the level of experience. Zorin is intuitive, looks pleasing, and is super-fast. Again, the only thing I would like to see is something like on Linux Mint or Pop!_OS with an upgrade path so when Zorin 17 comes out, you can do a one-click upgrade and let the software automate the process. If you are new to Linux, Zorin, Pop!_OS, or Linux Mint are your top choices. But Zorin looks the best while being fast/reliable and having a software center that is complete with all the major apps for Debian, Ubuntu, Flatpak, Snap, and Zorin all in one place. You can also get AppImages. If you are an experienced Linux user, you will appreciate all the things they have done to make it easy to work within their desktop environment but you can still do things to tweak it if that is something you must do, but really, why would you when it is so well optimized out-of-the-box? Enjoy Zorin for it is really that good!
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-03-21 Votes: 0
Based on ubuntu LTS it is compatible with mostly everything, and stable. Nice and clean GUI which is why I use it. Wifi-printers pop up by themselves, no trouble running dell laptop with tree screens etc. To date the most polished version I've run I think. I'm not to fond of snaps and flatpacks, so I try to install normal packages instead where I can. I'd prefer if the "appstore" favoured deb-packages. It'll be interesting to see when a version based on ubuntu 22.04 becomes available. Plus for keeping kernel more or less current.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-03-19 Votes: 0
My Toshiba Chromebook 2 reached end of support from Google so I did what every good Linux user would do, I installed Linux on it. After installing the most recommended ones, either I ran out of space (it only has 16 GB) or I didn't feel comfortable with the DE. So I gave Zorin Core a try and I absolutely love it so much, it feels and looks stunning and now I have 6 GB of free space! I used to distro hop a lot but I decided to settle for a distro who pleased me in the looks and simplicity so I also opted to install it on my day to day laptop, and after a while I purchased the Pro edition, which I am very happy with. The added features and productive apps are a blessing for students or people who work from home. Truly amazing distribution, I look forward to see new implementations and features.
This is a great Linux distro! I recently received about 100 laptops to reformat and give to Syrian refugees. Most the laptops were windows xp era, and wouldn’t run well with windows. I bought Zorin Pro Lite, threw it on all the computers and handed them out. When people asked about them I described them as Chromebook-like computers. No complaints so far! They were able to make all the sluggish old computers get onto the internet and browse around, look at YouTube, and all the fun things. I like that the pro version came with a lot of software pre-loaded. When doing 100 computers it’s nice to have them all come with a bunch of stuff out of the box! The only wish I had was that Zorin Grid was finished!
Due to several problems I had with the distribution I was using, I decided to give Zorin Os a try.
First of all I think it's great that it seeks to have a similar look and feel to Windows, as it makes it much easier for newcomers to adapt. If Gnu Linux is to increase its market share it needs to ease the transition and, in this case, Zorin Os fully does that.
Faced with several negative comments I was curious if my adventure was going to end in disaster, forcing me to look for another alternative. Nothing of the sort happened. The system installed quickly, (much less time than Windows) and recognized my hardware without problems.
This operating system, "out of the box" comes with everything you need to start using it immediately once installed.
On the other hand, its low resource consumption and successful update system allows my computer to practically "fly" without any problems.
Zorin is more than Ubuntu in terms of ease of use, familiarity, and with a Software Store that must be one of the most complete in the Gnu Linux world.
You can tell that the developers have put in the time to make the system run smoothly, without any hiccups.
I am aware that the philosophy of Zorin Os is similar to that of Windows, in the sense that it is not oriented towards a great deal of customization, which I like, since I am not very much given to customization, and that is something I am not very fond of.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 3 Date: 2022-03-12 Votes: 4
I tried this mess on a one year old laptop, and it was mostly the buggiest thing I've run in a long time. I realize there will likely, if not always, be issues with Linux and the plethora of hardware out there, since almost nothing ever stays the same for very long. I've used Linux for the better part of seventeen years, and I've seen the wheel reinvented again and again, and Zorin 16.1 is just another attempt at putting a new face on Ubuntu.
That's okay, because that's how open source things work. If I'm expected to pay for the privilege of downloading and using an OS, and it delivers what it promises, it's money well spent. It takes funds to make all this great stuff work, right?
The first obstacle was the updates, after which my wifi signal dropped and required a reboot to work again. Several times.
The website seems to say it can run windows games and some software using Wine, Lutris, PlayonLinux, etc. I've successfully run a BUNCH of GOG games on my Manjaro box with little or no hiccups. This was not the case with Zorin at all. Loads of errors with my Intel graphics, access violations running amok, not to mention the system, for whatever reason, needed one hundred percent of ONE core just to sit on my desk doing nothing at all. Some systemd thing,according to htop.
I probably wouldn't be so cynical about the experience, except for the fact that if I'm expected to pay for something, I also expect it to work. Maybe others have had a wonderful time with this release, and if they have, that's great.
I hope the devs can iron out some of the issues, because Zorin LOOKS pretty nice. I should say that prior to the updates, which came the day after it was initially installed, the system was a bit sluggish, but otherwise usable.
In our efforts to spread the use of GNU/Linux, I honestly believe it's a mistake mimicking Windows and/or Mac. Linux stands on its own in so many ways; my opinion, but focusing on EASY is so much better than giving someone something pretending to be what it's not.
Version: 16.1 Rating: 9 Date: 2022-03-12 Votes: 0
Excellente distribution, je l utilise depuis 3 mois et je ne suis pas déçu,
Novice dans l informatique, Zorin os lite est simple a paramétrer et a utiliser.
Zorin os lite est installé sur un pc portable Samsung de 11 ans et je retrouve du plaisir à travailler de nouveau dessus.
Zorin os lite a remplacé facilement Windows, mon pc est devenu beaucoup plus fluide et conviviale.
Rien a redire pour le moment , les mises a jours sont rapide et les applications nombreuses.
je vais probablement l installer sur d autre pc afin de leurs donner une seconde vie...et faire plaisir a mes proches.
Switched to Zorin a couple of weeks ago from Pop! running on my Lenovo X1 Carbon. Working very well. Overall I am happy with this distribution and the look and feel it provides. As I am using the paid PRO version to support the development, I also enjoy the Zorin connect mobile app (Based on KDE connect). I like getting the mobile alerts on my laptop as it keeps me from looking at the phone every time it chirps. Zorin has a clean interface and is based on Ubuntu which is what I wanted to stay with for a workstation OS. I like the layout and how it has been organized.
