My Experience:
Summary
I have a hobby where I like to play around at creating 2D games with a no-code game engine - games because I enjoy making art in Inkscape and the results are mostly suitable for games, and no-code because I am not a technical person and know very little about computers. When I am not at work, spending time with my family, or doing chores, I am working on my hobby. It is the only reason I have a computer.
I have a cheap all-in-one pc set up with everything I need to work on my hobby. I bought it in 2021 and it came with Windows 10. I have an ugly pc that I never use. I bought it from my nephew last year when he was raising money to buy a better gaming computer. It also has Windows 10. And I have a cheap refurbished Intel MacBook Pro that I bought about a year and a half ago so I could work on my hobby on-the-go (and also have access to XCode while I can still run it on this unsupported MacBook). It has Sonoma thanks to OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Since I have a computer that is so ugly I don't care if I break it or not, and have also been worried about what to do when Windows 10 ends because it seems like Windows 11 will clutter up my system with a lot of faddy junk that I don't want, need or use, I started wondering about Linux. Obviously since I have an Intel MacBook I can't rely on macOS forever. I had a vague idea that people worked at Linux for free so there probably wouldn't be a lot of weird stuff added since they weren't getting paid to add it, maybe just an os that would allow me to run the simple programs I use so I could work on my hobby. Also, it seemed to me they didn't make computers, so they could hardly have any interest in strong-arming me to buy a new model every few years.
Problem is I'm not a technical person and never really been into computers. Still, because of my hobby I decided to give it a go. Searched for best linux for windows users, the 3 or 4 lists I looked at were pretty much the same names. I picked the least noxious sounding name of the ones listed, Zorin, to be my first attempt at installing Linux.
I found the install process simple. I had to do a similar process with my MacBook for the latest macOS, and with Windows 10 several times just because it's usually the fastest way for me to fix it. Soon I was looking at the Zorin desktop, and everything seemed to be working. I was surprised. It seemed like things should have been a little more complicated. It was very anticlimactic from the headache and nightmare I had been expecting.
The first thing I did was search for mouse in the Z menu and change the primary buttons so I could navigate comfortably. It was predictably easy to accomplish this and everything was where I would expect it to be. Next thing I did was glance at what programs came installed. It had a bit more stuff than I would have put on it but I was pleased to see that at least everything looked like it would be something reasonably useful to a new computer owner and not a lot of trial and sign up and subscription trash. The next thing I did was search for keyboard and was happy to see a beefy collection of shortcuts.
Then I decided to set up my environment to see if I could use this os for my hobby or would have to try another one. Using a newly learned shortcut I launched terminal and checked for Git. I was stunned when terminal did not return the version and I stared at it stupidly for 3 seconds thinking "but this is linux". Then I pulled myself together and took comfort that it did return a helpful installation instruction, so at least it knew what I was talking about. I followed the instruction which went smoothly, then created a bare repo, cloned it, committed a text, pushed back, pulled to a new directory and checked the text. Everything worked correctly. Next I needed Node so I opened the browser and searched how to get nvm on linux, it gave instructions to install curl first. I checked terminal for curl. It was already there. So I entered the next command of the instructions and everything went smoothly there too. Used nvm to get Node LTS. Next I needed Cordova, used npm for that. Built a test project with Cordova, made a browser and android platform, ran the browser project. Everything worked correctly. Not sure I should have installed them like that but at least everything was functioning correctly and I could always figure out how to do it right later.
So moved on to get Android Studio. I needed a specific version, Jellyfish patch2, so went to the archive page and found the one marked for Linux, then I went to the Install Android Studio page on Android Developers site to see what to do with it. Followed the instructions but this was my first noticeable mess up, as I omitted the optional step to add a "desktop entry". I mistakenly thought this would create a desktop shortcut, and since I don't like noise on the desktop, I didn't do it. The next day, Android Studio was nowhere to be found in my list of programs, and the only way I could think to open it was to get terminal to take me to where I had put it when following the install instructions, and then running the same command that was given to install. I made a desktop entry when it opened this time, and was glad to see it did not actually put it on the desktop, but in the Z menu with other programs instead.
