Concerns about release schedule - Future of Zorin

Chat about Zorin
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Hi,

is there any insides about the planned release path? I compared older Zorin versions to the Ubuntu Base release dates:

Zorin Base delay waiting (buffer)
Zorin 12 (Ubuntu 16.04) +7 months later -17 months untill next LTS
Zorin 15 (Ubuntu 18.04) +14 months later -10 months until next LTS
Zorin 16 (Ubuntu 20.04) +18 months later -6 months until next LTS
Zorin 17 (Ubuntu 22.04) +20 months later -4 months until next LTS
Zorin 18 (?? if Ubu 24.04) ?? +22 months later ?? -2 months until next LTS

So Zorin 17 can be a chance or a lost cause. At a point reliability and stability becomes a farce and it's more a server distro and not for daily use with modern hardware cause it becomes a hassle to migrate to stable versions, when the Ubuntu base repository is outdated.

Disclaimer im a fan and i hope they'll don't proceed like that cause it would be out of my usecase. The last 6 months i stick with POP_OS! cause Zorin 16 got to outdated for me and if i need to tinker with a distro to make it working i could stick with the mainline Ubu or even a rolling release distro.

Edit: So im eager to see if a Zorin 17.x version will migrate to Ubu 24.04. :slight_smile:

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That would be a really big Surprise. But I don't think that they will do this. For Zorin 17 I would say it takes a longer Time because the didn't use Gnome 42 and integrate Gnome 43 and the Gnome 45 Software Center.

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But the problem right now is that a new LTS release comes every 2 years but zorin take 2 months longer (compared over the last releases). So with every major release the actuality falls and if they stick with it, there will be a time where there is a newer LTS released before the zorin release (more than 2 years behind). So they can try to reduce the time to the next deployment and probably have more bugs or hold a release back, so they can develop on a newer release so it's only +6 months behind. Right now it feels like a lost marathon cause we are nearly 2 years behind :sweat_smile:

And if you look for Zorins weakpoints it`s not the stability, nor the design or performance. It's the hardware support and supported library versions. Otherwise it's just the discussion between bleeding edge purists and Ubuntu hater, who would never go for Zorin anyways. :smiley:

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I don't think that whatever delay there is between the Ubuntu and corresponding ZorinOS releases is an issue. What I care about is having a system that is reliable, intuitive and easy to work with. I'm still fine with ZorinOS 16 so I'll stick to it for as long as I can. Once it becomes necessary, I'll re-evaluate my alternatives. Although I will probably install ZorinOS 17 for new machines.

Every one should evaluate their needs. Some people think they need the latest and greatest while they don't, it's just the FOMO syndrome kicking in. Others do actually need it, which is fine, there are other distributions that provide that.

I do wish the developers were more active in letting us know what's going on behind the scenes and of course, a faster development cycle, but I don't feel like I'm losing anything by not updating as often as I could.

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Everyone’s use case is different. For me, I have purchased 17Pro but haven’t installed it other than a VM. 16.3 Pro still runs in my little ecosystem perfectly and with beauty and grace.

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Would a zorin utility to select the kernel be a good idea ? We could move to a newer kernel and satisfy those who need a more recent kernel for their hardware. Many distros have such tools and it saves those with hardware constraint to compile themself their kernel or go to another distro . Just thinking :thinking:

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Zorin OS has the clear goal of becoming an alternative to major operating systems like Windows. To that end, it has a Windows-like taskbar (design), high performance, and no blue screen (stability). It is unavoidable that the priority of supporting the latest hardware will be lowered.

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Interesting points so far!

I share especially @zenzen point about more transparency about the release date and features - wouldn't have the discussions later about EOL Kernel, unsatisfied customers cause a late purchase of Zorin 16 Pro or distro hopping cause there is no news about what's next. All in all it's just less speculation and even when they change features or dates later - i still would prefer some news.

The main thing im thinking about is what is Zorins main product now and will it change from Core/Pro to Lite? If you use old hardware and use Zorin mainly for Office and Web you are totally fine. But the thing is to be Windows-like you have to support many applications (that's good with .deb and flatpak), latest driver (could be better) and support gaming (libraries, wine - not so good especially later). Windows is not about swapping to better solutions depending on your usecase. And NO i dislike Windows - especially cause privacy.

The thing is Zorin could make things a bit better. And for me Zorin 17 Pro was more of a disapointment mainly cause they don't improve their initial Setup dialogue. I think they don't even had the question about office vendor - do you want Libre or OnlyOffice (like in Zorin 16). They could make a initial setup dialogue about wayland or X11 (i had many struggles with wayland atm.) and a checkbar for desireable applications. So it's not like take all applications we picked for you or go for minimal and install/delete them later by yourself. Im thinking here mainly about Garuda Assistent, who made that even for Arch-user. They wouldn't need it as much compared to the daily Zorin user (that's no hate im a Noob :wink: ). And WIndows way to dictate you should use our Windows Apps wasn't great.

And than we have the Kernel issue (hardware support) and i hope they found some solutions, that made it better for all like an older mainline but you can opt for a newer.

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I could not agree more Zenzen! There is not a single reason that I can think of, that I need OS 17 right now. Perhaps when OS 16 reaches end of life for support updates, then I will upgrade to OS 17. If I recall, OS 16 end of life support is 2025 correct?

Having said that, I want to make it clear, that I remember what it was like when I originally installed OS 16 on my 10th generation Intel computer, I had problems due to outdated kernal that came with OS 16. This forced me to use POP OS for some time.

