This was an encouraging watch. Thank you.
Linux beginner tier list and the winner is ...
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Yeah, #6 BUT: "Zorin OS strikes a perfect balance of user-friendliness, power, flexibility, and reliability. If there were a single OS I would recommend to those migrating from Windows 10, it would be Zorin OS"!
this.
I've been on Plasma for years, and i love it. But - it is ugly by comparison. I was determined to switch my parents to Linux and i tried a few distros and DEs. At the time, i knew Zorin existed a few years prior, but i forgot about it (as i think almost everyone else did until v18. I think i went with Linux Mint because i was fairly familiar with it. So, i set about getting ready. Making sure i knew all the software they wanted, understanding their needs, making sure printer drivers were available, figuring out how i'd support them, remote control, etc. There was no great rush, so that exploration took a few months (not time spent, just calendar time).
I bought mum a 2nd hand laptop and tried Mint on it. No problems, but something nagged at me, so i tried a few other distros again and somehow became re-aware of Zorin. I tried it and oh my god it was just so clean. THE moment it hit me was when i viewed the right-click menu. It was just SO much better than Mint's - especially for older people - only what was needed, nicely spaced. Sold.
Zorin, i think, is the best looking Windows-like layout Linux distro out there. Nothing else i've experienced is as nice to use as Zorin.
Me personally, Gnome's limitations frustrate me, so i'm not going down the Zorin path. But it is perfect for a Windows refugee who is not a demanding power-user.
imo 
I didn't like the video. I mean, they were rating distros based on an attempt to install it years ago (Debian) and CachyOS as a beginner friendly distro?! Nothing Arch-based is beginner friendly. It might be awesome for beginners to learn with, but it is not going to be "friendly". It will require investment. Sometimes one of the reviewers hadn't even tried the distro in question! That tainted what i thought about all their ratings.
As for distro-hopping, i'm going to leave Nobara soon. I've just found it a little bit flakey. A couple of years ago i had to resort to Timeshift i think 3 times in a 6 month period. It uses a custom updater (which has gotten much more reliable), and the release cycle being too fast (Fedora) i find the rate of change and bug-introductions too rapid. Plus, i use RaspberryPi, Zorin and Ubuntu - so i want to return to the deb/Ubuntu ecosystem. When you start doing little things like system automation you run into annoying things like package names are different. I'm over it. Fedora even does a weird partition setup for Grub (compared to Ubuntu).
Anyway, I'm going to explore:
- Kubuntu - non-LTS (Ubuntu-based, no real focus)
- PikaOS (rolling Debian-based, with Gaming in mind) - i'm a bit worried about stability here.
- DraugerOS (Ubuntu LTS-based, with Gaming in mind)
For all-round users, who do a little gaming here and there - i 100% agree.
He has 5 million subs. So this is good (i haven't yet watched it).
That is exactly what this article of yesterday writes. According to him, there are three groups of computer users:
The first group includes people using their PCs in a professional and/or regular manner, to whom I would recommend any KDE Plasma distro, as they want customisation.
The second group: people who play games on their system and want a similar experience on Linux. For these people, I'd recommend Bazzite, Nobara or CachyOS.
Finally, there's the third group. They want one thing, and one thing only: Windows on Linux. They want the UI, they want the apps, and they want as little friction as possible. However, since then, we've seen the rise of another distro: Zorin OS 18.
This operating system is specifically designed with Windows escapees in mind. We're talking a UI that looks like Windows, compatibility with OneDrive to help people transfer their files, and even a system that detects when a user tries to run an EXE file and will either recommend an alternative or let the user set it up in Wine.
The only downside is that some features are behind an optional paywall, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth; other than that, it's as Windows as you can get.
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ya i saw his posts on youtube on zorin OS 18 and blaming stuff being hidden behind a paywall....thinking he dont really know how to make linux distros with Gnome look like whatever ya want.
Opinionated people are varied and diverse, no extreme speculation of being spies is needed.
Sometimes, YouTubers and people who write articles are just lazy and uninformed... that's my guess.
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umm im sure many of you may have saw seems we have a new kernel 6.17.0-14 maybe this will help with some of the problem most are having?
As @wesoliv429 says, this kernel may help those who have been having problems.
A note of caution to all whose systems are operating fine at the moment: it’s safest to stay on the kernel 6.14 - the one that Zorin has provided, the one that it has tested and supports.
I watched some of his videos before I moved and I found him extremely knowledgable, very privacy focussed, strong in his convictions and very clear. I followed most of his advice. The one piece of advice I didn't follow was to install Ubuntu. His reasons for that are in the video.
I installed Zorin. Now he is saying he will change his recommendation to Zorin. This is quite something.
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The Kernels come from Ubuntu. And the 6.17 Kernel came bacuse of the upcoming .4 Point Release of Ubuntu 24.04.
They should probably just name it Zorin+ 
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Rather, Zorin-PeT (Praise engaged Team)
i didnt update it it can from zorin updater maybe it saw i had more modern hardware?
Article of today, not so often used explanation for the Pro version:
This is where the paid version of Zorin OS—Zorin OS Pro—can be especially helpful. It bundles dozens of carefully selected open-source applications across common categories, including office suites, music and video production, graphic design, CAD, and productivity tools.
Everything works out of the box, giving you a ready-made environment to start being productive immediately. The upgrade costs $48, but it can easily save you dozens of hours of research and setup time.
Different author, different page, same comparison ... 
Use Zorin OS if you want a modern, stable, and privacy-respecting operating system that offers serious hardware support, multiple desktop layouts to choose from, simplifies syncing with your Android phone, and supports both Flatpak and Snap applications. In all honesty, you cannot go wrong with either choice. In the end, if you want a more modern-looking desktop environment, go with Zorin OS. If you prefer the old-school Windows-like layout, Linux Mint is your best choice.
