I've admittedly been having the time of my life with Linux
I stopped using Linux roughly when Windows 8 came out and suddenly all desktop environments were chasing that tablet computing trend (???) instead of treating PCs as, y'know, PCs, but recently got back in with a spare Thinkpad T480 I bought off eBay for cheap.
I have to say, Zorin OS is amazing and incredible. Would recommend.
I was really looking forward to upgrading my moms Huawei laptop from Zorin 16 to 17, hoping that it would fix the sound issue (the issue being there is no sound).
Unfortunately, no. The only thing that seems to have happened is that the cursor gets really big now whenever it's over a window.
Still, if that's the only issue after upgrading, that's the best experience I've ever had upgrading from one Linux distro version to another, so kudos to Zorin for that.
@caiocgo@Vivaldi I also had similar problems with Firefox on #ZorinOS. I've been using Vivaldi for a few years but decided to keep it default after getting tired of punching the capitalist knife on the head and understanding that Google will always prioritize browsers based on Chromium.
Additionally, Vivaldi has great data privacy policies.
Since #ZorinOS 17 was released yesterday, I thought I’d take a look at what’s new in there, and if it can reclaim the crown for the most user friendly #Linux distro for beginners.
So, here is what I think about it in a little video:
Always fun to try out new Linux builds. Installed #ZorinOS in a VM and it looks pretty good. I've never seen Evolution (email prog) before but it's pretty slick!
A Linux distribution is a similar concept to a phone’s app store. It allows you to download software that’s pre-vetted. This reduces the chance that it’s malware and allows the different dependencies to work together to reduce redundancy. However, you MAY optionally get software OUTSIDE of the package manager and directly from the software’s developer, through universal systems such as Flatpak, AppImage, or Snaps.
If you get software from OUTSIDE the package manager, then you’ll have double dependencies which takes up space and causes some minor delay in starting up the program. Many in the Linux community argue and debate over if the delay, space, and security issues matter, or if it’s more important to have software that works across distributions and is released faster. The delay on Snaps is worse than others, leading SOME to criticize Ubuntu which heavily uses them. This is why Mint is a fork of Ubuntu but WITHOUT Snaps. Others point out that without universal package managers, it can take YEARS for new software to make it to distributions with slower release cycles such as Ubuntu and Mint.
A Linux distribution is NOT the way Linux LOOKS. That’s the desktop environment! So if you like a distro’s software, you can swap it for any other desktop environment than the default. For example Linux Mint’s “Cinnamon flavor” look, could be put on Debian or anything else! At the end of the day, distros DON’T matter that much and anything is better than Windows… even snaps =)
Here's something I thought might be kewl to add to the mix :)
Now, I haven't vetted, tested, trialed, or reviewed #ZorinOS, but I have skimmed reviews in the past and it gets decent marks.
As with anything, YMMV, and remember, most newer #distros in the contemporary space really expect the user to do things the way the maintainers have intended administration, care and feeding, and operation to be performed - each distro may have it's own particular methods that require a bit of a learning curve peculiar to those intentions...
Take multitasking to the next dimension with Zorin OS 17's Spatial Desktop. Enjoy a unique 3D workspace experience, enhanced multitasking tools, and a refined user interface.
Learn about the best new features: https://www.debugpoint.com/zorin-os-17-features/