Personally, I would like to see flatpak apps as a default. And for email and calendar, I think Evolution should just be installed as default since it has decent compatibility with O365.
Version: 16 Rating: 1 Date: 2022-03-08 Votes: 0
Just ubuntu with Windows and Mac OS themes, basically a gimmick for former Windows and Mac users. Has snap, which I don’t like and removing it causes a lot of problems and instability in the system, it sounds like Windows where if you remove some application that’s embedded into the system, it’ll cause problems, which does sound shady, why is snap being forced on us, and making the system unstable for removing it sounds like what Microsoft does. And you’re automatically opted in to something called “senses” and cannot opt out. That’s spyware.
I don’t get the appeal of Zorin at all because of the above reasons, it’s better to use a non-spyware ubuntu based distro that doesn’t have spyware and causes the system to be unstable when removing something not wanted or needed.
Version: 16 Rating: 10 Date: 2022-02-21 Votes: 2
I've been using Zorin Os 16 for some months now, both the Pro with Gnome and the Pro Lite with XFCE. I have the first one installed on my PC and the second one on my laptop.
In fact, it is the only operating system I use.
Why do I use the paid version? To support developers, apart from the fact that I use it professionally.
Highlights:
Both are stable, fast, low memory consumption (especially Lite). One of the positive aspects, among several, that I want to highlight is the one related to my Nvidia card. When installing the operating system it detected it and installed a driver manually, (which I have not seen in other distributions), which has resulted in better performance of the graphics card.
The terminal I have hardly used, as the software store is very comprehensive and easy to use.
I am the only one using Gnu Linux at work, however, I have not had any problems.
The desktop stands out for its familiarity, ease, productivity, and beauty.
Although I'm not a big fan of playing games on the computer (I prefer the console), I have installed a few games, some Windows games (Diablo III, Warcraft, Starcraft), which run smoothly, and others via Steam.
Since I've been using Zorin Os I haven't missed Windows, on the contrary.
I can't forget to mention the community. The few times I have had some doubts, they have been kind enough to clear them up for me. Besides, in the Zorin Os web page there are some very easy to follow guides to take the first steps.
As for the negative aspects, I haven't found anything major.
Version: 16 Rating: 3 Date: 2022-02-19 Votes: 3
I have used 15.3 Ultimate and now 16. I will rate them both here based on the XFCE desktop.
If you are running a new system with 16 GB RAM and all the bells and whistles, this works pretty well on the whole. I can see where someone would rate it a 10 on the looks. Still on my newer system, it was a little glitchy in both 15.3 and 16. My main operating systems on my computers are LMDE, Manjaro, Xubuntu and MX Linux. I have multiple hdds that I use to test others. I have to say that Zorin did not make the cut. The GUI seems unstable. It glitches on occasion and necessitates a logout at the least to stop the glitches for a while. The under the hood problems with Zorin become glaring on a more primitive system.
On my older system (8GB RAM Quad Core Processor) Zorin is a mess, both editions. The glitchiness of the custom GUI is so frequent as to be anger inducing. The clunky operation is also annoying. The menu becomes so lined and error ridden that it is unreadable at times when all I do is click on the menu icon to look for a program. The operation of the programs is slow. Bluetooth is very unstable and the wifi (no problems with any other distro, BTW) is ridiculously unstable and just crashes at times and will not reconnect without a system restart.
The hallmark of a truly stable OS is found in its ability to work on basic, adequate hardware in a stable manner. Sure, you see improvement with more cutting edge hardware, but 8 GB RAM and a quad core processor should be more than adequate to run any distro not running KDE Plasma or Gnome (both infamous as memory hogging GUIs). Xfce should certainly run on such a computer, and it does, WELL, with other distros. This tells me that the customization in Zorin has seriously compromised the integrity of the system. What is more is that it seems to have also affected the programs too. I have to say that when libreoffice starts choking, there is something bad wrong under the hood, and libreoffice will choke and freeze in both versions of Zorin on my two more primitive computers. It has even frozen for a good 90 seconds or so on my more advanced system. Ultimately, I gave Ultimate Zorin the boot in favor of another distro on each of my three computers (MX Linux, Arco Linux and Q4OS).
Ultimately, Zorin is a plaything OS. I would not use it for your actual work or important data system.
I installed zorin core 16.3.
My PC runs like a train.
All installed apps are updated to the latest version.
Zorin appearance gives me the possibility of having more interface and changing various colors of the folders.
I have installed many PCs at school with Zorin OS.
Very stable and safe.
The community has a forum when necessary for various issues or other issues.
The lite version reflects all the functions of the Core version.
I have recommended Zorin Os to many friends for its ease of use and continuous security updates.
I recommend it to everybody.
I bought Zorin OS Pro after a complete system failure on Windows 11. I originally bought my PC with Windows 10 then upgraded to 11 though I can say with both the 10 & 11 ports it was a real struggle getting games like Halo, Arkham Asylum and Dirt 5 to run consistently on my 1660 Super. For my daily needs as a student, researcher, amateur beat-maker and casual gamer, I'm very happy with the stability and capabilities of the Zorin Linux distro for a new Linux user like myself. It was easy to install, has easy app management, easy to customize, Updates are regular. It just works!
As far as my experience with Linux is concerned, Zorin (Lite) in my case, and with Upgrade gives me a lot of life to my old computers.
It would be appreciated to be able to choose to install an .iso creator in a graphical environment to customize the distro and thus be able to contribute to the community, based on the user experience for the Zorin version.
You can install Wine from the store without problems, it starts quickly and with the lightweight desktop based on drop-down menus and windows, we don't need much else. It is very customizable, free office from the store is also available. Simply great!
Zorin is exactly what we needed for our daily work. In our small team we run six laptops on Zorin pro and Core, so we got some experience by now. The installation is so easy, a beginner in Linux can do it without tutorial. Runs every time, be it lenovo or hp.
We need our OS mostly for productivity in our home office, for presentations on zoom etc. or just browsing the web or streaming - we never ever had any issue. Zorin is much more stable than other distros we worked with, it is fast. And what is very important for us: our laptops don't get as hot as we experienced with other distros.
it looks good enough, if you are not searching something spectacular like Garuda, if you just want the OS to get out of the way and let you do your work.
