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1 • Zorn (by vmc on 2025-11-17 01:13:03 GMT from United States)
No thanks. If its Linux why would I pay near $50 for it
2 • Drawing Windows (by vmc on 2025-11-17 01:15:30 GMT from United States)
Another thing, this hype about Windows 10 users coming to Linux when they have never used it before is just pipe dream. They'll have a way to use Windows 11 or there are ways to extend Windows 10.
I use both Windows 11 and Linux. End of story
3 • removing weirdly named files (by J.D. Laub on 2025-11-17 01:25:28 GMT from United States)
Another possible solution to deleting a file with a weird name: run " rm -i * " to be asked whether each file should be deleted, and simply hit return (thus taking the default answer of "n" meaning "no") until the desired file is shown, then answer "y" meaning "yes" for that file.
4 • Nitrux (by Devlin7 on 2025-11-17 01:30:42 GMT from New Zealand)
Always keen to try distros. Loaded Nitrux but struggled to find any documentation regarding the keyboard shortcuts. I worked my way through all the usual shortcuts, ended up with a lot of open windows that didn't seem to want to close. Looked on the website and found a lot of KDE documentation but not much on Hyprland. Will have another when I find the docs.
5 • Regarding the poll Answer (by InvisibleInk on 2025-11-17 01:51:05 GMT from United States)
I've used Firejail on and off, and I have a couple of flatpaks installed. What then would be my answer to the poll question?
6 • Hype... (by Friar Tux on 2025-11-17 01:51:26 GMT from Canada)
@2 (vmc) Ain't no hype mate. When Windows 10 shut down the work The Wife was doing (on Windows 7) and decided to install itself, I shut THAT down fast. I installed Linux Mint/Cinnamon and, 15 minute later, she was back to work. She had never touched Linux before that (I toyed with it off and on). That was about 10 years ago. She has not had any issues at all since. Mint, to me, is the best starter distro for someone coming in cold turkey from Windows. It beats even Zorin OS. Clement and team have done a fantastic job putting Mint together.
7 • Zorin (by BlueIV on 2025-11-17 02:25:15 GMT from United States)
#1, Nobody said you had to pay for it. Outside of enterprise, I don't recall many distros actually charging as a requirement for basic usage. I get the impression that support of any kind is outside of your experience- but I could be wrong.
8 • Giving up on Windows (by winsnomore on 2025-11-17 02:40:35 GMT from United States)
I had linux on my desktop for 10 years, but I had to keep a bunch of Windows VMs around , even now I still have to have a windows machine. In case you didn't notice, Adobe has done more harm to open software nd Linux than any evil force in Redmond could. Adobe has closed acrobat, sold some junk softare to government, and there are zillion files you can't open on Linux -- only Adode acrobat can read them. So, unless someone takes a 2x4 to Adobe HQ and put some sense into them, the world will stay tied to windows -- this is just one example, there are million others where people release software for Windows and maybe Mac now, but for linux they will pick Ubuntu, a number of 3D printers are like that --- so Linux doesn't have a bright, but has a bleak future and no one seems to be interested in this. Those who make money on Linux, don't care about desktop, they are only interested in server!
9 • Zorin and Linux Mint (by Steve K on 2025-11-17 03:03:03 GMT from United States)
I agree with Friar Tux’s assessment regarding Linux Mint. After having downloaded, installed, played with, and used many dozens of linux distros over the past 15+ years my favorite distro of all time, and the one I use as my daily driver, is Linux Mint. Through my experience I consider Linux Mint be the best and most reliable one. I’ve never had any problems or failures with any version of Linux Mint over the past 15+ years.
The version I use is Linux Mint MATE because it is the most comprehensive and configurable one. I totally customize it to my personal preferences, especially aesthetically. The Cinnamon version is more basic and would be good for new users.
I’ve tried Zorin distros over the years but I’ve never liked it nearly as much as I do Linux Mint. Plus Linux Mint is always free. There is no paid-for version with more features as with Zorin. In Mint you get all the features totally free.
10 • Zorin and End of 10 (by Keith S on 2025-11-17 03:14:48 GMT from United States)
I've never tried Zorin but it sounds interesting. I don't really like GNOME (or KDE for that matter) but I certainly appreciate every distro that has a clear focus and puts a high polish on their product, which Zorin apparently has done. It's encouraging that they've had 75,000 downloads by Windows users in one week.
My mom is very frustrated with Windows 11 and the intrusive AI. I have helped her turn it off wherever possible but she still is unhappy. She's very old and mainly uses email and surfs a bit on Chrome. (She sometimes tells me about a news article she saw on the "start of the internet.")
I've shown her Mint before and explained that I could install it for her, but it's too scary for her to consider. (She's very old.) Maybe I'll show her Zorin and see what happens. She's certainly not tied to any Windows-specific programs (all she really uses is a browser, including for email), but as noted in the review, Windows has a grip on her psyche.
