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1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

blog.zorin.com

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Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#71

Post by prmoustache »

more_corn wrote: post #25
bee_rider wrote: post #5

They have a very slick and professional looking webpage. Is it weird that that makes me wary? I’m used to the best distros having webpages that look like a wiki or a professor’s website.

I’m used to Linux having a user experience that looks like a wiki or a professor’s website. At this point Linux is stable and works and is reliable. It just usually looks jankey. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the zorin desktop experience reminded me of a professional OS.

What kind of OS are you calling professional?

Solaris is dying, Irix last release was in 2006, is nowhere to be seen, all that is left is AIX and HP-UX but their available desktops are the very same you find on Linux and the BSDs

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#72

Post by cosmic_cheese »

trelane wrote: post #49
cosmic_cheese wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More than other distros, Zorin markets (and has marketed) itself as Windows-like, which probably elevates it in search rankings and LLM queries for people looking for a distro that more closely mirrors what they’re familiar with. People really, really want a “Windows, but just the good parts” with as little deviation and required learning as possible in terms of desktop experience. A distro with a DE that nearly perf…

So... modern Lindows? Hopefully it goes better for them than it went for Lindows. Though at least the name isn't lawsuit bait.

Kinda. Lindows didn't resemble Windows as closely as its name might suggest and played with fire with its naming. Ideally this new distro would have a custom built DE made to be as close as possible visually and functionally, yet legally distinct (which a skilled designer can easily pull off) and would not tie the branding to Microsoft or Windows in any way.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#73

Post by jackvalentine »

I’m looking for a replacement OS for my mother in law whose computer is aging out of Windows 10 support. I’m glad to see slick distributions like this trying to fill that gap.

That said her requirements are _so_ simple that Debian with Chromium would probably satisfy 100% of her requirements which are ‘download documents from gmail and print them’.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#74

Post by api »

Someone1234 wrote: post #60

I've been a Windows user since 3.1; and I've even defended Microsoft in the past (particularly when they made unpopular choices, but for technically correct reasons, like UAC or forcing vendors to rewrite their drivers into userland or using a safer driver model). BUT, I won't defend Windows 11 and Microsoft's general direction. I feel like there has been a slow cultural shift within Microsoft, from a core of fantast…

A big concern I have for the industry is what happens as people who truly understand how this stuff works age out. Unfortunately we seem to have stopped replacing them.

Part of the issue is that computers today require no deep knowledge to use, unlike first or second generation PCs that genX and millennials grew up with. So you’re not getting as many people with this knowledge.

Just as significant I think is the prevalence of lucrative work higher up the stack. Why learn deep system internals when slinging JS and wiring together APIs pays as much or more.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#75

Post by prmoustache »

gregoryl wrote: post #22
XorNot wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is Gnome have really committed themselves to screwing up UI paradigms. I'd be much less happy with Linux if Cinnamon DE didn't exist because that's essentially a Windows like experience without the BS. Conversely the default Gnome desktop is awful IMO. Taskbar, start button and menus all have decades of proven effectiveness, no one needed to mess with them just get the details right (e.g. fonts and intera…

It took me a week or so to get used to Gnome, and now I find Windows 11 (and KDE) frustrating!

Same here I switched to Gnome many years ago and even the newest windows and macos desktop feel old and non user-friendly in comparison.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#76

Post by nehal3m »

casey2 wrote: post #66

One thing that's important but rarely mentioned in discussions like these is how many Windows users even have experience working on unix systems these days? I feel like they are in for a rude awakening if they assume every OS is like windows

If all you do is start a browser and maybe an e-mail client then for the majority of users it will be like Windows.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#77

Post by preisschild »

Someone1234 wrote: post #60

I've been a Windows user since 3.1; and I've even defended Microsoft in the past (particularly when they made unpopular choices, but for technically correct reasons, like UAC or forcing vendors to rewrite their drivers into userland or using a safer driver model). BUT, I won't defend Windows 11 and Microsoft's general direction. I feel like there has been a slow cultural shift within Microsoft, from a core of fantast…

> arly when they made unpopular choices, but for technically correct reasons, like UAC or forcing vendors to rewrite their drivers into userland or using a safer driver model

Also UEFI and TPM requirements. And i don't even use Windows.

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#78

Post by k_roy »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #64
k_roy wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$50 seems cheap for what they have probably put tons of money into to have consistent theming, in terms of both actual aesthetic and functionally. I say this as someone getting annoyed daily by KDE inconsistencies over decades.

I have never used Zorin or its theme changer, but I strongly doubt it's much better than what can be accomplished by installing a third party theme, which are never that good and only resemble the mimicked operating systems in the broadest of strokes.

Shrug? Our experiences have been totally different then.

I bought an older version of Zorin, probably 15 or 16, to review for a blog, and I was totally impressed with the consistency of the theming.

To each their own, but Zorin is a cheap on-ramp for people coming from older Windows/Mac and looking for a somewhat apples-to-apples experience of Windows or Mac, with actual updates and not a bunch of ads or telemetry.

Not everyone is a Linux power user

Re: 1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18

#80

Post by VadimPR »

bee_rider wrote: post #5

They have a very slick and professional looking webpage. Is it weird that that makes me wary? I’m used to the best distros having webpages that look like a wiki or a professor’s website.

If you know what a distro is, and that distro is most trustworthy when the website looks unappealing, chances are you don't need to be convinced of benefits of Linux!
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