We want to concentrate on our work, not on mending our software. Zorin has proven to be perfect for us.
I downloaded and installed Zorin OS Lite on a decade old Toshiba Laptop. TLDR: Everything works and has a lot of polish.
Zorin Os Lite is proof that XFCE can look great. The developers have done all the customization and made sure that everything will work right out of the box. Of course, a more advanced Linux user can get Ubuntu (which is the base of Zorin) and make it work like this, however, it's just nice to have a distro where you don't need to spend time to do so. It would replace Linux Mint as my main recommendation for Windows users who want to try out Linux.
Is the Pro version worth it? I'd say, pay for the Pro just to support the developers. They did do a lot of things for this OS to work.
First off you can customize it a good bit so you can make the taskbar be similar to windows 11 or have no taskbar at all and keep it similar to vanilla gnome, there's a lot of ways to customize it yet not to many unlike KDE. The Software store is rather nice and has everything I need for my day, and all the apps that are exclusive to windows that I used I found alternatives for (For Example, Pinta to replace Microsoft Paint) And the ones I didnt find alternatives for I could still run via the play on linux app that is included with the installation!
To simply put it, it has all I need and no problems for me!
I recently tried out Zorin OS Linux and was thoroughly disappointed with my experience. From the start, the installation process was cumbersome and complicated, requiring me to jump through numerous hoops just to get it properly installed on my computer.
Once I finally managed to get Zorin OS up and running, I found that the user interface was clunky and unintuitive. The design felt outdated and there were limited customization options, making it difficult to personalize the operating system to my preferences.
Moreover, the performance of Zorin OS was subpar. Opening simple applications took longer than expected, and there were frequent lags and freezes that hindered productivity. The system also had compatibility issues with certain software and hardware, forcing me to troubleshoot and find workarounds just to get things running smoothly.
One of the biggest disappointments was the lack of software availability. The package manager was limited and didn't offer a wide range of applications. Many popular software that I rely on for my work were simply not available on Zorin OS, making it impractical for me to use as my primary operating system.
Overall, I was highly dissatisfied with Zorin OS Linux. Its installation process was frustrating, the user interface was dated and inflexible, performance was lackluster,
Old foggie 69 been using Windows prolly 15 years, my old desktop computer 15 plus years. Just a few back it had a hard drive mess up it said, my guess prolly due to software foul up, not sure, anyway old desktop can't up grade or re-upgrade anymore, so, did some search, found Zorin, put that on old desktop, ran good one day, froze up, good thing didn't install, was in try mode running off usb, bugs prolly, and, noticed error messages from display when boot from usb, something was goofy. Wha'd I do? Finagled Chrome onto boot usb without signup to Google or anything of them, the Flex thing, all it is, is a glorified browser operation what it looks like. Works tho. Great to run guest mode as well without signin. Just use that like for watching tv, good enough for me. My opinion go Chrome, stable, works, upgradeable, can run off usb, also do private modes like incognito guest, or run signed in, whatever. Zorin didn't work, bugged out after one day, not gonna do anymore distros prolly, less it be a hobby. Thanks Linux, tried ya, didn't like ya, bail out to Google.
As newer to linux, I have tested MX linux and linux mint without any problem.
I decided to test Zorin OS , but as soon as it starts loading, it gets stuck.
I disconnected the ethernet cable and tried a second time the test, zorin finished loading until the desktop appeared,
but as soon as I plugged in the ethernet cable to use the internet, zorin has blocked. no movement
I don't know why the developers of this zorin ignore this little problem.
The other distros I have tested respond well. I don't know in what this zorin is good for.
I remember when I was using this operating system just after Windows XP lost its support with Zorin OS 8. There were some hurdles that came with it. That all changed with 15.3 when I got a new PC, and oh man it runs so well, and it's a lot more robust, meaning I can do any everyday tasks without any other disadvantages.
My only issue is that it has a very limited library of software, at least up-to-date ones, which means having to install it by commands. At least critical packages like NVIDIA support works well for my main PC!
I Installed Zorin OS 16.3 Lite on an old notebook Acer Travelmate 5730 from 2009, with Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, upgrading RAM till 4Gb (max allowed) and SSD 256Gb.
Everything works correctly and runs like a charm. No problems or issues till now.
Very easy to use and immediately ready out of the box.
Very suggested to Windows switchers and to all the people don't want to lose a lot of time for the configurations.
Thank you so much to the developers!
Keep going this way!
Zorin is one of those distros when you're tired of hopping around. You try to replace it but realize that your computer is about getting tasks accomplished first and foremost. Sometimes you dont need a hobbyist distro, sometimes you just need things to work. Even if its not your primary os, definitely give this a try. I bought the $40 pro version, mainly to just support the project as they're doing great work. It's a distro I will eventually put on my mom/dads computer for ease of use, but a distro I can still use due to its packages, package installers, layout, and general comfiness. You wont impress your arch/gentoo friends with it, but you will be doing far less work maintaining your machine like they will.
I use primarily the Core version and it is fantastic. Very clean and polished interface. Solid, static, stable release with newer packages from their own repositories. I especially like their software store - it has a graphical user interface for Ubuntu packages, Debian packages, Snap packages, and Flatpaks. AppImages are available too. The Zorin brothers have created a distribution that is cohesive and easy to use with minimal fuss of where to get the packages/programs. Plus, you can still install Synaptic or use the terminal. The base is older with Zorin OS usually running behind the Ubuntu LTS release. Currently 16.3 is based on the older Ubuntu 20.04 LTS released April 2020 and Zorin OS 17 will be based on newer Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from April 2022. By the time 17 is released in a few months, we will be a few months away from the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release - for some users this might be a problem since Zorin is never on the newest/current base. With Zorin OS the base is irrelevant and for the majority of users. The best part is recently they came out with an upgrade tool that allows you to upgrade from 15 to 16 and later 16 to 17 without having to reinstall the operating system. Or you can upgrade from free Core version to the $39USD paid version. This new feature puts Zorin on-par with Ubuntu, Mint or Pop!_OS in ease of use and ease of upgrade. Great distribution for new Linux users or experienced Linux users like me. I like it because everything works right and there is no troubleshooting needed to make things function as they should. Zorin OS works especially well on a laptop too - it has Wayland and gestures by default plus... wobbly windows! The GNOME desktop is the older 3.38 perhaps but the new 17 version coming out later this year will have a newer GNOME 42 I think which is on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This is not the latest but it is more modern. Again, it is not much of an issue since Zorin customizes the desktop to create their own look/feel and offers several layouts from a traditional desktop like Windows or something modern like GNOME. If you are new to Linux don't waste your time - just install Zorin OS (or Linux Mint Cinnamon) and you will have everything you need and more to get things done.
