The trick to a fairly quick and easy installation is some preparation ahead of time. I have been fortunate recently in getting a couple of extra desktop computers. So I have been playing around with installing and trying other distros. But I have always ended up coming back to Zorin for my daily use. I can install Zorin 16 core in about an hour.
As Aravsian posted it takes about 30 to 35 minutes for the operating system to install if you install it as dual boot on a regular HD. Then I install Brave as my browser and after it is installed I then use the sync function to copy my favorites and passwords to the new PC. I then may or may not install my email client depending on what I am planning to do with the PC. But even if I install my email I can still be done with the basics in about an hour.
Of course if there are other programs I want to install other than what already comes installed then it will take some more time to install them. But most of what I use is already installed in the core version of Zorin.
If you install Zorin as dual boot with Windows, Zorin makes it easy to access the files you have on the Windows side. But of course you should always make a back up of any files you don't want to lose before doing anything.
I don't count time what something working fast or low. If this is good why not waiting? This is something like a chief a company try sayed a people working a faster:)
For me, dual-boot of Win and Zorin has been a great way of learning linux and doing things on ZorinOS whilst allowing me time to find alternative linux app's for windows ones. I still need Windows for one or two things, but most I can now do on Zorin. There has been no mad rush (yet) to switch completely.
As for ZorinOS being based on Ubuntu. I just consider that "Value Added".
I'll try my best to define what makes linux distros individual, although there may be many things that I'm missing out or not putting across well.
Package management and software access.
-Most distros have their own package managements and dependencies, which act as a controlling factor to what is available to you as a user. Zorin and Manjaro, for example, have a lot of different default software easily accessible to them as default, as zorin use apt and manjaro use pacman. Debian are known to have the highest number of packages readily avaible apparantly - but that is not necessarily going to help or be something you even need.
Desktop environments
-Every distro, unless it is server variant has a DE. Whatever DE you choose impacts the look, feel and use. They vary greatly and have differing features.
Drivers, graphics drivers
-every distro has access to varying drivers in their kernel, depending on how 'bleeding edge' or 'conservative and stable' they are. This is important for your hardware compatibility.
Future plans
-Most distro have a set number of principles that they attempt to follow and develop towards.. For example, TAIL is written in such a way that the distro can be used as an entirely anonymous usb stick that works off of any computer and saves no data on that computer to ensure anonymity. Debian are a stable and entirely conservative. So ensure released software is entirely bug free. Red Hat are designed entirely for workstations or servers, so design their distro with low resource usage, no or limited GUI and network/server priviliges and security. Arco are designed in mind to be a 'do it yourself' distro, so that you have the choice precisly what packages you want a point of install, to make sure your PC is not bloated with useless software that you'll never use. Zorin give access to many science, learning and schooling type packages, and have designed their own DE which although based of of gnome is entirely not gnome like, unless you choose the gnome type appearance in the options they have provided.
The list is not exhaustive, and there is much more to be said about all of the points already listed.
If you do not have the ability to find this out for yourself in the massive library of information that is the internet, then linux is definitely not for you, as its mentality is purely down to finding out stuff for yourself and doing things for yourself.
so if a program is not available in the repository how do I install it? so I use KiCad, supported by many distro's (Download | KiCad EDA) but not zorin. If I remember rightly I had to add it's server as a location to the ubuntu system. each and every sub program of Kicad was listed in the programs menu which is not quite how it works. I can't open a schematic or PCB on it's own, it has to be done through the project manager that ties the different programs and files that make up a project together. but that was not the end of the world and maybe how the linux version was done.
Some developers will not provide a repository and instead offer a .deb package (Or .rpm).
Some will provide a source to build from.
And you do run the risk that the developer may have put less development into a Distro than they did in Windows.
I am not sure if this relates to your described issue:
The KiCad schematic library and docs are in separate packages. If you want either of these install kicad-library and kicad-doc respectively.
If you prefer to use the shell, you can enter these commands into a terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository --yes ppa:kicad/kicad-5.1-releases
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --install-recommends kicad
# If you want demo projects
sudo apt install kicad-demos
This will perform a full installation of KiCad. If you don’t want to install all packages you can use:
sudo apt install --no-install-recommends kicad
If you don’t do a "full installation" you should be interested to install also:
kicad-libraries: a virtual package that will recommend you to install footprints, symbols, templates and 3D
kicad-symbols, kicad-templates, kicad-footprints, kicad-packages3d: if you want to manually select what library to install.
Additional packages can be also installed according your language:
kicad-locale-XX: locales for your language (XX is your country code. see apt search kicad-locale to find available languages)
kicad-doc-XX: documentation in your language. Same remark than kicad-locale-XX
Correct, it takes ages . How long it already takes to do all the updates, reboot, update, reboot, update...installing, reboot, almost there, oh wait...the user likes those reboots after each update lets reboot again, nvidia driver installed lets reboot, realtek hd audio driver installed ... You guessed it ... Reboot.
God...how much time i already saved in all those reboots since a few months using linux .