Months later the Zorin team finally updated OS 16, I think it was in their 16.1 version, with an very important updated kernal. Literally just jumping up one kernel version number, solved all the problems, and allowed my full functionality of my new computer.

So, if somebody is buying a brand new computer in 2024, as in a computer released next month for example, I'd see how they would run into issues regarding kernel. But if folks are patient, in a couple months, OS 17 should be updated with the next kernel, and that will most certainly be compatible with a latest machine.

I watched the CES trade show video's from LTT, and I've seen some pretty cool designed and powerful laptop computer's from MSI with Nvidia 4080's in them, pretty exciting time for laptop gamer's, production artists. But with great power comes great responsibility, and those 400 watt power bricks are no joke lol.

So back on topic, as long as you are not buying one of these brand new computers from CES next month, I think the current OS 17 kernel will do. No need to have the latest and greatest kernel's, unless you really need them.

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Correct, in April 2025 so we still have a little over a year of support.

The goal of ZorinOS is not to be Windows-like, but to be an alternative to Windows and MacOS, maintaining the familiar interface so that the transition is simple. The focus is on balancing simplicity and usability.

It is true that many people have come to expect that they can do everything on the same system, but even then it's normal to have to at least research if your machine supports this or that driver.
There also isn't the same amount of pressure of having to provide a system that works for 65~75% of the market, so it focuses on a more targeted audience which are mostly people looking to get away from Windows. I would even argue that most of those people don't have the latest hardware available so chances are that ZorinOS will run just fine.

I'm not so sure about that. Microsoft likes to impose arbitrary hardware requirements for their newer versions of Windows so that people are forced to buy new devices. Same story with Internet Explorer, back in the day, or Edge.
Their strategy is to create artificial restrictions so that you can't use better solutions, thereby highlighting the importance of using better solutions... This is how I got into Linux in the first place, and in fact it's how I manage to convince others to try Linux for the first time :smiley:

This circles back to the point above where Windows likes to tell you how things should be. And there's actually value in that especially for those who are not very tech-savvy or are using a computer for the first time.
Coming from Windows and/or seeing a Linux system for the first time, how would you even know how to pick between LibreOffice or OnlyOffice? Wayland or X11? Gnome or XFCE? UFW or Firewalld? Etc, etc.

Some distributions like OpenSUSE offer a prompt during installation which I really like, but for a beginner-friendly distribution that aims to be simple and intuitive that's not all that useful. Although maybe it's worth including this option in the installer for Pro. It adds a little more value to it, and it'd be a welcoming middle ground between the minimal and full installation.

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I don't think there is a Problem. You still get Updates for Ubuntu 22 - even when Ubuntu 24 is released. So, when Zorin 17 with (the still supported) Ubuntu 22 Base runs without Problems on a PC so the OS itself is not problematic.

Now could be the individual Programs maybe a Problem. This is simple, too. You can download the Software directly from the Developer so You have the up-to-date Version or - if available - You can use the Flatpak Version from the Gnome Software Store.

The Kernel. There is a Thing that to seperate: Do You NEED a newer Kernel or do You WANT a newer Kernel. So, here I can say that from the Beginning: When Your System runs, it runs. So, You don't need a newer Kernel. And if You really need one, you could use Ubuntu Mainline and install a newer One.

When You are in the Situation that You often have new Hardware Stuff so You are maybe in The Situation that You need a newer Kernel. Then You could use Ubuntu Mainline or You shouldn't use a LTS Distro. Then maybe this is not the right Concept for Your Use Case.

In this Case you could use a Distro like Fedora. It is ... I would call it ... an In-Between Thing between LTS and STS/Rolling Release. And when You want to have the newest Stuff You can use Arch or Manjaro. But there You have to life with the Bugs.

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In my case i mean it after the installation as a welcome-guide popup during first bootup. If i speak about my first experience with Linux: I don't know about many Linux applications and the default app selections from pro wasn't that fitting but i didn't know it better right than.
It's true the software center has a overview too. But i enjoyed a setup option as a "hey check this out and pick some you like from our selection" - it's a decission for a software and so you don't start from scratch or got anything you don't want (as "bloatware"). You are free to pick any kind of app you like from gnome, xfce or kde and look for what's best for you. The new Zorin feature that seems about window positioning ??(don't investigate it for now) seems way more advanced than a short categorized list with a oneliner as description in comparison. Im not a fan to hold back information and a expert doesn't need a helper ulility for the first setup, a newbie need some more tipps to enjoy a personal experience fitting his needs. So i hope maybe they'll tune the setup like you said, no problems beeing part of the pro version. Pro version should be as support for development and reducing some time, without restricting core user.

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Mmm, yeah, it's just a tricky thing to balance. A lot of people new to Linux already complain about too many distributions, which to choose, etc. There are also many alternatives for each software, and not always with an intuitive name that describes what they do.

For someone in that position, I think it's better to give them a set of defaults that work well, and let them explore the ecosystem if they feel the need to change things up.

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Here is a great video that instructs on the best things you want to do, after installing Zorin OS 16/17.

I did most of those on my OS 16.3 installation, made a real difference for me.

PSA: This just in as of 3-days ago. If you are using AdBlock+ on your Internet browser, and suddenly YouTube is running incredibly slow it's lagging, disable your ad blocker on YouTube only, this fix works for me, and everyone else too, as indicated on Reddit.

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