I'm using Zorin OS 16.2 Lite which has one of the most polished implementations of Xfce. Things run decently quickly even on this old 11-inch Dell 3180 machine with 32gb emmc storage and 4 gb of RAM. Zorin also attempts to fill in the space left behind by old "boxed desktop Linux" distributions like Mandrake and Xandros, especially as mainstream Ubuntu (which Zorin is based on) and Red Hat have pivoted to focus more on the enterprise space.
Zorin is perfect for prolonging the lifespan of old machines (with its Lite edition), new Windows switchers who want a familiar environment, education settings, and small businesses who need the reliability of paid-support. I don't mind paying for a Linux distro as long as they are upfront about what you're getting (in Zorin's case paid support) and aren't misrepresenting themselves and charging for free as in beer software like Lindows/Linspire did in the early 2000s with their Synaptic front-end CNR.
Moved out from Windows after almost 25 years. have been using Linux in WSL for many purposes. I don't feel alienated when I moved to this desktop. it is very easy to setup and I loved their search where they automatically was searching packages from internet. I almost got everything other than office suite and snagit alternatives. So far, I am very happy to work on this OS.
The only downside I heard about is upgrading to a newer version of zorin. I didn't have to do it because I am using their latest. But as a professional i can't just clean install without valid reason. Hope they would provide that in their future updates
I have a relatively new laptop, Ryzen 5 and Zorin OS is a perfect on it, no issues whatsoever.
Out of the box it is easy to customise and works as it should, I find the XFCE desktop environment easy to manipulate compared to others.
Fast and efficient for all of my everyday and work requirements, comes with all of the pre installed programs to get you up and running. Added to this the OS looks great too, unlike many other OS's that appear clunky by comparison.
I have hopped about a lot and tried many other distros but Zorin OS is always my return go to when others fail to impress or simply have not got the same stability.
Of course with any distro we all have our useer preferences as to how they look and feel, personally I like the task bar at the top and to add plank dock at the bottom as it seems more instictive in use. As said, customising is easily achieved with the Zorin OS XFCE desktop.
Overall, a great, uncomplicated distro and not trying to be too clever where many are failing!
The os is beautiful, fully featured and fast and I really do like it. The issue for me is that I bought a new laptop and installed zorin 16.2 and some of the hardware did not work.
This is because it is using a relatively old kernel by todays standards. It will work fine if you have a laptop between 2014 and 2020 but not after or before these years generally. Preceding 2014, it will be too slow because it is too heavy and after 2020, newer hardware simply wont work and wont be seen by the operating system even if you compile the driver yourself.
In my case the webcam and the fingerprint reader did not work because zorin is still on ubuntu 20.04 with its kernel.
You also cannot upgrade the kernel and i have tried, it wont boot, so your stuck with a new laptop.
Its a shame because its a beautiful os that is let down by dated foundation.
Another issue I encountered was because it uses gnome as the base, it has the gnome-software process which memory leaks and slows down older systems because it over utilises the ram.
This process seems to start leaking when you install apps and continues to rise.
Zorin also does not play nice with gnome tweaks.
Steer clear if you have a post 2020 laptop.
When zorin developers start updating to an expected standard and stop following older ubuntu lts versions, I might give it another look.
There is old, stable up to date and bleeding edge but unfortunately zorins back end is just old. Zorin 17 will be based off 22.04 of ubuntu and will have the same issue with newer laptops.
I have been dabbling in Linux for a few years now (having dumped Windows after it killed my hard drive) and have found that Zorin installed the easiest, ran the quickest, identified on its own all of my peripherals, and has NOT HAD ONE FREEZE UP OR CRASH! A few years back I had to locate and install Cheese to operate the camera and Zoom so that I could stay connected with family and colleagues. They were easily found and installed. And running Software Updater daily has kept me up to date on patches and improvements. So it is the #1 Linux distro I recommend particularly for those coming over from Windows, Mac or even a complicated Linux distro like Arch.
I have been dabbling with Linux since red hat 4.0 ( I was clueless) and have mostly used variations of Ubuntu, Though like others I have trialed many others before Zorin. I can make it run but I am still mostly a novice.
I have an HP all in one (with not enough RAM and too expensive to redo the board and add ram), from 2016, upgraded to running win 10. Joined with my HP 9020 printer scanner. I was ok but started runnning slow, required multiple reboots of both devices. Making life in the office a pain.
I loaded Zorin OS (I liked it well enough to pay for it) my inital challenge was the documentation ( yeah that much of a novice I read the directions) for partitioning as the documentation was not exactly what’s was on the screen. I talked to support but they were not as helpful via email as I might have liked.
Once I got past they and was fully setup .ZorinOS had that machine running like a scared cat
I downloaded the scanner software from the available options to find the combination of Zorin and the simple scanner software worked better and was more functional than the HP printer scanner software on my HP computer with Windoz 10 had been as long as I owned the combination. I have no had connectivity issues since staring ZorinOS
Because of my specific quirks I ended up buying a scanner suite ( can’t remember the name, everything is at the office and I am at home right now) that is phenomenal .
I will be slowly moving any devices except my current macs to Zorin OS as I can readily access my windows office files though the partition to pull the up in libre office.
I have an older Mac mini no longer getting new MacOS updates that will be a learning tool to have it run Zorin too.
I really like the ZorinOS
I find this distro to be very fast and efficient. It's gorgeous to look at and gives UI options to match essentially any desktop you'd like, which is impressive given its speed.
I'm still pretty new with Linux, and I've found ZorinOS to have the least amount of difficulties in doing what I need to do. I downloaded the Pro version and made my donation as I do value the team's efforts.
I've tried Pop_OS, Fedora, Ubuntu, and others I can't recall. At the end of the day I am sticking with Zorin because of its speed, ease of use, and compatibility with Ubuntu.