In 4 months of using linux i had over 150 updates and 0 reboots...i dont even want to talk about how big those updates are.
150 updates from linux are the same as 1 small update from Windows.
Windows updates dont get removed (cache)...no those nice .cab files are hidding. Why ? Because they love your space. I bought a nvme in june brand new. I used Windows on it and nothing else (apps and games where stored on another drive) for 2 months, i checked the s.m.a.r.t status and i was shocked. It wrote in 2 months around 400gb's duo all those frequent "forced" updates.
In linux...files gets instant updated by the way without traces left behind.
Windows cheats on that with hybernate . Zorin can be faster in boot time IF they would use the systemd-boot instead of grub. I can tell you my linux installation boots up faster then windows ever did.
I was running Windows 11 on a new laptop until recently (was waiting on Lite.) I have to admit I was surprised at how quickly it booted - especially compared to earlier versions. I'm now running Z16 Lite and it boots in around 15 seconds. That's plenty quick enough for me. There's a huge difference in shutting down, where W11 could take variably long times but Z16 seems to take a few seconds.
Windows may boot quick, but how long does it take to stop doing background exchanges thrashing the disk until it calms down to be useable?
Also how many times when you boot Windows, do you then have to do a proper "Restart" to get sound or wifi to start properly.
In my experience, once Zorin is booted, it is usable. Even Software Updates are easily managed, quick to perform and generally do not involve another "Restart".
It's easy to install and setup. It looks polished. Has access to nearly every Linux appstore out of the box. And it's hard to break - like the panels etc (so it's newbie friendly). I love XFCE and other desktops, but Gnome is better for new users, because it's harder to customise. Also Zorin has a pretty big selection of well known apps ready to install from the software manager. Also, it's also been very good at installing NVIDIA drivers for me, on first install. No need to set it up after initial install.
windows will do updates at start up and shut down. I have not been made to update and restart in the middle of something. This is only a thing now when IT departments control a work PC. The fast start in windows will cause those little problems that require a restart as a restart is a restart, a shut down is just hibernation. I turn this off so that I have a fresh start every time.
I have. Many times. At home. With no I.T. Dept. Windows also likes to take over and start running updates after I had put the computer to sleep, causing the monitors to kick on with full brightness While I was trying To Sleep. This was outside of all my control and a source of major aggravation having the computer suddenly light up the room in the middle of the night and I had to be up early.
This thread has become a Windows vs. Linux thread. A thread already exists for that purpose.
We seem to have many different experiences.
But as a topic; it is causing needless tension in this thread.
Zorin OS is not about "replacing" Windows - it is an "alternative" to Windows in a Linux Environment. It is not a Windows Clone.
It is an Introduction to Linux, with a familiar setting.
Let's please keep this topic On Its Topic rather than comparing notes on what Windows does or does not do.
One thing that FLOSS proponents forget is Stallman's take on Open Source - it doesn't have ethics (cf. Free Software Foundation). I personally don't like Ubuntu because in terms of an OS, Mark Shuttleworth is attempting to be the 'Steve Jobs' of the Linux World. I personally used to love ubuntu when I started using it at 7.10. But as time has gone on it has become arrogant and the bootloader announces that it is Ubuntu WITH Linux which in reality is a lie - GNU/Linux is at the heart of every OS - no GNU (Stallman's invention) no Linux (the kernel powering GNU). Similarly, we take what we have for granted, not considering the ethics of how the car we drive was made:
Murderous South American Mafia working for Car manufacturers getting forced labour to make pig iron from charcoal - pig iron is needed to create the steel needed to make Car bodies. The slave labour has no protective clothing and suffer from bronchial conditions from the fumes - no Personal Protective Equipment. Similarly;
Creusers in the congo mine Cobalt in the Congo (where 60% of the world's supply resides) going down 'potholes' mining with nothing but hammers, and if they don't die in the mines through it collapsing, then their bodies get poisoned with the Cobalt and in turn their offspring are born with a whole host of medical malformations. The cobalt then gets shipped to China and Japan for processing (more pollution) into batteries for smartphones, notebooks (I refuse to use the term 'laptop' which engenders improper use), and car batteries. There is only 35 years left of known Cobalt Supplies by which time we will have reverted back to horse drawn carriages.
So next time you go shopping for anything ask yourself (and the store) how did this product get here, what was used in the process, what environmental damage has it caused?
In terms of GNU/Linux, depending upon which distro you are using and which Desktop Enviornment you are using you should ask: Has the project listened to developers and users or shall we do a CNN and not bother asking but make up our own minds as to what we think is OK? That goes against the entire ethos of GNU/Linux and the Free Software Foundation. Think. Long ... and ... hard.
That's why I run Devuan, because Debian developers weren't happy with the way things were getting pushed through. I wanted to give Artix a try, but that failed because it did not list Canon in its list of Printer manufacturers.
. How long it already takes to do all the updates, reboot, update, reboot, update...installing, reboot, almost there, oh wait...the user likes those reboots after each update lets reboot again, nvidia driver installed lets reboot, realtek hd audio driver installed ... You guessed it ... Reboot.
