My Feedback on Zorin 18: Insights from an MSP IT Professional with 20+ Years of Experience

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Feedback on Zorin OS 18

Hi team,

I’ve been using Zorin OS 18 since release, and I really love! what you’re doing with this distro. Today, I switched my wife’s laptop from Windows 11 to Zorin 18, let’s see how that goes!

I’d like to share some feedback and suggestions that could make Zorin even more appealing, especially for new or former Windows users. I plan to update this post as I continue testing and discovering more.

For context, I’ve worked in IT MSP for over 20 years, and I’ve noticed how increasingly aggressive Microsoft has become with licensing and integrations. This has pushed me to seriously explore Linux alternatives, not just for myself, but also for my small business clients who can’t afford Microsoft’s ecosystem and its aggressive growing demands.

:optical_disk: Installation

  1. Clickable “Try or Install” Button
    The option to try or install Zorin should be made clickable instead of relying solely on clicking the text area. A small detail, but it improves first impressions.
  2. Time Zone Map/Menu
    The time zone map looks a bit outdated and doesn’t match Zorin’s otherwise modern interface. (Change color or design?)
  3. Drive Encryption Options
    Full-disk encryption works great, but having to enter the password on every boot can be inconvenient.
    Suggestion: Add the option to encrypt only the home folder, similar to how Linux Mint does it. It’s simpler and still secure. Unless you can automate it with TPM.

:laptop: Operating System

  1. “Getting Started” Customization Choices
    In the first-run setup, allow users to choose their preferred default apps. For example:
  • Browser: Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Edge (yes, include Edge,many windows users rely on Microsoft 365 sync, also i understand intune need edge for sync).
  • Office Suite: LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, OpenOffice, WPS, etc.
  • Mail App: Let users pick their preferred email client.
    Giving users choice right away makes Zorin more welcoming for newcomers.
  • AI App: Add an option for an AI assistant (like Copilot, ChatGPT, or any other of the user’s choice), or allow users to opt out entirely. Make sure the AI remains a standalone app rather than being integrated into the operating system. ( The idea behind this is to give users more choice and make it easier for people to switch to Zorin. I strongly dislike Microsoft’s approach of deeply integrating AI into the OS, which raises serious privacy and data collection concerns.)
  • Firewall:* Option to enable
  • TimeShift:* Be able to setup and create a snapshot
  • Update:* Run First update

  1. Laptop Lid Settings Missing
    There’s no visible setting to configure behavior when the laptop lid is closed (sleep, hibernate, do nothing, etc.).

  2. Hibernation Support
    Suspend doesn’t work properly on my laptop (crashes on wake). I manually enabled hibernation and it works fine. Please consider adding a hibernate as a option.

  3. Online Accounts: Microsoft 365 + OneDrive
    When connecting a Microsoft account, OneDrive integration creates a folder, but doesn’t sync the Desktop or Documents folders automatically. It would be great if Zorin could sync these locations by default.

  4. Clock & Date Layout
    Allow an option to display the date above the time to save panel space. Also, when clicking the clock, the notification panel appears much larger than the calendar, it would look cleaner if they matched in size.

  5. Power Button: Please note that, based on my experience, the power button does not function as expected even after configuration. It fails to respond when attempting to lock the screen, suspend the system, or wake it from suspend.

:office_building: Zorin for Business (MSP / SMB Perspective)

From an IT and small business standpoint, here’s what would make me confident recommending Zorin to clients:

  1. Zorin Grid
    This looks very promising, can’t wait to see where it goes!!
  2. Dedicated “Zorin Business” Edition
    Include Zorin Grid preconfigured, plus remote connection tools like RustDesk out of the box.
  3. Security & Reporting Tools
    Even though Linux is secure by design, an optional malware/vulnerability scanner that runs daily and generates reports (with CVE data) would be fantastic. Integrating these reports into Zorin Grid would add serious value for MSPs. Included on the Zorin Business Edition. :slight_smile:
  4. User & Device Management via Grid
    Ability to remotely lock workstations, add/remove users, and change passwords through Zorin Grid.
  5. GUI for File/Folder Permissions
    A simple, graphical permissions manager for file and directory would be extremely helpful. (Sure, anyone in IT should know their way around the terminal, but when you’re short on time and need to handle client issues quickly, a GUI can be far more practical. It’s also a great entry point for beginners who are just getting started in the field.)
  6. Software Compatibility
    This is the biggest challenge. If Zorin (or Linux in general) could natively run .exe or .msi files, it would be a game-changer for business adoption. Many companies rely on legacy Windows software.
  7. Hardware Certification
    I’d suggest officially supporting at least one business-grade laptop line, for example, Lenovo ThinkPad, which is my go-to for deployments. Having Zorin pre-tested and optimized for a recommended model would be great for IT professionals. ( FYI, Lenovo thinkpad can shipped with ubuntu or fedora, the road is already open, you just need to do the connection :slight_smile: )