As far as many millions migrating to Linux from Windows, I think that's a pipe dream. There are too many programs that many working people require that run well only on Windows. Wine has gotten much better over the years, but I still have an old Win10 laptop to update maps on a GPS unit that requires proprietary software that absolutely will not run on Wine. Not a big deal, and I plan to move Windows 10 or 11 to a VM on a newer machine soon just for that purpose.
11 • Sandboxes (by Keith S on 2025-11-17 03:22:12 GMT from United States)
I've never used sandboxes for very long. When I tried them, they were very fiddly and I ran out of patience. When I feel a little paranoid about someone getting my data, I will run a VM. I pretty much stopped doing that since I do pretty much all of my sensitive transactions on an Android phone now. I do plan to get a KVM/QEMU VM running on the new release of MX Linux though, but mostly because I have the itch to try out some new distros. If I ever go full paranoid again, I will either try out Qubes or put OpenBSD on a VM.
12 • Moving Windows users to Linux is my job (by Microlinux on 2025-11-17 06:18:51 GMT from France)
Among other things, my company installs Linux desktops for professional users migrating from Windows.
The standard desktop is based on Rocky Linux with KDE from EPEL and a myriad of small improvements like codecs, plugins, TrueType fonts, etc.
https://www.microlinux.fr/poste-de-travail-linux/
This is running on every client PC in our local school, a perfect testbed for general usability. Everybody's using it (students, teachers, staff) and there's some folks that don't even know that it's Linux under the hood.
Boring, intuitive and reliable.
13 • Files with weird names (by luvr on 2025-11-17 10:03:59 GMT from Belgium)
Weird that escapes aren't mentioned, i.e., a backslash character to remove the special meaning of the character that follows it - e.g.:
ls -1 Abc\?%\?\?^123
where each question mark is preceded by a backslash, to remove the special meaning of the question mark; in other words, '\?' stands for a literal question mark, while just '?' is a wildcard.
Another option is to enclose the filename in single quotes - e.g.:
ls -l 'Abc?%??^123'
where all characters are taken literally, without special meaning.
The only character that you cannot use in a string that is enclosed in single quotes, is the single quote itself; for that, you'll need to use double quotes - e.g.:
ls -l "Abc'123"
Also, if both single quotes and double quotes appear in the filename, then either use backslash escapes, or enclose the single quotes in double quotes and vice versa.
By the way, this works not only in file names, but in any string you want to produce; you can even mix and match the various escape methods - e.g.:
echo This' 'is\' a' single 'quote:' '"'",' and th'is\ is' 'a\ double' quote: "'.
Granted, this easily gets hard to understand, but it does work.
14 • Escape characters (by Jesse on 2025-11-17 10:26:03 GMT from Canada)
@13: "Weird that escapes aren't mentioned"
They weren't mentioned because (A) it's a more complicated solution and (B) it will only work if the characters are ones you can type on your keyboard. If you have a bunch of symbols in a filename that you can't type then escape characters can't help you.
15 • Zorin Pro and Grid (by Dave on 2025-11-17 09:31:03 GMT from Australia)
I've heard people say negative things about Zorin, because of charging for pro etc. But as mentioned this is aimed at business users, who would benefit from some sort of support.
Jesse, as you have contact with the developer, did you get an opportunity to quiz them about Zorin Grid? It's been on the cards for ages but difficult to track progress.
16 • @1 Zorin cost. (by Jake on 2025-11-17 10:32:02 GMT from United States)
Zorin core is free. That is what an experienced Linux user would use. Pro is for new converts.
17 • Zorin (by Jesse on 2025-11-17 10:34:12 GMT from Canada)
@1: "If its Linux why would I pay near $50 for it"
You don't need to pay for Zorin OS, unless you want extra layouts/themes. It's free. As to why you might want to buy the Pro version, well, the money to develop Linux distributions needs to come from somewhere. Donations, sales, support contracts, corporate backing. If you want Linux to continue to be an option, then someone needs to pay for it.
@14: "did you get an opportunity to quiz them about Zorin Grid? It's been on the cards for ages but difficult to track progress."
We've never discussed it. I usually don't look at (or ask about) technologies which haven't been released yet.
18 • Zorin and Gnome (by Axel on 2025-11-17 12:06:36 GMT from United Kingdom)
Really good review of Zorin bar the reviewer's obvious dislike of Gnome. Did they experience any Gnome bugginess? No. Did everything work? Yes. Bit of a shame that personal dislikes of a DE is tainting an otherwise good review.
I have installed Zorin Core on my in-law's old Windows laptop and they are very happy. Actually, I receive fewer requests to fix things now than I used to get when it was running Windows. They have a habit of clicking "Yes" on anything they see on pop-ups. Much safer on Linux.
19 • Poll (by Slappy McGee on 2025-11-17 13:15:08 GMT from United States)
Sandbox. Isolate programs. No "I Wonder What the Freak Flamin' Hell They're Talking About Now?" choice. ;o)
Some of us Linux users have long awaited the current state of things wherein we have the choice to ignore technical things beyond how to get the iso bootable then how to run through the installation steps, and a few terminal commands now and then.
