A suggestion for Zorin OS's future: considering a Cinnamon edition

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Hi everyone,

I'd like to share a thought about the future of Zorin OS, and I'm curious to hear what the community and the Zorin team think about it.

The context

We're facing a major shift in the Linux desktop landscape. GNOME 50 will be Wayland-only, and both KDE Plasma and COSMIC DE are heading in the same direction. While Wayland has improved over the years, it still lacks mature equivalents for essential X11 tools like xdotool, wmctrl, reliable multi-monitor support, and proper window management scripting — things that power users and sysadmins rely on daily.

For many of us, X11 isn't nostalgia — it's a functional requirement.

The opportunity

Linux Mint and the Cinnamon DE team have clearly stated their commitment to maintaining X11 support for the foreseeable future, and rightly so. Cinnamon is stable, lightweight, and pragmatic. However, it lacks the visual polish and accessibility that makes Zorin OS so special — particularly for users migrating from Windows or macOS.

The suggestion

Zorin OS has already demonstrated its ability to take a solid base (GNOME) and transform it into something beautiful, accessible, and user-friendly. Could the same magic be applied to Cinnamon?

A Zorin OS Cinnamon Edition could offer:

  • The stability and X11 commitment of Cinnamon ✓
  • The visual polish and theming that Zorin is known for ✓
  • A safe haven for users who need X11 reliability ✓
  • A strong alternative as GNOME/KDE/COSMIC abandon X11 ✓

This wouldn't replace the existing GNOME-based Zorin — it would complement it, targeting a specific audience that will grow significantly as Wayland-only DEs become the norm.

Why now?

2029 may seem far away, but desktop environments take years to mature. If this direction is worth exploring, now is the right time to start the conversation — before the X11 refugees have no choice but to go elsewhere.

I believe Zorin OS is uniquely positioned to fill this gap. The talent is there, the reputation is there, and the need will be there.

Would love to hear your thoughts — and hopefully those of the Zorin team! :folded_hands:

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Hi, Cinnamon is OK but I still prefer Plasma. Having said that, PCLOS Debian dev Upgreyed has announced that all bookworm and trixie .isos have been updated with XLibre to replace X11/xorg ... and they have a Cinnamon .iso (and xfce).

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PCLOS don't want to loose X11 users, and they are for now on the right way... I agree for KDE plasma but the will offer Wayland only, like Gnome...

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Not until the Cinnamon team fixes the memory leaks in their DE. Cinnamon DE is the worst DE for gaming due to unfixed issues in GTK3.

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I putted this in the Feedback Category. It is a Discussion, yes but also a Suggestion. So, I think this is the right Place for it.

To the Topic: I understand the Arguements and I don't find them wrong. But there would be the Question: Why using Zorin Cinnamon instead of Linux Mint? Yes, Zorin could visually polish the whole Thing. But would that be enough to convince Users to use Zorin Cinnamon instead of Linux Mint? I would doubt that to be honest.

I could be wrong and it could be a great Success, sure. But I think it would be better to simply keep Zorin Lite instead. There would be a Lightweight Desktop and X11 Support, too. But like we know, Zorin will stop it.

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It could be a stripped down version. Now Mint Cinnamon comes with everything and the kitchen sink. A polished slim version would be nice, that could be the gab to fill.
But again there's still major issues with Cinnamon performance due to the things I mentioned earlier.

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I agree and that's why I'm not on Mint, but Cinnamon will progress in future I think

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Aravisian once wrote that Cinnamon desktop on Zorin worked better than Cinnamon on Linux Mint and didn't slow down over time. Maybe it is only a Mint problem?

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It could be, when I will have time I will test on another PC with Zorin 18

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Would Vanilla Cinnamon come with less Stuff? I took a Look at Vanilla Cinnamon on Debian in the Past but I don't really remember on Details.

The Linux Mint default Setup is a themed Cinnamon and not the Vanilla Desktop as far as I know.

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You could also test PCLOS Debian Cinnamon. :wink:

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That Wayland is being pushed a sole Display Protocol when still unready demonstrates a short-sighted leadership in Linux.

This is a critical point often lost in the GnuLinux "Latest and greatest" rage.

Why use Gnome or XFCE when other Distro's use those?
This statement does not logically follow. All distro's use the current desktop environments.

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It is not directly ''other Distro's''. The Linux Mint Team develop the Cinnamon Desktop, too. And they offer a Distro with it on an up-to-date Status. And they do that really well which is the Reason why Linux Mint counts as a primary Choice when entering Linux.

That is strong Competition. So, Zorin would have to offer something. With the current used Gnome Desktop, it offers something in Form of the built-in Extensions, the Setup and the Theming. When it would be with Cinnamon only a Theming Thing - so, when it would have the Zorin Look - I don't know if this would be convincing enough.

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ZorinGroup does not develop Cosmic. Or Gnome. They do not develop Plasma or XFCE.

Cinnamon does offer applets and extensions as well as many ways of including custom actions.
It is diverse and versatile.

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That is not quite accurate. Artix stopped shipping Gnome DE from June of last year because of what Gnome Project is doing.
PCLOS Debian does not offer Gnome but does have a MATE .iso (what Gnome used to be before all the different Gnome Shells came into being.

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What I said is 100% accurate.
At no point did I say all distros use Gnome. I said that distros generally use the available desktop environments; few develop their own in-house.
So arguing that a distro would have not advantage in using a desktop environment maintained elsewhere is not logical. Especially given that Zorin OS already does this.

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Oops! My bad (misreading).

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it happen :wink:

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Usually I am the one missing a sentence or misreading, so I am claiming the win until next year.

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And I don't deny that. But if Zorin would only offer a themed Cinnamon, it would be not much. When they would offer like now different Desktop Layout Presets this would be something. It might be possible to set that up manually but then You cpould get that with one Click in Zorin Appearance.

But anyway I'm not a big Fan of Cinnamon. It is functional, yes. But I don't like the Menu Structure and Handling of it. I will look what Singularity Desktop will be. I hope it will not be too complicated to built. I never did something like that.