I have been a Linux user for over 20 years. I think I still have a Breezy Badger live cd around here somewhere, probably next to my old OS X Snow Leopard install cds that I just can't seem to toss. Currently I'm using Ubuntu, openSuse, and Fedora VM's for different work projects because I like variety and I can get paid to play with each.
I have two older laptops at home. And old MBP that no longer runs the latest Mac OS, and an old Dell Latitude. I have tried so many different distos ( I actually have the MBP ssd partitioned to run Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, openSuse Leap, and Zorin). Previously, I had the best experience with openSuse Tumbleweed, but I ran into problems with a kernel update. After spending a ton of time debugging, it was just apparent it was time to give up and try something else.
Came across Zorin OS on this site. Sounded like something that might fit my use case, as I wanted a stable distro that would not randomly update something important and I'd be stuck reinstalling again. I installed Zorin Core on the MBP and Zorin Lite on the Dell about a month ago, and I couldn't be happier. I think I've found a distro for these two computers that I can trust to work for quite some time.
Easy install, even installed the wifi and graphics drivers for the MBP, which are often something I need to do post-install via CLI. Beautiful interface and easy to customize as it comes with a custom Zorin Appearance control panel that allows you to change desktop themes in the GUI (not a common feature of Linux distros).
Hello, as a long-time user of Ubuntu and its derivatives, I came across this system by accident. Everywhere on forums and various sites, this system was presented as an alternative to Windows and MacOS. Since I used to use on my old laptop Lenovo G575 with 2 GB ram and integrated graphics on Linux mint 17 board, later I bought an older Lenovo B50-30 4 GB ram and ran it on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. What did not suit me in Ubuntu were frequent problems with wi-fi, spontaneous disconnection of sound and problems with stability (while Canonical itself declares how stable their system is), so I decided that it would be more ideal to use some derivative of Ubuntu. at first it was Mint again, but somehow I didn't like the same desktop scheme anymore. then I caught Zorin OS 16 based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, I tell myself that I won't give anything for the test. I don't know why, but every time I decide to try another distro, I always end up going back to zorin. The desktop, connectivity, reliability is on a completely different level than the base from which it is derived.
+ Stability
+ design
+ Zorin connect
+ speed and clarity, simplicity
- HDMI input, when connected to the TV I have to manually adjust the sound from the internal speakers to the TV and vice versa when disconnected. in the new version, they could add some dialogue box where they ask me when connecting, whether to adjust the sound, or even better not to ask at all and just plug it in :)
Hi.
I have been using this O.S. (with updates) on a 10 year old SAGER laptop with the optimus GT650 video card.
This O.S. was easy to install and has run flawlessly. This old laptop lives on! I even can play Steam games and watch all kinds of videos. I had to download another app to get the camera to work correctly but this O.S. is great for salvaging old, but once high- end hardware like this old Sager laptop with the I7 3rd Gen CPU.
I also like the fact that this O.S. knows enough to use the Nvidia graphics instead of the lesser intel graphics. This laptop has both and has caused issues with other operating systems including situations with Windows 7 that came on it way back then. This O.S. also runs faster than Windows 10 on this machine.
Keep up the good work!
Zorin Os is an excellent distribution, very well thought out, especially for Windows newcomers.
Thanks to Zorin Os Lite I was able to rescue an old laptop I acquired in 2014.
It is sometimes forgotten that Zorin's philosophy, just like Windows, does not favor extreme customization, so if you use it, as most users do, for work and leisure, it is ideal.
In favor:
Stability.
Friendly and familiar environment.
Modern and beautiful appearance.
Stability.
Easy and quick installation.
Support (Pro version).
Easy installation of Windows games via Lutris.
Very complete software.
Excellent software store.
Lots of help available on their website and community forum.
Easy customization via Zorin Appearence.
Against:
Takes a while to release a new version.
Zorin is actually the distro that got me into Linux and I would have to give them a ton of credit for that. It has a BEAUTIFUL interface, friendly support, and AWESOME wine integration. However besides that, I just can't recommend them to anyone besides ABSOLUTE beginners or people on really good hardware.
First of all, I noticed for some unknown reason, the desktop kept on lagging for no reason. I blamed that on my old laptop, but it got to the point where it just completely froze, and when I tried to boot this distro it wouldn't boot. Since this was my first time using it, I decided to give it another chance and reinstalled it (I had to do it twice as when I did it the first time, the installer crashed). It went really well and it didn't take long to get all my apps back in place. That was when I discovered timeshift and wanted to create a separate partition to store my timeshift backups and some other personal files. So I went to a live disk to resize the partitions. Guess What? The gparted crashed and the distro wouldn't boot again. I ended up restoring from a timeshift backup, which didn't work. I was just having a real headache which this distro and installed Linux Mint. WOW OMG! It was fast, everything seemed to integrate really well, the installer didn't crash, gparted disk resize didn't crash either, and there was a ton of support on the internet. Sure the interface and WINE integration isn't as great, but those are 2 small things I would be willing to trade for faster speed, better documentation on the internet, and better reliability (notice how I didn't say stability). For most people,I would recommend Linux Mint for beginners, OpenSUSE for people who want the most reliable/stable distro and/or people who are Windows power users, and EndeavourOS for developers, gamers, and people who want the newest technology.
TL;DR: Zorin is great for Linux Beginners, people who want good Windows Apps support, and people who have good hardware. I won't recommend people who want something more than a "beginner's distro", somebody with moderate to older hardware (including lite), people who value reliability,and people who want something that won't get in their way all the time.
I have been using Zorin on and off for about 3.5 years. Great distribution. Everything looks consistent and everything works fast.
Some people complain about the Ubuntu base being old (all to common among Linux fanboys). Their 16 series Zorin came out about 16 months after Ubuntu 20.04 and that is the base for Zorin OS 16. They come out with their versions significantly after the most recent Ubuntu. Ubuntu 22.04 came out about a year ago - expect Zorin 17 based on Ubuntu's 22.04 LTS base to come out sometime between July and December 2023 based on what the Zorin developers have posted on their website. For some people that may be a limitation but it really does not hurt the OS.
Anyway, I say all this because the age of the base is NOT relevant with Zorin OS. They tweak and polish the packages to look consistent and work right with Zorin - that's why it takes them time to put out the next version I suppose. Furthermore, they have the newest packages for their default programs with their own PPA repositories. They back-port newer packages like LibreOffice which makes the base moot. One nice feature of Zorin is that it includes Ubuntu/Debian packages, Snap packages, and Flatpak pages by default. Nothing additional to install to get Flatpaks and Snaps. Also, Flatpaks & Snaps offer you newer packages that again, is another reason the underlying Ubuntu base is not that important.