Probable a lot of us, given the popularity of (the reviewed) Zorin and so many other distros which strive to be "Windows-like" or some such. BSD devs also seem to be naturally heading in that direction over the years as we watch GhostBSD evolve, etc.
20 • Zorin (by Geo. on 2025-11-17 13:38:36 GMT from Canada)
Thank you, Zorin team, for rescuing so many Win10 refugees. Your system works excellently right out of the box - even better than Mint in my experience. And that's saying something since I started way back with Slackware.
21 • Yes i use sandbox, in my case I use snapped apps (by tolik on 2025-11-17 13:56:46 GMT from Moldova)
AFAIU snap and flatpak and appimage are using sandboxes
so it is fair to say that because I use exclusively "snap" apps instead of pacman/deb packages in most cases – i use sandbox. I like snaps cause they work with both command line apps and GUI apps and are fast while at the same time more secure than system apps, especially on arch based systems.
also sometimes i use "bubblewrap" with some manually written scripts, mostly to isolate something from net access.
22 • Zorin (by Johhny H on 2025-11-17 14:30:54 GMT from United Kingdom)
If you pay for the Pro version, you are paying for the support, not the extra layouts, as it's easy for you to configure any layout you want fro free anyway! I'm still on Zorin 17** and have used it for my daily driver for last 2 years. I configure the Task bar to the top and Dash to dock on the bottom *Top tip - to insure Dash to Dock works Faultlessly, and works on boot up, make sure that you uncheck "Zorin task bar" in the Extension application. Happy liux!
23 • Sandboxing is Ubiquitous because of Universal File Formats (by Fabian Lanzy on 2025-11-17 16:39:59 GMT from United States)
As others have pointed out, Flatpaks Snaps and AppImages all default to sandboxing applications, probably less for security than to make the apps load the same way across diverse distros and architectures and to keep the dependencies current.
I would further add that most casual Linux users who default to installing programs through the Universal File formats probably don't give much concern about how such instalations run desktop elements, dependencies, etc in isolation. Therefore, Sandboxing as a practice is often ubiquitous rather than by user design or intention, subject to the use of these tools by default in the main depositories many distros.
24 • Zorin 18 (by Sandy on 2025-11-17 17:34:05 GMT from Germany)
No matter how you look at it, Zorin 18 is a disaster. Visit their forums.
You'll immediately notice the extremely outdated GNOME version (46!), the abundance of outdated components, and the numerous bugs, not to mention the poor design.
If they had tried to make it as bad as possible, they couldn't have done a worse job. Try setting the red theme and see what happens.
It's one of the worst distributions I've ever seen — more of a curse than a blessing.
Zorin 17 wasn't the best, but at least it looked good as long as the default settings remained unchanged.
25 • Portable package formats (by Jesse on 2025-11-17 17:37:43 GMT from Canada)
@23: "As others have pointed out, Flatpaks Snaps and AppImages all default to sandboxing applications,"
They do not.
You can easily add sandboxing to portable package formats, but don't expect it to be there by default, you will be painfully disappointed. Some distributions or bundles may voluntarily add sandboxing to their portable packages, but it's not there automatically, especially with AppImages.
26 • Sandboxing (by John on 2025-11-17 19:11:29 GMT from Canada)
I ended up selecting "another isolation tool", but I do not use containers or VMs,
What I use is OpenBSD's pledge(2) and unveil(2), which is so easy to implement that I have it enabled in programs I write. But I "#ifdef" these for use on other Operating Systems.
So far, I think pledge/unveil is the best method of "sandboxing". With that said, I will keep an eye on NetBSDs solution to see how easy it works.
27 • Migration Method (by Consultant on 2025-11-17 21:07:36 GMT from United States)
Thanks for the Zorin review. I enjoy efforts to woo Windows users to the light side of the Force. Most are dying to come over.
I recently configured a dual-boot system for an elderly lady on Windows 10. She makes a living in Adobe apps. She might use Scribus.net after exploring it, an underrated Linux app that runs on Windows too. Many stuck on Adobe haven't tried alternatives. Scribus is really, really good.
She is already happy with SimpleX.chat on her phone and computer. It runs on everything, so it's not a Linux vs Windows story. I'm unfamiliar with Zorin/KDE Connect, but wonder how they compare. SimpleX can replace SMS text, e-mail, and Zoom. Its "link to mobile" feature turns the phone into a server, such that a PC can run its SimpleX profile.
People depend on mobile handsets as much as Windows PCs. That data can enter a migration project. Dealing with PC data is not as hard. Mobile apps often make data extraction impossible. To export old SMS messages, you often must root the phone, then hack around. Fossify.org is a good suite that makes SMS import/export easy. Of course SimpleX is far superior to SMS for a variety of reasons.
Migration initiatives have misplaced emphasis on visual theming and docks. Average folk can figure out Linux desktops. The issue is data and daily patterns, sometimes special apps. Where did my files go? Where are my pictures? For dual-boot, I focus on NTFS compatibility. I put /home on the Windows NTFS C:\ drive, configuring /etc/fstab accordingly. So one sees the same user files in Windows or Linux. It's an unconventional layout, but works.
