Today I’ve put an end to my distro-hopping: I’ve realized that with Zorin, I feel right at home.
I’m coming from KDE Plasma; swept up in the fear of missing out, you start to believe that extreme customization is the key to getting your computer exactly how you want it. But that’s a lie—a pipe dream. Plasma overwhelms you with menus full of endless options, yet it’s neither intuitive nor capable of tweaking every aesthetic detail.
Cinnamon is robust and pleasant, but a bit dated for my taste.
There are other GNOME-based options, but they feel off, too; the fact that active workspaces are the first thing to appear feels strange. They lack polish and fail to offer the user a welcoming feel.
Zorin is clean and clear. I think it’s the only system that boots up without those cascades of text that make distros feel stale—giving them that Windows 3.11 look. You just see the logo. Simplistic? Maybe, but it’s a pulsing logo, not text. Zorin tells you, "This is what it is. If you like it, great; if not, no hard feelings. You’ll be back." And here I am—like the prodigal son.
I have to disagree on the lack of text scrolling by on the screen or a lack of a GRUB menu that prevents you from choosing an older kernel when your machine fails to boot following a kernel update.
One of the great things about GNU/Linux in general is it offers you choice. Sadly the Gnome project is evolving into what RedHat always dreamed it would be, the Microslop of the GNU/Linux world. Gnome has whittled away at user preferences and customisation:
An interesting thread if you have time to read it all.
One area where Gnome and KDE are failing on is the adoption of Wayland over xorg or XLibre, as Wayland is far from being ready for the end consumer. Fine for Enterprise use for complete lockdown, but not for the end user. The number of forum posts on here where users were experiencing difficulty after Zorin's adoption of Wayland as first choice of screen protocol, hidden by the cog (at least in KDE Plasma you can see what display protocol is in use at the login screen.)
There is something to be said about old ways of doing things. It means they are usually known to work well, are stable, and solid, like Synaptic Package Manager. Zorin used to include Synaptic by default. Decent distros include it and some replace it over Software Channels completely (PCLOS, PCLOS Debian, Devuan).
Where Plasma is going wrong is continual updates of the versions of Plasma. For me the best version of Plasma has been 5.27.
Just like Gnome which Zorin uses, Widgets written for 5 don't work the same in 6, such as Tiled Menu by Chris (who has dropped the moniker, 'zren').
As @Aravisian has stated elsewhere, Gnome keep pushing newer shells out that are detrimental to existing Extensions with no consultation with authors of Extensions. I remember checking for looking at an Extension in a VM of Zorin 18 using Extension Manager and there are more instances of 'not available as will not work with this version of Gnome' than ones that will!
I have come to a standstill in that I won't go beyond Plasma 6.3.6. I might not be around anyway, who knows what the grim future holds when false flags are on the increase.
I might just ditch it for an xfce DE in due course.
There is another crowd we can look at for comparison: Gaming.
I will preface this with a reminder that gaming is Entertainment.
In gaming, especially Early Access games, there often are extensive modding communities. Mods are akin to extensions in this ecosystem.
Independent modifications to underlying code that change, add features or increase quality of life and functionality.
In E.A, gaming, this often is a trial in frustration. Game developers release patches or updates that break mods. Mods must recook or resubmit to catch up. Modders can get fed up and abandon a mod or game before final release - or after final release, due to frequent breakage of unpaid work.
This leaves users out in the cold - unable to launch a favorite title until an unknown party has time and inclination to redo their work on behalf of some other unknown party.
This is frustrating and annoying, but still Not Critical because games are Entertainment.
The clincher is: Most Game Developers, particularly Early Access look at this as an opportunity to improve the base product so that it does not need mods.
Mods fill in gaps. Supply function or features; In short, what the developer failed to include.
Over time, most titles will incorporate the ideas mods offered into the base game, in order to improve it.
D.E.'s, like Gnome, on a Critical System that the end user relies on to immediately work and cannot wait on third parties that may or may not release an update go the opposite direction and dump features from the base product onto the modding community (Extension developers).
It Makes No Sense.