Anyway the first time it opened I didn't know about all that because I had just followed the instructions to install. I opened the test Cordova project android directory and it built fine. I plugged my phone into the pc annnnd - no device showed up in Android Studio and on the phone there was no menu to trust this computer for debug. I had a flash of panic as I wondered if I would have to learn what a driver was and how to use it. Then I noticed terminal. Since I had just installed Android Studio, terminal was still open and I could see adb messages and a permissions error. The only menu showing up on the phone was Charge, Transfer Files, Transfer Photos (PTP). I picked Transfer Photos. Then, the menu to allow debugging on this computer came up. I allowed and the device was shown in Android Studio. I built the project on the phone and everything worked as expected.
I was feeling lucky. So far Zorin had installed on the computer and everything I had tried to do had run correctly. It seemed to me that people greatly exaggerate the lengths they must go through to get Linux working.
Next I decided to install some simple programs I use for my hobby: the game engine GDevelop, Audacity, Inkscape, OBS. I thought these would be easy but I got confused. I looked in the Software icon first and found them all. But some of them had choices. GDevelop only had flathub so that was easy, Inkscape, I picked Zorin OS install, OBS I picked flathub - I think, it was something that said community project, and Audacity I don't remember. Anyway they all seem to work ok, barring a file access irritation in GDevelop that was resolved to my satisfaction when I later questioned it on this forum. Not sure I chose the right way to install any of them, but they work at least.
With those installed I plugged in a USB I keep my hobby repos on and grabbed a project that needed an android target api update. I opened it in GDevelop, changed the version number according to my scheme and made a few performance edits, exported it for manual build, made a platform type for android, opened it in Android Studio, signed, built a release bundle, uploaded and sent for review. The next day the compliance flag was gone so the operation had been successful.
I plugged in my cheap mic and did some screen recording with OBS (I do an infrequent tutorial now and again). The playback looked good and sounded as ok as I would expect from that mic and these speakers. I tried out Inkscape. Everything seemed to work except there was no preview of my export selection, but I seemed to remember I had downgraded Inkscape awhile back because a current version - though filled with tempting features! - took the export preview out and it can be very easy to include something you don't want in a particular animation selection when exporting. A preview is so helpful to prevent wasted time. I determined I would check the Inkscape version on my Windows pc and figure out how to roll back to that in Zorin (still to-do as I have been lazy about turning the Windows pc on). Edited some sounds in Audacity. Again no issue or unexpected results.
Then I opened the text file I had made for my test repo. I selected Print and was astonished to see my printer listed as an option. I swear I had to install the app for it on my all-in-one pc and go through an ordeal to connect the first time. Even though it is the same brand as the printer! I expected it to be way more difficult on Zorin. I printed the text and it worked. I felt a little deflated. I installed a linux distribution and all my hardware and software worked immediately and I encountered no issues of any kind. What kind of war story was that? I had more difficulty installing Cocoapods on my MacBook when contributors mistakenly thought default Ruby was 2.7 and left the wrong install instructions up on the site. To this day.
Well I have a war story now. This desktop has barely perceptible speakers (always, not just on Zorin) and when I went to plug in my cheap WalMart brand (ONN) speakers they did not work and even after restarting the computer the option for them did not appear in the sound manager. I searched the web for a tech solution, found good voted answers about pulsesomething and alsa reload something or other. Speakers worked after that. And I got my own story of danger and excitement from that time I installed Linux.
My feedback:
So far I am well pleased with Zorin OS 17 Core. It was simple to set up, looks pleasant, and runs everything I use correctly. I have been using it exclusively since I installed it 25 days ago. Of course my computing needs are simple and few. One thing I would change though, is an option in the settings for a solid color desktop. I like a solid color background that I can choose easily in settings so I don't have to stop my work and create one myself. I focus on my tasks much better with a solid color. Even a lovely picture looks like noise when I'm working, though I have occasionally thrown one up for a tutorial so people don't fall asleep . One thing I really liked though was the way it organized the programs I installed out of sight in directories, even creating a directory called Programming where it put GDevelop and Android Studio. Organization helps me save time by keeping my brain soothed and not fussing about irrelevant things. But unless I have a vested interest in creating a specific organization system myself, such as for my own projects, I would just as soon have someone else keep the non essential systems organized in a reasonably logical manner and save me the bother.
Barring something going horribly wrong and irritating my work flow, I will not check out another os because though probably a fascinating topic I am not interested in Linux so much as I am just interested in a decent os for my pc so I can work on my hobby. It would take too much time for me to go installing os willy nilly to see if I like one 3% better than another. Hopefully I can use this one for years.