The in-kernel NTFS driver has issues, so I load the reliable FUSE driver and blacklist the kernel one. (Confusingly, a third driver is in the works.) The distro selected here was Artix Linux runit XFCE edition, complete with PipeWire audio. It runs like a champ and gives the latest software releases, bug fixes, and security patches.
28 • Zorin (by canttakeitnomore on 2025-11-17 21:07:55 GMT from Australia)
Muppets paying $50 to use opensource Linux? LOL
Linux Mint is a better experience than Zorin
29 • Zorin OS, You just can't beat Mint! (by Jupiter on 2025-11-17 21:33:11 GMT from United States)
I seem to have an opinion that most other folks today do, and that is that Mint still is better than Zorin. Personally in my own time I've found Zorin not very customizable and in the wrong way. Like, sure, at this point it is made for folks coming over from Windows or wherever on the Internet, but why can't you just let me move my panel or even dock (should I want one instead) wherever? Another note: You have the settings basically split up into 2 apps. (One for Theming, one that is the GNOME settings) That's will confuse the users coming over from Windows quite a bit. There's a reason I don't recommend Budgie to new people, even if I am quite fond of it.
I go over to Mint meanwhile, and I can do all of the things I want just fine without any issues via a simple GUI that is simple and yet very efficient whilst still looking good! Only real reason I can figure out in personal use as to why you would use Zorin over Mint is if you think Mint looks "dated" with its design, which, is fully a matter of opinion and quite frankly I don't agree with it. (I doubt the folks who do hold that opinion have messed around with the themes, extensions, and all of those sorts of things) GNOME just isn't very customizable out of the box compared to Cinnamon.
Side Note: Yes you COULD install a different desktop environment on Zorin or whatever, but realistically a Linux Newbie isn't going to know how to do that (or for the matter that they can!) and at that point they may as well just go ahead and install Debian or even Arch and do it themselves.
30 • Gnome (by BlueIV on 2025-11-17 21:48:21 GMT from United States)
@18 I could be wrong, but I think that Jesse's main objection to GNOME in Zorin is the traditional Windows style format that Zorin uses. In doing so it requires the use of extensions that can be buggy- which he observed. There are other DEs that start out with that style to begin with.
31 • Zorin (by Jesse on 2025-11-17 21:52:30 GMT from Canada)
@30: "I could be wrong, but I think that Jesse's main objection to GNOME in Zorin..."
You may have the right logic, but the wrong reviewer. I didn't write the Zorin OS review, Jeff Siegel was kind enough to contribute his thoughts on the distribution.
32 • Zorin 18 (by Frank on 2025-11-17 22:56:28 GMT from United States)
I would love to pay for Zorin pro if it was $20 as a way of helping them, but $50 is way to much!
33 • Gnome (by BlueIV on 2025-11-18 00:15:34 GMT from United States)
Well, I was definitely wrong in at least one way. Sorry, Jeff and Jesse.
34 • Not Zorin (by MattE on 2025-11-18 02:47:35 GMT from United States)
I always try to get old people off Win10 onto ChromeOS Flex. It is by far the most trouble free Linux based OS. I install it and check back a couple years later to make sure they're still using it. "Yeah, I never have any problems so I don't call you." Nice!
ChromeOS Flex is not for the paranoid who think Google is out to get them.
35 • Got me into linux (by Deacon St John on 2025-11-18 08:21:32 GMT from The Netherlands)
Just works, never breaks. Got into linux because of this distro. Started out dualbooting and after 6 months made the full switch and never looked. 2 years into linux now thanks to ZorinOS.
@28 the pro version is totally optional you muppet. The pro version is mostly just a fancy donation button. Everything the pro version has can be achieved for free if u spent some time downloading the apps and ricing your DE.
If you enjoy a FOSS project, then support them!!! Linux users sure have an allergic reaction to helping the people responsible for giving them such awesome tech. I have bought 17 pro and will buy 18 pro again. It's a small price for something I will be using everyday for years to come.
36 • Sandboxing (by Willemijn on 2025-11-18 11:02:42 GMT from The Netherlands)
If only sandboxing were easy to do, I'd use it all the time for most programs and apps. Playing a game that doesn't need internet access? Run it in a sandbox! Downloaded a tarball without (valid) GPG signature? Launch it in a sandbox! Grabbed an AppImage from an unverified package maintainer on AppImageHub? Throw it in a sandbox! A FlatPak requiring permissions it really doesn't need for your use-case? Sandbox that bitch! Etc.
But unfortunately, even FireJail, the most user-friendly option, is incredibly convoluted and opaque to manage. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, sooner or later you will create problems with your system, likely related to changes with the permissions of users and groups. And if you're like me, those problems will very quickly become irreversibly complex, thus requiring the fiftieth clean install of the year. It's just not worth the pain and hassle.
As for manually configuring sandboxes in AppArmor, let alone SELinux, the average user can just forget about it, and beginners shouldn't even stop to consider attempting to do so. It's an uphill battle trying to set it up, and then after you've inevitably failed to do so (and you will!), it's an even steeper uphill battle to try and undo all the havoc you've wreaked.