The one thing that I would like to see on Zorin is what Canonical has on their flavors - the ability to upgrade from within the OS and not have to do a fresh installation in order to upgrade. The developers are promising that feature. Will it be on Zorin 17? That is unknown for now. But that is definitely one feature many people including myself would like to see that other distributions like Pop!_OS, Mint, and Ubuntu already have.
Regardless, Zorin is fast and looks good too. It is simple for the new user and has all the features an advanced user needs/wants. It has a few layouts on Zorin Core which makes it look better than traditional GNOME. Their Lite version based on Xfce is good too but I prefer the GNOME version which is Zorin Core. The Pro version is $39 which gives you some support with installation, additional pre-installed packages, and a few additional layouts. If you are thinking of giving Zorin a donation, just give them the $39 and you get a few extra features. Most experienced Linux users probably won't need the Pro version.
Zorin is a very nice Ubuntu based distribution that is rock solid, looks great and is very stable.
I’m kind of a veteran Linux user so probably not the most obvious “target” of Zorin still I value simplicity, user-friendliness and every effort to bring my OS of choice to the “masses”. I installed and thoroughly tested Zorin Lite 16.1 in one of my machines which was uneventfully upgraded to 16.2 in the meantime.
“Looks” is an asset in my books but not the ultimate criterion by which to judge a distribution. Zorin surely has the looks though the effort to simulate the feeling of Windows and MacOS is evident in its choice of palette. Zorin’s custom-themed Xfce looks polished and the desktop layout is absolutely sensible and functional. Nevertheless there is a single detail which is almost a deal-breaker for me. Other will find this inessential. It is a classic “bug” in certain themed Xfce (and sometimes Mate) desktops: the mouse cursor is offset when you try to diagonally resize application windows. It is very annoying to me. There are many threads on Zorin forum about it but proposed solutions are either installing third-party themes or editing the default one. Not acceptable when it comes to a distro which aspires to work out of the box and on top of that to charge its users for using a premium version. Linux Mint 19.3 Xfce for instance shipping its own version of customized Xfce had solved this problem long before Zorin 16’s release.
Other users of Zorin Lite complain that the lite version is not so light yet it has been performing very well on a 6-year old middle-of-the-run setup turning increasingly to low-end by today standards. Software selection is satisfactory. My sole objection concerns “Parole” as default video player. It cannot provide accurate seeking with large video files encoded with h264 or h265 codecs. Albeit a member of the Xfce family of apps, other Xfce-based distros justifiably skip it. MPV or VLC would be excellent.
The major problem Zorin developers have to address but not specific to the Lite edition is their excessively slow release cycle. With the latest Ubuntu LTS released a year ago and every major Xfce-based distro out there already migrated or migrating to latest and greatest Xfce 4.18, the development of new Zorin lags markedly behind.
Very stable, no problems so far. I have been using it since over two months ago and I am still very satisfied.
Have tested and used many different Linux versions since I started using Linux over twenty years ago. I've always been looking for a well-thought-out, stable, day-to-day usable Linux distribution, Zorin OS is exactly that. I have made some adjustments and use, for example, Synaptic, Vokoscreen, ClipIt, digikam, Telegram desktop, VLC, KeePassXC, Timeshift, Stacer etc. which are not installed by default.
Then I have installed deepin icone theme and I use dark theme. But this is also the case with Linux, you have many customization possibilities, yes almost endless possibilities. You install roughly what you want, adapt what you want and use it how you want. Zorin is significantly simpler and less complex than windows. So are you looking for a flawless free operating system that works every day? then install Zorin OS.
Zorin OS is a privacy nightmare. But if you're not worried about that perhaps you're not aware or you simply don't care?
I encourage people to read their Privacy Policy.
That aside, Zorin OS standard, and only, install is just packed with too much stuff out of the box.
Both GNOME and XFCE edition feels very heavy. As a result, the performance just isn't there.
If you want to steer from the built in theme options expect some issues.
With Flatpak and Snap available expect some inconsistencies amongst the app lands. Pick one or the other and make it simple for beginners as you boast who you cater to.
To me, this feels extremely cobbled. More isn't always better.
Zorin OS 16.2 is an excellent operating system that offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features. It is based on Ubuntu and comes with a lot of pre-installed software that makes it easy to get started with your work or entertainment needs. The desktop environment is sleek and modern, and the overall design is very polished. Zorin OS 16.2 is also very stable and reliable, making it a great choice for anyone who wants a hassle-free computing experience. I recommend this system to everyone.
The Zorin OS is awesome! Lots of stability combined with a consistent, unified and extremely beautiful interface. The care that the development team took in this interface was exemplary, always attentive to details (icons, buttons, options, the system as a whole is very concise and beautiful, even in an XFCE for modest PCs). Another extremely positive point is the perfect integration with Windows apps through a good wine implementation.
Undoubtedly, Zorin Os is the right distribution for anyone looking for a definitive migration from Windows to the Linux world!
I have been a ubuntu user for a while and familiar with the Ubuntu desktops and which I typically like to use as a dual boot with Windows. Ubuntu has lot of support through packages and lot of community help with troubleshooting issues. I started with Old Pc with very old hardware and upgraded from Puppy Linux to lite versions of Ubuntu.I have even tried Mint for a while ,which I like being minimalistic but getting the job done. I was looking for something where I wanted to spend less time on the command line and have it integrated well into the desktop experience, therefore gave Zorin an try. It is snappy, aesthetically good and lot of support for packages. Zorin connect is a good feature to have.I hope this OS continues to be supported and stay around for long and would like to see it grow.
My experience is the following. For more than 20 years that I have known Linux, I have tried to move and put aside the Adobe applications, MS Office, Macromedia, Corel, Cubase, Ezdrummer, and an endless number of small applications that I used to develop my work.
My first step was to start using Freeware applications instead of all the pirated software I was using, portable versions of things like Photoshop, installing GIMP and Krita as an alternative, etc. In short, I was first replacing the Software.
Just this year I decided to move completely and my choice was Zorin OS core for which I bought a specific SSD in case of anything.
