My Last Zorin Experiment

[That Fool Pool Man]

So. Windows 11 seriously steals it's look from Zorin Linux. It's like 'not as slick' Zorin. So if my year old Mini PC won't get 11, I have 4 choices --

1. Use Windows 10 and get moderate updates till 2025
2. Force update the Mini to 11 and see how that goes
3. Install Zorin now and see how that goes, because eventually that's where this story ends anyway
4. If #3 fails, consider just unloading the Mini PC now

The problem is over a year ago I really tried to switch a previous (slightly inferior) Mini PC to Zorin and Ubuntu Mate and they simply weren't stable. Linux folks say, hey, the great thing about Linux is you can tweak to your heart's content. Yes. But what that can mean is since the base OS is constantly kinda breaking -- you have to learn how to tweak a lot.

But there's a new Zorin (16) and I figured, you know what? I will NOT tweak this one. I will not install any new apps (except Psensor because it's critical for me to know the CPU temps). Otherwise it's factory. I won't even install Chrome or the like. Firefox. The computer will mostly be a browser portal. When Software Updater asks to update, I'll let it.

The posting date of this thread is like a stopwatch starting. Let's see how stable this new Zorin is.

 

[davehc]

"So. Windows 11 seriously steals it's look from Zorin Linux"

I am not a linux user, but I was tempted to try Zorin back in the windows 8 days.

<but I am not sure if your quoted remark is correct.. I think, originally, the Zorin producers deliberately copied the Windows (then) layout to attract customers from Windows to Linux.
Since then both have developed their interfaces individually.
Nevertheless, even then I was impressed with Zorin - just a few too many new hoops to jump through.

 

[That Fool Pool Man]

"So. Windows 11 seriously steals it's look from Zorin Linux"

I am not a linux user, but I was tempted to try Zorin back in the windows 8 days.

<but I am not sure if your quoted remark is correct.. I think, originally, the Zorin producers deliberately copied the Windows (then) layout to attract customers from Windows to Linux.
Since then both have developed their interfaces individually.
Nevertheless, even then I was impressed with Zorin - just a few too many new hoops to jump through.

Hi DaveHC,

Yes. This a confusing topic. Most Linux distros pride themselves in being Windows like. But the thing is these days, with some distros like Zorin, they also other flavors of desktops at the same time. In the case of Zorin there are many flavors. But one that they offer existed before Windows 11's look. That was the one I liked before anyone knew of Windows 11.

I'm not a top secret Linux troll, in case anyone is wondering. I anticipate 98% odds that this system will, once again, break itself, within the month.

Windows 11's pathetic debut half-inspires me away from Windows for good -- BUT -- every time I boot 10 I don't hold my breath that something might break. I'm that person that updates almost every cumulative ASAP and runs an SFC each time. That second action has made my PCs run nearly flawless. Every buggy PC I've ever fixed as 'integrity violations' from lack of running SFCs.

So the (sad) computing choices at the moment are --

1. Terribly expensive Macs that you better by AppleCare for or wish you did -- that are pretty stable.
2. Delightful PCs in all flavors and prices -- with a half baked regressive Win 11 environment -- that will be otherwise stable after a few updates
3. Linux on PCs with its instability and app limitations and questionable security

Nice

 

[Garyw]

So. Windows 11 seriously steals it's look from Zorin Linux. It's like 'not as slick' Zorin. So if my year old Mini PC won't get 11, I have 4 choices --

And I thought that W11 is trying to be a Mac! I have an older Mac, and when I first powered up W11 my first thoughts were that Microsoft has dumbed it down and copied the Mac look of 2015. Even the the start menu is similar, without the "recommended" crap on the bottom.

 

[davehc]

Said it so many times. It has become a boring subject. No problems at all with Windows 11.
yes, a couple of things have been moved around, no big deal. I have seen worse in subsequent updates to third party programs.
My much more relevant comment is that I see so little difference in its operation and contents, I could hardly recommend it to others

 

[That Fool Pool Man]

So for spits and giggles I wanted to show how one of the interfaces of Zorin is Windows 11 cleaned up. Above you see something looking a LOT like 11, but remember -- this look significantly predates 11. Note that the Time and Date (on the right) are much easier to read.

Now. A Firefox annoyance is that you can NOT pin webpages as progressive apps to the 'taskbar'. This is what I do with all computers now, so that my Android 'stuff' is sitting right in front of me. Normally I'd add Chrome to Zorin and do it that way -- but this exercise is to (most likely prove) that Linux itself is too unstable. (Thought I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.) So I can only use apps pre-installed and therefore pre-approved.

So I asked myself how to have my Gmail, Messages, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Keep, Maps and Translate super handy. I first made them all tabs, so that, whenever I booted Firefox everything was ready. But this Mini has a Celeron chip and that takes time.

So instead I tabbed 3 items and put the rest in... what might be called... the Firefox 'taskbar'. Elegant solution because none of those will open unless I ask them to. Perfect.

On the left is this flavor of Zorin's START MENU. When you hit it you see this --



Do you see how it offers MORE apps than Windows and it's silly RECOMMEND area? And also you can scroll and see the rest of your apps, like an Android app drawer. Instead of clicking 'all apps'. And the search is typeable and ready but lovely and low key.

Finally, there is the elegant and clean Zorin 'explorer'.



There are other ways to show this window but the controls are masterfully tucked away... right in front of your eyes (top right of window).

I'm not saying Windows has to look like this. I'm saying it's APPALLING that this silly little distro does and Windows is still trying to figure this sort of thing out.

How hard is it to hire these guys?

 

[That Fool Pool Man]

... and the piece of ---t is broken! It only took 22 hours! So doing as little to the system as possible made NO difference.

So I'm using their software store. A weblink to an app opened a BROKEN weird DOUBLE window in Firefox. See that BLUE SQUARE I drew? In Linux you can see a second 'broken' Firefox window open in that space, but the Screencap software isn't sure if something is there or not.



So okay I took 3 pics of this phenomenon. I know Linux Zealots would come up with some reason why it's Mozilla's fault. Right? Do you know Linux people. I do. That's just what they'd say. So I say, okay then so, so why did the Screencap software OR Zorin create thumbnails of these pics that are incomplete.





See how the bottom portions are GREY? But the images captured are not. And so there's two bugs in one in under 24 hours. This will cue the Linux Faithful to say, "You should be using Mint!" or "Debian!" or any other number of distros. Yet THIS Zorin distro is highly respected and I promise you no one but NOBODY will admit it's fuggy as bucking hell!

So for those who are considering Linux -- SPOILER -- DON'T.

 

[davehc]

"Note that the Time and Date (on the right) are much easier to read."

Windows 11. NO hacks, just early customising


Cant comment on your Firefox para - I don't use it.

"Do you see how it offers MORE apps than Windows and it's silly RECOMMEND area?"

My "Recommended", by default in a fresh install, shows 40 icons. I can pin more if I wish. You can scroll down to see the others.








And Windows Explorer - default