Final Thoughts

Overall, Zorin OS 18 is a fantastic release, clean, user-friendly, and powerful. With just a few usability tweaks and stronger business features, it could truly become the go-to Linux distro for both personal and small business use.

Keep up the great work! I’m excited to see how Zorin evolves!

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On my Quest for more feedback:

Other useful defaults to include on a fresh install:

  1. Show Desktop: Make the corner near the clock clickable to show the desktop.
  2. Windows Key behavior: Currently, pressing the Windows key doesn’t open the menu. Most Windows users expect this key to open the Start menu for quick searching. While I like the idea of using it to open Task View and type to search, it might be worth reconsidering or making this behavior optional.
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You can change the behavior of super key (windows key) at zorin appearance > interface > left super key
Select Zorin menu there instead of activity overview

In Zorin appearance you can also add the desktop button at the right side of the clock. Go to
zorin appearance > interface > taskbar settings
Click on the cog wheal and at tab position click on "visible" at desktop button (it is the last point of the window)

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Two small comments... On:

Regarding the latter, prefer Chromium if possible.

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@Puyunet the majority of your comments I agree with. However, unfortunately, you have to remember that Zorin's hands are tied to using the Gnome desktop and Canonical.

I've recently responded on a different forum about Zorin 18. I feel they missed a golden opportunity to wow Windows 10 end-of-life users:

Let's take a blow-by-blow response.

Installation

  1. Clickable Try or Install.
    I agree entirely about clicking the Icon and not the text below it as that is what I did first because as users we are used to seeing icons with text underneath. This is an inherited Gnome issue which I suspect is hard locked by Gnome who act like the Software corporation users are leaving behind.

  2. World Map.
    Believe me it is more modern than most distributions that only give you City Time/Geographic Time Zones when it comes to locations.

  3. Encryption.
    Never been fond of that on either GNU/Linux or Windows. Whilst the process may have improved over the years, I always remember the dire warning when I installed SuSE Linux 9.3 Professional that enabling encryption can lead to data loss. This actually happened when I was working as a Technician for a school Integrated Resource; my manager asked me to setup an encrypted data partition on Windows XP for her business officer. 2 days later it had gone west! Fortunately the Business Officer was knowledgeable enough to have backed up their data beforehand.
    My preference would be to store data on a separate drive without automount with backups to external drives. External drives should only be used offline (machine not on internet) as ransomware attackers have been known to identify external storage hardware.

True Freedom of Choice
(I think this is better heading than Operating System as it takes things out of context).

  1. Browser choice.
    Currently the best OS for this is PCLOS Debian. Zorin used to have a limited chooser (4 Browsers) which Feren OS modified with even more choice. PCLOS Debian's Browser Installer was created independently of Zorin's browser chooser.

  2. Office Suite.
    You need to remember that having multiple Office Suites to choose from would make the .iso huge and in terms of setting up links to official providers may have to be negotiated. Personally I like PCLOS Debian's approach of not having Libre Office present by default and the choice of either installing th whole suite or choosing individual elements. Personally I prefer SoftMaker Office 2024 Professional over anything else for MS compatibility. They offer a free one without all the bells and whistles but still compatible.

  3. Mail App.
    I have to disagree on this one as Thunderbird is becoming more Google-centric (you cannot remove embedded Google elements in its backend). Evolution is by far the best email app out there and my first customer the other week was pleased to see it coming from Outlook previously.

  4. A.I. - Don't get me started. It should be banned from mere mortals who can't think for themselves.

  5. Firewall - this is disabled from the get go as it is in Plasma. You have to enable it if you want to. Makes more sense to be on with the correct profile (Home/Business etc.).

  6. Timeshift.
    I agree entirely but it must come from the source which is up-to-date, not from Software. Plus advice on reminding snapshots need to be saved to Ext4 FS the same as the OS.