I've been using the OS for a couple of months now and the truth is that it's wonderful, stable, light, fast, usable, as well as a very polished and beautiful aspect. The console used it very little.
To be honest, it is a Distro that for people who develop in product environments, be it design, editing, music or in any other environment that needs an OS that works immediately and start working, this is one of the best alternatives. especially for its light environment by default, a real delight.
I really like Zorin and have been using it daily. But there are problems that cannot be reported! as there seems to be no bug report page or contact! and their forum doesn't work! I have tried to write in their forum about my technical problems but the first post is never approved! so i gave up. Tragic when you see how good this distribution is.
If I will use this distribution again! hard to say, in any case they must be significantly better at support in the future. Their Facebook page is very poorly updated, the forum seems to have major technical problems! and no place to report bugs!
For the last 20 years or so I have been a Linux user, needless to say I have tried countless distros. Years ago I actually enjoyed spending hours settings things but nowadays I want something very simple, something I can get running as quickly as possible. The fact that I am maintaining half-a-dozen computers makes ease of setup a priority to me.
Anyway, with Zorin I can get a system up and running exactly to my liking from install to completion in less than an hour. I have been using it for a month and haven’t had a single issue in all that time. Of course, not everyone will be using the same programs etc. that I have selected but you should give it a try if you are looking for something that is simple to setup.
I really can’t put myself in a noobie shoes but I think anyone with a minimal amount of experience installing operating systems won’t have any trouble using Zorin
I've bought an old Fujitsu lifebook T4215 touchscreen laptop and
had been trying to install a Linux distro that would
recognize stylus input for its touchscreen.
Tried Ubuntu, Nobara GNOME, Artix XFCE, Artix plasma,
EndeavourOS, GhostBSD, Voyager.
None of them showed stylus events.
Tried to install some recommended packages,
to compile and install driver source code for this,
perhaps having made mistakes,
and not succeeded.
Installing Zorin OS 16 Lite solved this problem out of the box.
I just started using it,
maybe some tweaking will be necessary, but the stylus works.
Thanks to the developers.
I love Zorin Os.
It's stable, fast, intuitive, user friendly.
All the time I've been using it, I've only twice resorted to the terminal, the first time to install Microsoft sources, and the second time to install neofetch. Anyway it was very easy to do it thanks to the instructions that guide you through the process.
The software store is very complete and has everything I need, just a click away.
As for games, thanks to Steam the offer has improved substantially. Also, through Lutris I have been able to install two Blizzard games, which are not available for Linux.
The Zorin Os website is very complete to provide the necessary help. There is also the community that is always ready to help, especially the newbies.
In my case, I have installed Zorin Os Pro, as a way to support the project, and I receive support from the developers.
In summary, I am very happy with Zorin Os, I don't have to suffer from telemetry, unwanted advertising or being forced to try to impose programs that I am not interested in.
Good Ubuntu Linux distro but there are quite a few bugs and is quite slow compared to faster distros like Ubuntu Budgie. Some bugs include how the "Authentication required" popup for the keyring keeps on popping up even if I input my password, running "howdy" for password facial recognition does not work well as often time the face detection "times out", when I open the lock screen it goes back to the lock screen and so each time I have to open the lock screen twice which takes a lot of time from me just to get to the app I want to use, sometimes when I have a search app running the entire computer would freeze and the icon images would disappear and so I would have to restart the computer and lose my unsaved work from apps like Xournal++, and I uninstalled the built in python3 accidentally and it also uninstalled the gnome desktop packages also (Ubuntu Budgie does not have a built in python) and thus my entire computer crashed and would only be in TTY mode so I had to switch distros on my computer. The pros of this OS is how there seems to be a large community of Zorin users, it runs on Ubuntu which supports a lot of apps I run like Matlab and Miniconda, and is quite better than Windows and Mac with ease of use and great Linux specific software to use like Libre Office and the Lutris game engine. Overall though, I would not recommend this distro and in fact would recommend people not to use this distro until the bugs I mentioned are fixed.
Switched to Linux from Windows. I chose Zorin OS because of its good looking Interface. I love it. Would never want to use Windows again. I love that you can easily customize it and the Zorin Connect App works super well. I really enjoy using my Smartphone to controll my PC. It is super cool to see how good the performance is compared to Windows. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
I've been using Zorin OS for a while now and I have to say, I'm really impressed. The user interface is sleek and easy to navigate, making it perfect for both Linux beginners and experienced users. The GNOME desktop environment is a great choice and it's inherited all the powerful features of Ubuntu.
One of the things I love about Zorin OS is how lightweight it is. My computer runs smoothly and quickly, even with multiple windows and applications open. The ability to run Windows applications on Zorin OS is a huge plus and makes the transition from Windows to Linux much easier.
One of the standout features of Zorin OS for me is the Zorin Connect app. This app allows you to easily sync your android phone's notifications with Zorin OS, browse photos from your phone, reply to text messages and share files and web links between your computer and phone. Unfortunately, I have an IOS device and I couldn't test this feature, but it's a great option for android users.
For tech-savvy Linux users, Zorin OS is a great choice. It's based on Ubuntu, so it's stable and reliable, and it has a wide range of software available. The terminal is fully functional and you can run commands and scripts easily. Additionally, you can customize the look and feel of Zorin OS with the built-in customization options.
Overall, I highly recommend Zorin OS to anyone looking for a powerful, easy-to-use, and attractive Linux distro. It's perfect for those new to Linux as well as seasoned users, and it has a lot of features that make it stand out in the crowded Linux distro market.
Attractive is about the best to describe this distro. Most distros are basically all stirred with the same stuff only dressed up a little differently. Many offer at least a couple if not more desktop environments. That's really all that changes in these over kill of distro choices. Everyone has got to make their own rather than just customizing a few distros. Yeah, choice is great except when it's far too many and cannibalizes the whole ideal of choice. After trying a few distros, you discover they all start looking like the same recipe only the ingredients are added in a different order. Why rebuild a house when you can just throw a different color on the outside and rearrange the furniture? Distros sort of happen this way, and it's too bad because if we had more people working a fewer distros' things would actually work better and advance the platform sooner. But I never see that happening, all I see if more distros and more fragmentation doing no good to a decent OS desktop platform.
I like it !!
I only give it a 9 because (so far) it does not seem to have the "SUSPEND" or "SLEEP" options for shutting down in such a way that it can be brought up again quickly.