One would hope that the exponential increase in Linux malware, will eventually lead to someone bothering to design an easy-to-use just-werks out-of-the-box method of sandboxing on Linux. But given that no increase in Linux gaming, influx of former Windows users, or critical vulnerability discovered in the kernel, has ever triggered any serious effort, I doubt it... Hell, ClamTK and MetaDataCleaner aren't even maintained anymore, and nobody's jumped in to fill the voids they've left. Maybe the greedy corpos over at Kaspersky, Xcitium, ESET or Sophos can save us, because the Linux "community" has not only dropped the ball but completely lost the plot.
37 • Zorin (by Hans on 2025-11-18 12:50:57 GMT from Germany)
> A VirtualBox test failed twice, once with safe graphics mode enabled. Each time it threw an error telling me to use a supported graphics device. However, this wasn't surprising, since Zorin's website documentation says it doesn't play well with virtual systems.
Sounds strange and somewhat suspicious. Why did they deliberately remove the graphics drivers for VMs from their Ubuntu-based kernel? It is impractical for their internal testing too.
38 • @36 Sandboxing (by picamanic on 2025-11-18 15:22:24 GMT from United Kingdom)
@36 Sandboxing. I started out with Firejail+Firefox many years ago, but switched to custom Bubblewrap [bwrap] commands. I ditched bwrap when it became too messy to keep up with changes in Firefox. I still like the idea of using a Container with Firefox, but will probably look to AppArmor, if I can figure how to use it.
EasyOS has its own Containers, but they are built in to that Linux distro. I am more interested in using Qemu+KVM virtual machines, much like a simpler Qubes, sans systemd.
39 • Moving Windows users to Linux (by historyb on 2025-11-18 21:55:05 GMT from United States)
@12 Boring, intuitive and reliable.
As it should be me thinks
40 • Zorin (by canttakeitnomore on 2025-11-19 02:16:15 GMT from Australia)
>>If you enjoy a FOSS project, then support them!!! Linux users sure have an allergic reaction to helping the people responsible for giving them such awesome tech.
The F in FOSS is for Free....so....you know....it isn't PGADFOSS (Please Give A Donation for Opensource Software.
Trying to guilt trip users into giving money to FOSS projects is ridiculous. Nobody asked them to create anything; they did it voluntarily, so why should we feel obliged to support them? Most people who want to contribute, do so by writing code.
If Zorin in particular wants money, then they should just be honest about it and make their whole system a paid model like Red Hat. But just paying them for a "Pro" version of their Ubuntu spin reeks.
"Zorin OS Pro brings together the best apps and most advanced features, so you can unleash the full potential of your computer to do your greatest work. It's the ideal choice for power users and creative professional"
what does that even mean? All the apps in Linux are essential FOSS, so what best apps are they even talking about? Is there is a better Gimp? A better Firefox or Chromium?
Premium desktop layouts? What? Is that worth $50 to theme your desktop which you can do yourself? Curated abstract wallpaper, Tint2 panel or some free Gnome extensions are worth $50.....what a joke.
But they go even further; Professional-grade creative suite of apps? But they don't say what these amazing apps even are. These days there are plenty of equivalents for Windows apps, so this doesn't even make sense. Besides $50 can't even buy a licence for MS Office. How would that even work, you pay Zorin $50 and then they register the Professiona grade creative suite in your name or in their name? Why do i need a Pro version of Zorin? I can buy my own licence for Adobe.
Zorin is a joke. It lost a lot of respect from the Linux community years ago with their data collection incident. Now charging users for a useless Pro version is just taking the proverbial pee.
Look at Linuxfx to see the future of Zorin
41 • @26 @36 & @38 Sandboxing (by Keith S on 2025-11-19 03:41:44 GMT from United States)
This is exactly what I meant when I said it's too fiddly. You fiddle with this and that and the next thing you know your installation is broken and you have to start over. It gets to be very tiresome very fast.
@26 is right, OpenBSD works hard to be secure by default, and when Theo introduced pledge and unveil it was great. It works out of the box. But then there's the fiddling to get it set up the way you want it, and the fiddling to try to get certain packages to work (though their package maintainers really are excellent), etc. Selene recently wrote a very good analysis of why it just isn't that practical -- she left OpenBSD and went to Qubes.
So, Qubes -- yeah, lots of fiddling with setting up and getting it to work the way you want to....
For @picamanic, you can set up KVM with QEMU on both antiX and MX with no systemd. And it's pretty easy with virt-manager. I just taught myself again yesterday without having to fiddle with it much at all.
42 • @40 Paid support (by Keith S on 2025-11-19 03:46:23 GMT from United States)
If you don't want to pay, you don't have to. If you don't like Zorin, don't download it. There's plenty of free software available all over the place. If you can't afford to support the projects that you benefit from every day, don't send them any money. Most people don't. I do a little when I can, because I appreciate the products and I want to encourage people to keep going so I can keep watching YouTube without ads and surfing the web without ads and reading Linux news with minimal ads.
Don't get mad when I don't tip you, though.