  7. Update
    Agreed, and it should also point to Main Server, not country server which can be days behind. But then again I don't like Canonical. (I no longer use Zorin as my daily driver, I prefer bloatware free OS's that don't use systemd, the one exception, Q4OS, a great Plasma rolling release, good up to mid 2028. Q4OS has a great welcome screen which includes a brilliant App Chooser Installer interface.

  8. I can't comment on the laptop stuff but this I believe has always been a bit of an issue when it comes to GNU/Linux.

Online Accounts
On this one I think people need to seriously consider "Do I really want to continue using a service provided by a Data Scraper?" For me the only Online Account I trust is Murena with servers in Norway.

Clock and Date Layout
That is why I prefer Plasma over Gnome.

Power Button
As before, limited Notebook experience.

Business Edition

Zorin Grid
Still in development query.

Business Edition
At one time they did have a dedicated Business Edition that you had to purchase like Pro (Pro was previously Ultimate).

Security
GNU/Linux has never had the ability to do real-time scanning. That said, vulnerability potentially will arise by using WINE (Wine Is No Emulator) and how far it progresses is dependent on WINE devs being funded through their commercial endeavour, CrossOver by Codeweavers. Your only (native) security tools are ClamAV, rkhunter and chkrootkit which natively have to be run in the terminal, but ClamAV does have a GUI, ClamTK. Additionally Snap and Flatpak are another potential security vector and packages don't interact properly like APT packages.

User and Device Management
User Management can be achieved by ensuring nee users are given Standard user status and not Administrator privileges. In terms of hardware access you remove them from certain device groups.

GUI for File/Folder permissions
See last response.

Software Compatibility
See security above. Additionally, the best workaround is to have Windows as a virtual-machine; this is what a local engineering company did when they upgraded to a newer version of Windows the software used to control the lathes no longer worked. Solution? He put Fedora Workstation on his machine and installed the version of Windows that worked with his software as a VM. Problem solved.

Hardware Certification
As Zorin is a fork of Ubuntu I would draw your attention to Canonical's (Ubuntu) Hardware Certification.
Dell has had a long-standing relationship with Ubuntu so I would go with them instead of Lenovo.

One area you have not mentioned is Accessibility. The default compositor, Wayland, excludes users with accssibility needs. If you want a secure all-inclusive OS then I would look at Devuan 5.0.

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Love the feedback on the feedback!

Regarding the Browser, Office, and Mail apps. I agree they shouldn’t be installed locally by default. Instead, users should be prompted to choose and download them when needed. That was my original thought.

I also agree with your point on AI. But if the goal is to attract more users to switch, unfortunately, it need to align with trending technologies. Still, AI features can stay separate. For example, by using web apps for ChatGPT or other web-based AI tools.

Hardware Certification
I would say they wouldn’t need to do much, just collaborate with Dell and Lenovo, since those vendors already support Ubuntu.

Accessibility
I haven’t explored that area yet, but I’ll check it out. Thanks for bringing it up!

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Hi, forgot to mention in respect of Business area, I an not aware of which Browsers can be locked down other than Firefox ESR (Extended Service Release), as the standard version cannot be locked down. When Zorin used to ship with Firefox I stipulated that they should ship Firefox ESR for Zorin Education, the same would apply for Business versions too.

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It really doesn't.

Pushing for the use of A.I., which creates a massive dent in energy use and demand for little reward is illogical.
Just because a trend is being shoved down peoples throats does not mean that it is any good - and it also does not mean that people want it.

Keeping up with the Jones's by including A.I. would most likely push more people away from Zorin OS than attract users.

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It's a really tough balance to strike. If you don't provide features people want or need, obviously they won't switch. But if you don't differentiate yourself, there's no reason to switch. Right now, getting away from AI is extremely difficult for those who want to, and one of the big reasons other than the Windows 10 EoL for switching to Linux has been the invasiveness of AI "help" that wants to see all of your stuff. I became ready to switch when my blood started boiling over MS telling me to backup to OneDrive in the path bar of my Explorer windows, but the impetus that got me to do it was Microsoft Recall. I haven't upgraded my smartphone in five years because I can't find a flagship power phone that doesn't stuff AI down my throat.

This isn't me being a luddite--anything that doesn't scoop data I upgrade quickly enough to have driver headaches. It's not me being alone, either. I work in the game industry, and a lot of my coworkers are all in on AI at work because it's what management wants to hear, and won't touch it on their own systems.

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