Documenting the "No-Terminal" Journey: Feedback on New User Guides

Tutorials & Guides
,
1

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been a huge fan of Zorin OS for a while now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that many newcomers coming from Windows or macOS are often intimidated by the suggestion to "just use the terminal."

To help with this, I’ve been regularly creating guides specifically designed for "newbies." My slogan is "No Terminal Required"—I want to prove to the world that Zorin is so intuitive that you don’t need to touch a line of code to have a great experience.

Why I'm doing this: I believe that visibility is key. If a new user searches for a problem and finds a clear, friendly video guide, they feel supported and stay. My goal is to build a library of content that makes the transition as seamless as possible.

I’ve been creating some video guides specifically for "newbies" to help them feel at home without feeling like they need to be programmers.

I would love your honest feedback or criticism on this:

  • Do you think focusing on a "GUI-only" experience is helpful for adoption?

  • Are there specific "pain points" you’ve seen new users struggle with that I should cover?

  • If you have a moment to check out how I’m presenting Zorin, I’d deeply appreciate any tips on how I can improve the quality or accuracy of my guides to better serve the community.

You can find my documentation/videos here:

https://youtube.com/@thelinuxnoob-c8r?si=JVeRL_C0KJNkIvv6

I’m doing this purely to help the community grow, so please let me know if there’s anything I can do better. I'm always open to criticism!

A note to moderators/community:

I am genuinely not here to spam. My intention is purely to provide a resource that helps people choose and stay with Zorin OS. If this post violates any community guidelines, I sincerely apologize—please feel free to remove it and let me know, and I will refrain from posting it here again.

Best regards,

The Linux Noob

2 Likes
2

For the Beginning it can be helpful to have the Possibility to solve Stuff with a GUI Tool.

Because it is for new Users, I would see here setting up Time in a Dual-Boot System as an Example because there is the Terminal for a Command neccessary.

Another Point can be Drivers. You have the ''Additional Drivers'' Tab in Software & Updates. But sometimes using the Terminal to remove a Driver and install a newer/different one - especially in Case of Nvidia - can help.

1 Like
3

I would hope you would cover the pre-installation advice i.e. Before you install, which we keep repeating to new users, usually after they come to the forum for help after a installation issue.

2 Likes
4

That is fantastic feedback, thank you!

You hit the nail on the head with the Dual-Boot Time issue. That’s exactly the kind of 'hidden' hurdle that makes a new user feel like they must use the terminal. I’m actually looking into whether a GUI tool like 'LocalTime' or simple settings tweaks can fix that without the timedatectl command.

Regarding Nvidia Drivers, you're right—it can get messy. My goal is to see how far we can get using the 'Additional Drivers' tool and perhaps 'Software Store' fixes before the terminal becomes a necessity.

I’ll definitely prioritize videos on these two topics. If I can find a way to fix the Dual-Boot clock sync without the terminal, I’ll be sure to share it here!

1 Like
5

That is a brilliant point. We often focus so much on using the OS that we forget the most critical step is the foundation. I've seen so many people struggle with things like 'Safe Graphics' or 'Secure Boot' after it's already too late.

I’m going to create a 'Pre-Flight Checklist' video specifically for this. My goal is to make it a 'Watch this before you click Install' guide so we can reduce the number of people running into those common roadblocks.

If there are any other specific 'Golden Rules' you find yourself repeating to newbies, please list them! I want to make sure I don't miss a single one.

6

Switching between Wayland and Xorg would be another Thing what You could show. It is often neccessary to solve Issues. So, a quick Video how to switch could be a good Thing.

2 Likes
7

This is a cool idea and I liked the "2026 - Zorin OS — 2 Must-Have Apps to Make Your Linux Experience Better (No Terminal)" video a lot.

How I feel about using AI for the voice and external graphics:

Probably you did so to for convenience reasons. Clear sounding voice-over, and less effort for getting graphics thus having more videos done in a shorter amount of time. 6 videos in 6 days isn't bad eh? : )

My only gripe:
I'm not a fan of AI generated voices and graphics. Inherently it lacks authenticity. And I'm philosophically opposed to the usage of AI graphics due to scraping without permission and license fees.

And I don't want to normalize hiding behind AI, even when it's just innocent. It is easy to hide behind in the case of malicious intent, making it a powerful tool for states to spread misleading information, which is constantly happening State-sponsored Internet propaganda - Wikipedia.

Maybe it's my demographic (20-25 year-old), but I'd like people to not be afraid to come off as amateur. It results in better content. I'm more inclined to watch someone's video with a thick accent, hard cadence, and horrible mic quality than an AI voice. One of my favorite Youtubers, LinuxRenaissance, has a very thick Croatian accent but I wouldn't wish it any different. I see it as part of his persona. I can't tell at all what your persona is like because AI is so generic. I want to know what kind of person you are, even if it's just subtle.

Some tips:

And if your microphone is really that bad: OBS can use your phone as microphone with various methods (not limited to these 2 examples): Using Your Phone as Camera and Mic in Ubuntu
WO Mic - FREE microphone

If you practice reading your own scripts you might actually gain some skills in pronounciation over time.

By the way you write, you seem to have a very good understanding of the English language grammatically, but are perhaps shy to use your voice due to pronunciation difficulties or you feel like your microphone is not good enough.

Or your post is written with the help of AI as well (I could definitely be wrong). These dashes: "—" give me the ick since it's very common in AI generate slop (not saying your content is slop, the substance is good, just saying that I appreciate transparency and imperfection more than hiding behind AI tools.

Maybe I'm just showing my age here

I preferred when when flawed but authentic was preferred.

2 Likes
8

Hi - what a great post and great responses as well! I'm newish to linux and I'm old in years. I did the big move only a month ago so it's quite fresh.

The terminal was only scary when there wasn't a "recipe" to follow. Maybe a few - "Get this done on terminal the quick and easy way..." videos would demystify the process and build confidence. Specific topic videos will come up on searches too so the viewer has a problem and here is the solution. Lots of short videos are better than a couple of long ones.

Good luck.

1 Like
9

Use of terminal to solve problems is common on linux forums, as command line/s are easier to create and can then be cut-and-past by the user without error. That compared to a storyboard of step-by-step GUI screenshots.
Maybe video is a better medium for GUI based instruction than a largely text and image based forum. The two can be considered of equal usefulness.

1 Like
10

This is a great idea. I've been using Zorin for almost 3 months now, first time Linux user, too. The only time I've had to use the terminal so far has been to install MS Word fonts, but the instructions from Zorin were clear and easy to follow. I've been able to do everything else I've needed to do from the GUI.

1 Like