43 • @40 • Zorin, free (by Tasio on 2025-11-19 10:12:04 GMT from Philippines)
@40, "The F in FOSS is for Free....so....you know....it isn't PGADFOSS" The "F" in FOSS is for freedom to use, modify or fork, not for freeloading. Any developer is free to set a price on their work, and any prospective user is free to pay it or move on. You don't like Zorinn? Fine. Your carping doesn't taint Zorin, but it speaks volumes about you.
44 • Zorin (& other paid/donate etc distros) (by Slappy McGee on 2025-11-19 14:54:56 GMT from United States)
@40 What a strange post. Diatribe about "free" and "guilt tripping" etc, then ending with "Zorin is a joke.. blah..."
@42 and @43 explained things a bit for you.. I just wanted to respond with my experience with Zorin and with Linux and BSD in general, which has been an amazing journey of diversity and ongoing improvements in the user friendliness and overall functionality of FOSS OSs.
I noticed right away that there are choices. Lots of choices. As to not just types of distros with different approaches to computing, but also as to user relationships with those offerings. Heck we come here for "free" and derive knowledge as well as other aspects of the site, namely this comments forum for a bit of siblinghood with other Linux/BSD users. Some of us donate, some do not. Same as with this or that distro you may want to support.
Zorin's choices are pretty clear; use the distro fully for free, or pay fifty bux and support their efforts. It's right on their front page. And it's not a joke. It's a choice.
45 • Ubuntu Legacy Addon (by RoestVrijStaal on 2025-11-20 22:33:10 GMT from The Netherlands)
I feel sorry for the poor souls working at Canonical for backporting fixes to a 10+ years old distribution release.
Number of Comments: 45
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| • Issue 1172 (2026-05-11): Fedora 44, dealing with extra fonts, Fedora plans to provide AI tools, problems with Ubuntu's new coreutils, TrueNAS extends its development cycle, postmarktetOS improves the boot splash screen, Redox ports tmux |
| • Issue 1171 (2026-05-04): Xubuntu 26.04, extending memory with VRAM, Ubuntu plans AI features, Devuan developer forks GTK2, Mint introduces hardware enablement builds, Linux running on a PlayStation 5, local kernel exploit found in Linux |
| • Issue 1170 (2026-04-27): ENux 5.2.1, picking a second distro, AlmaLinux expands CPU support, FreeBSD publishes Status Report, Ubuntu MATE skips 26.04 release |
| • Issue 1169 (2026-04-20): Lakka 6.1, free software and source-based distributions, FreeBSD Foundation publishes compatible laptop list, Debian holds Project Leader election, Haiku progresses ARM64 port, Mint to extend development cycle, Linux 7.0 released |
| • Issue 1168 (2026-04-13): pearOS 2026.03, EndeavourOS 2026.03.06, which distros are adopting age verification, Arch adjusts its firewall packages, Linux dropping i486 support, Red Hat extends its release cycle, Debian's APT introduces rollbacks, Redox improves its scheduler |
| • Issue 1167 (2026-04-06): Origami Linux 2026.03, answering questions for Linux newcomers, Ubuntu MATE seeking new contributors, Ubuntu software centre is expanding Deb support, FreeBSD fixes forum exploit, openSUSE 15 Leap nears its end of life |
| • Issue 1166 (2026-03-30): NetBSD jails, publishing software for Linux, Ubuntu joins Rust Foundation, Canonical plans to trim GRUB features, Peppermint works on new utilities, PINE64 shows off open hardware capabilities |
| • Issue 1165 (2026-03-23): Argent Linux 1.5.3, disk space required by Linux, Manjaro team goes on strike, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA driver support and builds RISC-V packages, systemd introduces age tracking |
| • Issue 1164 (2026-03-16): d77void, age verification laws and Linux, SUSE may be for sale, TrueNAS takes its build system private, Debian publishes updated Trixie media, MidnightBSD and System76 respond to age verification laws |
| • Issue 1163 (2026-03-09): KaOS 2026.02, TinyCore 17.0, NuTyX 26.02.2, Would one big collection of packages help?, Guix offers 64-bit Hurd options, Linux communities discuss age delcaration laws, Mint unveils new screensaver for Cinnamon, Redox ports new COSMIC features |
| • Issue 1162 (2026-03-02): AerynOS 2026.01, anti-virus and firewall tools, Manjaro fixes website certificate, Ubuntu splits firmware package, jails for NetBSD, extended support for some Linux kernel releases, Murena creating a map app |
| • Issue 1161 (2026-02-23): The Guix package manager, quick Q&As, Gentoo migrating its mirrors, Fedora considers more informative kernel panic screens, GhostBSD testing alternative X11 implementation, Asahi makes progress with Apple M3, NetBSD userland ported, FreeBSD improves web-based system management |
| • Issue 1160 (2026-02-16): Noid and AgarimOS, command line tips, KDE Linux introduces delta updates, Redox OS hits development milestone, Linux Mint develops a desktop-neutral account manager, sudo developer seeks sponsorship |
