@Aravisian Get ready buddy, that BETA is coming, and your going to want to test the megabytes out of it. Don't forget to RAM your ROM, and don't catch lose your tape in the floppy. lol
Oh how I miss those days. All the delicious noises computers would make, from noisy mechanical drives, to floppy drives, to the dial up modem, those were the days.
Did you know that magnetic tape drives are actually still used? No, they aren't used in the desktop market anymore. They have been improved upon, and are used in data centers, for extreme long term storage.
Turns out, magnetic storage drives, while slower, are still more reliable then mechanical or SSD drives. Fascinating as SPOCK would say. 
For long term storage, yes. Magnetic tapes will win. Additionally, newer developments have enabled packing more into the space.
Have you ever pulled an old CD out of a drawer only to find it had deteriorated or is discolored?
When i was a kid, my school had an old computer with a 4 1/2 floppy drive. I remember very well the noises it made reading the disk. Todays youth have no idea what it is like to answer the Kitchen or Hallway Phone... and how someone else could pick up a different receiver in the house and listen in.
I look forward to testing Lite. I wonder if I may stick to Core with Cinnamon, though.
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hello. how will the upgrade from 15.3 to 16 happen (official release)? fresh install or can it also be done like an update?
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Paper tape and 80 column punched cards were much more fun than magnetic media. You could really mess up if you dropped your stack of cards and they got shuffled before loading into the reader.
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That happened to me once, a guy carrying a cup of coffee stood over me, and he said that we switched to magnetic tape drives, asked me if I got the memo. I said what memo? And he told me to clean up all that mess, and wanted me to also come on Saturday to clean the entire office. I had to get something for my hard work, so I took that red Swingline stapler, figure by the time I am done, I'll staple a document to my bosses door that says, "I quit, what, didn't you get the memo?"
We are planning to introduce a direct upgrade path from Zorin OS 15 to 16 without the need to do a clean re-installation.
However, please note that we will make this option available a number of months after the initial release of Zorin OS 16, after a thorough testing period has been completed. As a result, if you wish to upgrade from Zorin OS 15.3 as soon as Zorin OS 16 is initially released, you will need to do a clean install.
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nice to hear that. I am not in a rush. I can wait and do a direct upgrade. unless there is something that saves all my settings and configurations and list of installed apps and applies them on the new installation. then I will consider to try out the new version and its features
one more question. what about the ultimate version? do I need to re-purchase it or can I do a normal upgrade (if I have the patient to wait for the direct upgrade)?
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As far as i remember, you have to re-purchase it, cause it's a new version
well, judging by comparing with windows. if you do an upgrade it's free. if you do a fresh install you have to pay
I am not privy to the ZorinGroups thoughts on this matter.
However, where Zorin OS Ultimate is concerned, it is a Method to support development and fund the project. It brings perks with it, but does not add functionality. Everything that is in Zorin OS core and Zorin OS Lite is in Zorin OS Ultimate.
Zorin OS Ultimate is not a "fuller" or "more complete" OS. It does include installed software but none is Essential.
No one needs to pay for Ultimate. It is a Want, not a Need.
I have often wondered how the Direct Upgrade would affect Zorin OS Ultimate. I suspect though, that it cannot be compared to Windows "Buy to install; upgrade for free."
there are the zorin themes that come with ultimate, which I don't want to sacrifice everything else is irrelevant to me since I delete most of the pre-installed apps anyway
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@AZorin I am curious, for those testing the alpha, will a complete reinstall be necessary or will there be package updates that will bring the build to beta level?
A complete reinstall will be necessary. Azorin has said that the direct upgrade function will not be available for several months.
337harvey is asking about from Alpha to Beta, which may upgrade linearly, rather than to a higher version. In which case, a System Upgrade may work as it is not a Direct Upgrade to a different version.
It's a question I have been wondering about as well, since Azorin's original message on the Alpha stated that it may not be upgrade-able.
Well, there were more software upgrades, including kernel 5.4 and 5.8.0-49 as well as icons and software updates. I'm going to check the tour and a few other things, will post any major changes and if it broke anything.
Tour is complete and working well. Did not notice any breakages... Lol, surprised that word was recognized by Android. Thought for sure it would substitute something else.
Any word on if Alpha is upgradeable to beta? I haven't seen/heard anyone mentioning it, confirmation or otherwise.
The tour looks great, in my opinion. When it was just image placeholders, I guess that set my expectations. Once complete, that standard was stripped away. It is interesting, as the tour is really quite simple. Not simple in a bad way, but in a good way.
The very professional appearance of it is striking. I dislike the Flat look so, this coming from me says a lot. The expertise of it is what is striking.
I also liked that the tour used my icon set, instead of its own.
Are you watching Twitter?
https://twitter.com/zorinos
Zorin OS 16 (beta?) coming out on ... April 16.
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For some reason, I never watch Twitter...
I clicked the link you posted, but cannot find that announcement. Not doubting you; just noting the nature of platforms.