My intention with this thread is to collect, share and discuss projects around open-source AI initiatives.
As it does not come natively with ZorinOS, I place it here inside the "customisation" corner as every user is free to install it or not.
Let me begin with Ollama
Ollama is a free and open-source tool that lets anyone run open LLMs locally on your system. It supports Linux (Systemd-powered distros).
Though there are plenty of similar tools, Ollama has become the most popular tool to run LLMs locally. The ease of use in installing different LLMs quickly make it ideal for beginners who want to use local AI.
Here is more about it:
Here an instruction how to install it on a Linux system:
What I plan to use (but still need to install) is Open Notebook. It is developed by MIT and shall be an alternative for Google NotebookLM
Open Notebook is a self-hosted AI-powered knowledge management system that helps you organize, analyse, and gain insights from your information.
Open Notebook will need a LLM to be functional. That could be a commercial one like ChatGTP or a self hosted private one like Ollama
For the later is here an instruction how to use it:
Probably better placed in "Chat about Zorin" section, as "Customisation" is dedicated specific to Desktop and Icon design. I will leave it to a Mod to move if they also agree.
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Ah well, count me out completely.
A. I am not a fan of A.I. no matter whether it is closed or open - look at all the jobs removed at a stroke.
B. I am no fan of systemd.
C. I don't use Zorin anymore.
@swarfendor437 noted this, so this has been moved to Chat about Zorin.
This is logical, too. And were they specific installation guides, then Tutorials & Guides might have been a good pick, as well.
Does this topic neatly fit in Chat about Zorin? Not really.
Perhaps the forum needs a dedicated sub-forum for system modifications that are not U.I. customization. But in the end; sometimes we must accept that diversity and broad reaching topics will always fall on the outer edges of neat organization.
We can enjoy some controlled chaos, once in a while.
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Perhaps an "off-topic" sub-category for those who can't access 'The Lounge'.
Most forums do have an off-topic sub-forum. It is surprising this one lacks one.
I do recall that suggestion during the launch of this (new forum at that time) and the ZorinGroup replying that they prefer to keep the forum relegated to only Zorin OS topics.
Perhaps enough time has passed that may allow them to see that there is a Vibrant Community beneath their business layer; of dedicated users that help each other, provide support and share resources on GnuLinux topics.
To focus only on Enterprise Zorin is to lose touch with the base that makes Zorin OS possible.
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As we seem to pile in anything here, that does not fit other specific forum sections, perhaps it should be renamed "Chat about (not) Zorin" 
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Or just ...
"Chat about ..."
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Ollama is great for this. I've been running it on my desktop for a while now to handle text generation and log analysis without sending data to external APIs. The fact that you can just pull models via the terminal like docker images makes it so much easier than messing with manual python environments and huggingface weights.
If anyone is planning to try this on older hardware or laptops without a dedicated GPU, just keep an eye on RAM usage. Running smaller 1b or 3b models works okay on a decent CPU, but anything larger like a 7b or 8b model gets painfully slow without VRAM. I also used this guide to make a Perfect Instagram Profile Picture recently and loved the results.
For a nice desktop integration, you can pair it with Open WebUI or a simple Obsidian plugin to make it feel like a native part of the system instead of just a command-line tool. Thanks for sharing the links, hopefully we see more local AI projects here.
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And you won't find me using any Social Media App.
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