| • Issue 1159 (2026-02-09): Sharing files on a network, isolating processes on Linux, LFS to focus on systemd, openSUSE polishes atomic updates, NetBSD not likely to adopt Rust code, COSMIC roadmap |
| • Issue 1158 (2026-02-02): Manjaro 26.0, fastest filesystem, postmarketOS progress report, Xfce begins developing its own Wayland window manager, Bazzite founder interviewed |
| • Issue 1157 (2026-01-26): Setting up a home server, what happened to convergence, malicious software entering the Snap store, postmarketOS automates hardware tests, KDE's login manager works with systemd only |
| • Issue 1156 (2026-01-19): Chimera Linux's new installer, using the DistroWatch Torrent Corner, new package tools for Arch, Haiku improves EFI support, Redcore streamlines branches, Synex introduces install-time ZFS options |
| • Issue 1155 (2026-01-12): MenuetOS, CDE on Sparky, iDeal OS 2025.12.07, recommended flavour of BSD, Debian seeks new Data Protection Team, Ubuntu 25.04 nears its end of life, Google limits Android source code releases, Fedora plans to replace SDDM, Budgie migrates to Wayland |
| • Issue 1154 (2026-01-05): postmarketOS 25.06/25.12, switching to Linux and educational resources, FreeBSD improving laptop support, Unix v4 available for download, new X11 server in development, CachyOS team plans server edtion |
| • Issue 1153 (2025-12-22): Best projects of 2025, is software ever truly finished?, Firefox to adopt AI components, Asahi works on improving the install experience, Mageia presents plans for version 10 |
| • Issue 1152 (2025-12-15): OpenBSD 7.8, filtering websites, Jolla working on a Linux phone, Germany saves money with Linux, Ubuntu to package AMD tools, Fedora demonstrates AI troubleshooting, Haiku packages Go language |
| • Issue 1151 (2025-12-08): FreeBSD 15.0, fun command line tricks, Canonical presents plans for Ubutnu 26.04, SparkyLinux updates CDE packages, Redox OS gets modesetting driver |
| • Issue 1150 (2025-12-01): Gnoppix 25_10, exploring if distributions matter, openSUSE updates tumbleweed's boot loader, Fedora plans better handling of broken packages, Plasma to become Wayland-only, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1149 (2025-11-24): MX Linux 25, why are video drivers special, systemd experiments with musl, Debian Libre Live publishes new media, Xubuntu reviews website hack |
| • Issue 1148 (2025-11-17): Zorin OS 18, deleting a file with an unusual name, NetBSD experiments with sandboxing, postmarketOS unifies its documentation, OpenBSD refines upgrades, Canonical offers 15 years of support for Ubuntu |
| • Issue 1147 (2025-11-10): Fedora 43, the size and stability of the Linux kernel, Debian introducing Rust to APT, Redox ports web engine, Kubuntu website off-line, Mint creates new troubleshooting tools, FreeBSD improves reproducible builds, Flatpak development resumes |
| • Issue 1146 (2025-11-03): StartOS 0.4.0, testing piped commands, Ubuntu Unity seeks help, Canonical offers Ubuntu credentials, Red Hat partners with NVIDIA, SUSE to bundle AI agent with SLE 16 |
| • Issue 1145 (2025-10-27): Linux Mint 7 "LMDE", advice for new Linux users, AlmaLinux to offer Btrfs, KDE launches Plasma 6.5, Fedora accepts contributions written by AI, Ubuntu 25.10 fails to install automatic updates |
| • Issue 1144 (2025-10-20): Kubuntu 25.10, creating and restoring encrypted backups, Fedora team debates AI, FSF plans free software for phones, ReactOS addresses newer drivers, Xubuntu reacts to website attack |
| • Issue 1143 (2025-10-13): openSUSE 16.0 Leap, safest source for new applications, Redox introduces performance improvements, TrueNAS Connect available for testing, Flatpaks do not work on Ubuntu 25.10, Kamarada plans to switch its base, Solus enters new epoch, Frugalware discontinued |
| • Issue 1142 (2025-10-06): Linux Kamarada 15.6, managing ZIP files with SQLite, F-Droid warns of impact of Android lockdown, Alpine moves ahead with merged /usr, Cinnamon gets a redesigned application menu |
| • Issue 1141 (2025-09-29): KDE Linux and GNOME OS, finding mobile flavours of Linux, Murena to offer phones with kill switches, Redox OS running on a smartphone, Artix drops GNOME |
| • Issue 1140 (2025-09-22): NetBSD 10.1, avoiding AI services, AlmaLinux enables CRB repository, Haiku improves disk access performance, Mageia addresses service outage, GNOME 49 released, Linux introduces multikernel support |
| • Issue 1139 (2025-09-15): EasyOS 7.0, Linux and central authority, FreeBSD running Plasma 6 on Wayland, GNOME restores X11 support temporarily, openSUSE dropping BCacheFS in new kernels |
| • Issue 1138 (2025-09-08): Shebang 25.8, LibreELEC 12.2.0, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, the importance of software updates, AerynOS introduces package sets, postmarketOS encourages patching upstream, openSUSE extends Leap support, Debian refreshes Trixie media |
| • Issue 1137 (2025-09-01): Tribblix 0m37, malware scanners flagging Linux ISO files, KDE introduces first-run setup wizard, CalyxOS plans update prior to infrastructure overhaul, FreeBSD publishes status report |