On the plus side, it has Libre Office built in, and the option to install "Only Office."
I feel that one of these is critical as so many of us are used to the expensive office, and so most of us need something like that
Plus number 2 - one can choose from several common browsers. I have nothing against Firefox except that it doesn't work the way I, personally, am used to.
So far, the only negative I've found is that when I did a "search" for CALENDAR, one came up, but I still don't know how to set up a shortcut to it.
I am expecting a cheap laptop soon which will probably not have an OS on it, and I am NOT going to put out the big bucks for the common one most people use, when I can have a clean, simple, trustworthy version of Linux for FREE.
The two ultra light distros I tried do not have the features I think I will need, so it looks like Zorin may be the best bet.
This is not an easy decision as there are several great distros out there.
I am using Linux on and off for 25 years. I tried multiple times to completely abolish Windows (later MacOS), but I always fell back into the professional arms of Microsoft (later Apple).
But after installing Zorin Pro on an old MacBookPro 7,1 , I switched to Zorin on all my older Macs and now all but one of my Computers run on Zorin (or Pop!).
With Zorin I could keep the look and feel of my Macs and use a modern OS, regardless the age of my systems. It just works and it performs better than MacOS.
This is a gorgeous distro; the screenshot doesn't do it justice. And if you run the Lite version you get the single best implementation of xfce I've seen anywhere.
This may be the single best distribution for Windows users coming over from the dark side. Not only is the interface and workflow familiar but you can even run (some) Windows programs via the highly integrated Wine infrastructure. Audacious!
All in all, this is a quite impressive effort and one that I come back to frequently, even though I don't personally have (or want) any Windows connection to my OS.
In my opinion, after having tried various Linux distributions, and I'm not an expert on these platforms, because I've always used Windows, Zorin is the best distribution for those of us who don't understand anything about Linux. Easy to install, easy to configure, and easy to use. I recommend it to all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who don't want to install Windows 10, try ZorinOS, you'll love it just like me. Or for users who have a team of more than 10 years, that Zorin is the best distribution and easier than the others. It would have to be ranked 1 for ease and speed.
I tried this distro in its Lite version on my 2010's Lenovo C200 and I was satisfied with it: all the applications worked very well, XFCE desktop was eye-candy (in my opinion, it is the best distro equipped with XFCE I have ever used before!) and RAM consumption by idle was really low (about 510/520 MB) such as Linux Mint 21 MATE which I usually use as primary OS. I also loved Flatpak support out-of-box, even though not all the packages worked properly maybe because of my PC's age. Really recommended distro both for beginners and experienced GNU/Linux users!
I've been using linux for at least 6 years, i started with ubuntu, then moved to mint, then to ubuntu mate, then KDE neon, back to mint and recently tried Zorin. Even though i've distro-hopped a few times I am by no means an expert, although the main reason I distro-hopped was to find an OS with a clean and beautiful interface without imposing too many limitations (elementary cough cough) and which would allow me to be as productive as possible.
I used KDE neon but I was not happy with the vanilla theme that came out of the box, I customized so much I ended up breaking the OS lol, I stuck with KDE for 3 years. I switched to mint cinnamon which was nice but the interface always left me wanting to change things, so I customized it and still didn't like what I ended up with.
Then I switched to Zorin and OMG, what a difference! I no longer have to spend hours trying to customize the interface to try to make it look the way i want. The icons look great right out of the box, fonts are gorgeous, theming is amazing! I have not had o do much to the desktop environment to get going the way I like it. I know more experienced users love arch, live and die by it but for me Zorin is gorgeous and works for my purposes. I totally recommend it!
Having tried at least half a dozen of the top suggested distros for me zorin was a no brainer,the transition from windows was made as easy as a new distro could be,I'm only a casual user and found everything I needed from the startup apps to get myself going,installation of a few more apps went seamlessly including some windows apps that i thought were just that little bit better than the supplied ones,but overall the out of the box experience was fantastic,I've switched from windows because of a few security issues that I had with it despite having good antivirus programs on my pc, only downside I've had with this distro were a few long winded opening off apps especially the windows one,but that's a small price to pay for the extra security that this distro has provided, by the way I'm no spring chicken as I'm 70 yrs old and the thought of switching to linux did worry me a bit,but overall its been a great experience with a minor learning experience,
I am in the process of migrating to Linux after 40 years as a Windows and Mac user. My many systems include an iMac, several MacBooks, and a half-dozen P51, P52, and X1 Extreme Thinkpads. I've more or less settled on Zorin OS Pro after distro-hopping between it, Ubuntu, Fedora 36, and several others. Zorin strikes me as a very user-friendly OS that allows me to be productive immediately without a lot of wasted time and effort, which is what I am looking for. I'll leave the experimenting up to those with more time to burn than I can afford.
I opted to pay the $39 for Zorin Pro for the extra functionality, installed software apps, and the knowledge that I'm not missing out on any Zorin features. In my opinion, it's a small price to pay. My use case is one of a software and app user; i.e., I create content such as photos and documents, send and receive emails, manage investments, consume multimedia, etc. I don't play any video games or do any software development.
Software availability in Zorin is excellent, and I find the software store to be well-stocked with FOSS apps. Also, many of the more specialized apps I use are web-based and are thus independent of the OS -- i.e., they work equally well with Linux, Windows, or MacOS, so the fact I'm using Linux is irrelevant in those cases.
Installation of Zorin is made very simple and easy with its graphical interface, which is great because I'm still learning basic terminal commands. However, I can see that it will be very useful in the long run if I learn to use the terminal. In a way, it reminds me of the early pre-Windows days of computing and the need for a good knowledge of DOS commands.
Disappointed - from the description it was supposed to be a distro aimed at users looking for a smooth transition from Windows or Mac. I tried three versions of Zorin: Core failed to install the kernel, Light didn’t have the pre-built themes configured to mimic Windows or Mac, so I then paid for the Pro version. The latter would not recognize the Wi-Fi card and would not complete the installation since it couldn’t access the Internet.
Zorin support responded quickly but wanted diagnostic details not easily provided from an incomplete installation. Working from Terminal to find a workaround for a failed installation defeats the promise of a seamless experience.
Request for a refund was declined as I had already downloaded the Pro file.
I would not recommend this distro, certainly not for the intended target audience seeking a smooth transition to Linux.
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