My Zorin OS experience

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#2

I'm not sure what trouble you had, but settings - software and it opens.. I don't use the software store anyhow other than to add Synaptic. Which I believe should be preloaded at install.

I don't understand personally this nonsense between password or pin. What's the difference if I enter either? One is not more secure than the other in the grand scheme of things. Fingerprint would be nice, but you'd need to talk to the manufacturers who refuse to release drivers.

You can change things, it just takes a bit a time to do so. However using Gnome, Gnome makes changing certain things even more difficult because Gnome doesn't want you to change things. This isn't a Zorin issue, this is a Gnome issue. Use a different DE if you want more options to easily change things.

I don't game, so I could not care any less about the gaming experience. I do however use my install for daily business purposes and aside of a decent Linux email client that handles exchange I have no issues whatsoever. I installed Zorin on two different laptops one about 4 years old and one brand new (intel and AMD) both installed with no issue. But whether it be gaming or an email client, neither have anything to do with Zorin itself. They can only give you what is actually available.

I am dual booting, but have not gone to my Windows side for anything other than to just update it.

I'm not sure how much more "polished" the devs can make it other than having different DE's from the install point over using Gnome. I personally would like to see a Cinnamon and KDE version and just drop Gnome completely. In particular if you state that your laptop has been the most stable in the last 2 years. ????

Many of the quirks you may have had may have been because of your hardware and nothing to do with the OS itself. And regardless of which OS you use even Windows, there will be quirks and issues. Nobody can escape this, no matter what.

My experience has not been "so so", it's been 100% spot on. Otherwise I would have installed Linux Mint over Zorin. And other than adding Cinnamon I've done very little altering what Zorin is out of the box.

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#3

Open Admission, my Zorin OS password is a PIN.

I change a lot, actually. But that is exactly why I stick with Zorin OS, is that to date, making my changes is not only easy on Zorin OS, it meshes well and works more smoothly. Strangely, even Ubuntu resists some of my particular customization. I can understand MX Linux or Peppermint doing so... But Ubuntu?
It works better on Zorin.

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#4

Hello, I'm also new to Zorin OS. How does it work to set up a PIN?
In the user settings I cannot enter a password just out of numbers. It is asking me for special characters.

It would be great to be able to unlock the lock screen with a small pin. For the the installation of new software I'm fine with entering a long complex password.

#5

When I install Zorin and set up my root password, I use a Six Digit Number.

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#6

I do VM's that way when I'm testing or playing around with them.

But nobody has yet to tell me what the difference is or the big deal is between having a password or pin. They do the exact same thing and a pin doesn't make your system any more secure. The whole purpose of using a pin is on business pc's where your system sync's across devices, so you could log into any device and see all your stuff. That doesn't happen in Linux, in particular on a home laptop.

To me, this just seems like people asking for things because they see Window's doing it without understanding what it is.

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#7

I disagree. Using my number pad I can enter a PIN within seconds. For a complex password with different characters I need more time and it's more likely to make a mistake (especially with special characters and captizaltion).

#8

This is the point DeanG is making.
Certainly a password made up of multiple complex characters is different from entering a PIN. However... in setting up a password that IS a PIN... you do not need any special additional software.
Which means, that: There is no difference.

#9

I am glad to hear that your experience has been going great. I don't know maybe due to my lack of experience i could have messed up something or so but this was just my experience as a new user to zorin OS. Plus the difference between pin and password is that one of them can be a bit quicker for the user. Tho pin may be a bit of a weaker security method the option should atleast be introduced in the future.

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#10

You can set it for whatever you want when you set up your system. There is absolutely no difference between a password or pin. So there is nothing to add an option for. You can make your password as strong or as weak as you so choose. If you want to enter 7 numbers, you can already do that.

The reason MS uses it on Windows is because they implemented their syncing service, which Linux does not have. It's the first thing I go in and shut off on Windows. So that when you enter any device you use with Windows and enter your password it has all your stuff regardless of the device. Even on Windows, entering either a password or pin is the same exact thing.

Pins are used in the Enterprise OS's of Windows where no matter what device at a company you sign into with your name and pin, your particular desktop appears. That was the original use of having a pin.

A pin or password is the same exact thing in Linux

#11

It did not let me. I had to set a password just becuz i couldnt use four number pin

#12

I have used four number and six number. Now obsolete, but on one build, my Password was just two letters: "pw"
I also have set the password blank before, so that you only hit enter at the prompt.
Once you have installed the OS, if you go in and change the password, it is more strict for some reason that I do not understand the reasoning of.

#13

Here's a way on Linux Mint to do it and it should work since it's all Ubuntu.

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=183119

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#14

Nice thanks that worked! Now I have a PIN as my password.
It did not let me do that in the normal settings to change the password. But with the terminal it worked.

#15

Thank you DeanG. I now have a pin also.

I think the confusion between password and pin is caused by whether the user installed Zorin on a laptop or desktop. I have been using Zorin for a few months now and have installed it several times on different machines. If I install Zorin on a desktop I can enter a 4 digit number as my password. However if I am installing Zorin on a laptop it will NOT accept a 4 digit password so I have to use a multi number and letter combination before the password is accepted. Apparently the Zorin brothers decided that laptops need better security than desktops. But having to type in a long alpha-numeric combination every time you want to do something using the sudo command is a hassle.

#16

This is odd. I have installed Zorin OS Lite on a large number of (with a large variety of) Notebook Computers and never had that issue. I used numeric pins on all and the Toughbook was the one that had the aforementioned "pw" password.
That has since changed, by the way... But not because Zorin OS required it.

#17

I have Zorin installed on several laptops and never had this issue.

#18

The issue could be TPM related. If enabled, it activates special security processes. We Linux users recommend disabling TPM for Linux, but not everybody gets the memo.

Check your machines BIOS, look for TPM under your security tab. Make sure to disable it. It's really only meant for Windows, to give people the illusion that they are more secure.

But I have to ask, how secure could you be on Windows with TPM enabled, when MS mines your data and gives it to anyone who wants it?

Startreker Signature
Startreker Signature700×342 112 KB

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#19

TPM enables a backdoor that Microsoft Windows Administrators can use to access your machine.
The "security" here is the idea that a "professional" can enter your machine remotely in order to "fix" a problem for you.

#20

You guys might have the right idea about why I needed a long password. The laptop I installed Zorin 16 core on is a dual boot with Windows 10. I know I was surprised when it kept rejecting my shorter password since I had used that shorter password on two desktops with no problem.

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#21

this is actually entirely possible.
The Zorin OS Desktop uses GNOME as a foundation, and most if not all the changes are done using GNOME-Extensions
you can get the Extension Manager app from the software store, and enable/disable certain functions and features, only want the Jiggle-mode close animations but not window moving? no problem!