| • Issue 1136 (2025-08-25): CalyxOS 6.8.20, distros for running containers, Arch Linux website under attack,illumos Cafe launched, CachyOS creates web dashboard for repositories |
| • Issue 1135 (2025-08-18): Debian 13, Proton, WINE, Wayland, and Wayback, Debian GNU/Hurd 2025, KDE gets advanced Liquid Glass, Haiku improves authentication tools |
| • Issue 1134 (2025-08-11): Rhino Linux 2025.3, thoughts on malware in the AUR, Fedora brings hammered websites back on-line, NetBSD reveals features for version 11, Ubuntu swaps some command line tools for 25.10, AlmaLinux improves NVIDIA support |
| • Issue 1133 (2025-08-04): Expirion Linux 6.0, running Plasma on Linux Mint, finding distros which support X11, Debian addresses 22 year old bug, FreeBSD discusses potential issues with pkgbase, CDE ported to OpenBSD, Btrfs corruption bug hitting Fedora users, more malware found in Arch User Repository |
| • Issue 1132 (2025-07-28): deepin 25, wars in the open source community, proposal to have Fedora enable Flathub repository, FreeBSD plans desktop install option, Wayback gets its first release |
| • Issue 1131 (2025-07-21): HeliumOS 10.0, settling on one distro, Mint plans new releases, Arch discovers malware in AUR, Plasma Bigscreen returns, Clear Linux discontinued |
| • Issue 1130 (2025-07-14): openSUSE MicroOS and RefreshOS, sharing aliases between computers, Bazzite makes Bazaar its default Flatpak store, Alpine plans Wayback release, Wayland and X11 benchmarked, Red Hat offers additional developer licenses, openSUSE seeks feedback from ARM users, Ubuntu 24.10 reaches the end of its life |
| • Issue 1129 (2025-07-07): GLF OS Omnislash, the worst Linux distro, Alpine introduces Wayback, Fedora drops plans to stop i686 support, AlmaLinux builds EPEL repository for older CPUs, Ubuntu dropping existing RISC-V device support, Rhino partners with UBports, PCLinuxOS recovering from website outage |
| • Issue 1128 (2025-06-30): AxOS 25.06, AlmaLinux OS 10.0, transferring Flaptak bundles to off-line computers, Ubuntu to boost Intel graphics performance, Fedora considers dropping i686 packages, SDesk switches from SELinux to AppArmor |
| • Issue 1127 (2025-06-23): LastOSLinux 2025-05-25, most unique Linux distro, Haiku stabilises, KDE publishes Plasma 6.4, Arch splits Plasma packages, Slackware infrastructure migrating |
| • Issue 1126 (2025-06-16): SDesk 2025.05.06, renewed interest in Ubuntu Touch, a BASIC device running NetBSD, Ubuntu dropping X11 GNOME session, GNOME increases dependency on systemd, Google holding back Pixel source code, Nitrux changing its desktop, EFF turns 35 |
| • Issue 1125 (2025-06-09): RHEL 10, distributions likely to survive a decade, Murena partners with more hardware makers, GNOME tests its own distro on real hardware, Redox ports GTK and X11, Mint provides fingerprint authentication |
| • Issue 1124 (2025-06-02): Picking up a Pico, tips for protecting privacy, Rhino tests Plasma desktop, Arch installer supports snapshots, new features from UBports, Ubuntu tests monthly snapshots |
| • Issue 1123 (2025-05-26): CRUX 3.8, preventing a laptop from sleeping, FreeBSD improves laptop support, Fedora confirms GNOME X11 session being dropped, HardenedBSD introduces Rust in userland build, KDE developing a virtual machine manager |
| • Issue 1122 (2025-05-19): GoboLinux 017.01, RHEL 10.0 and Debian 12 updates, openSUSE retires YaST, running X11 apps on Wayland |
| • Issue 1121 (2025-05-12): Bluefin 41, custom file manager actions, openSUSE joins End of 10 while dropping Deepin desktop, Fedora offers tips for building atomic distros, Ubuntu considers replacing sudo with sudo-rs |
| • Full list of all issues |
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| Random Distribution | 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a Linux distribution developed by Red Hat and targeted toward the commercial market. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server editions for x86, x86_64, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM System z architectures, and desktop editions for x86 and x86_64 processors. All of Red Hat's official support and training and the Red Hat Certification Program centres around the Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform. Red Hat uses strict trademark rules to restrict free re-distribution of its officially supported versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but still freely provides its source code. Third-party derivatives can be built and redistributed by stripping away non-free components.
Status: Active
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| Star Labs |

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View our range including the highly anticipated StarFighter. Available with coreboot open-source firmware and a choice of Ubuntu, elementary, Manjaro and more. Visit Star Labs for information, to buy and get support.
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