Updated feedback re: Zorin OS 18

Feedback
1

Hi, everyone:

Will keep this as brief as possible. Installed the R1 version of Zorin OS 18 Core on a spare MacBook I had lying around. Below are my observations. I want to be clear that I treated this as though it was a "casual" encounter.

I just did things "normally" as any reasonable user would (in exploring a new OS). I am doing this also for the benefit of the Zorin Group and Zorin OS users, too. The rest is up to the Zorin Group to decide on what to do. Read on ...

  1. Panel style - the default margin is described as "0," but the default is 4. Why is this? Wouldn't it make sense to say the default margin is 4 (in which case Zorin OS is able to achieve the floating taskbar it deems as the "default")?

  2. Brave is installed, but isn't listed in Software Manager as one of the installed apps. This needs to be fixed, and soon. It's confusing for Windows migrants.

  3. Camera can't be uninstalled. Same for other apps like Backup, Weather, Document Viewer. Same for Fonts. But can uninstall other apps like LibreOffice, Recorder, etc. Inconsistent OS user experience and confusing presentation. (To be fair, when I switched to X.Org, I could uninstall Backup, and saw that I could uninstall it in Wayland after, which just struck me as weird.) Maybe the Software Manager still needed to build its cache? Dunno. But for sure, the Camera app (as an example) could not be uninstalled no matter what. I did not pursue trying too many other apps. The point is clear, though - can't uninstall some apps. Not OK.

  4. Brasero's window becomes larger every time I open it. This was a problem in Zorin OS 17, too. I realize this is more to do with a Wayland display bug, but surely this was spotted before Zorin OS 18 was released ... ? Why wasn't it mitigated? I don't know. Some insight would be helpful here.

  5. Web applications do not remember their window size.

  6. X.Org still has issues with rendering (and flickering) windows and apps when minimizing and raising them. Same as with Zorin OS 17. Unfortunate to see this is still an issue in Zorin OS 18. Be curious to know the reasoning behind the Zorin Group not doing anything about it (???) ... flickering isn't a problem in Wayland, though (from what I could see; want to be clear about that).

  7. In X.org, web apps open to the left. They are not centered. They still don't remember window sizes (e.g., maximized); same as with Wayland. Not OK.

  8. Can't uninstall System Monitor via Software Manager.

  9. Brave immediately moves to the lower right screen when un-maximizing the app window (in Wayland). This can be replicated. Wasn't this noticed before?

  10. The .DEB file for Thunderbird is still a transitional package for a Snap. Ugh. Granted, this isn't a "bug" per se, but my point is, if the Zorin Group is going to make an exception for Firefox and offer the true .DEB file for it, why not do the same for Thunderbird? Just would make more sense that way.

That's it. I could've gone on, but no. I want to re-emphasize that I simply just went through the rounds with Zorin OS 18 R1 (with all available updates as of today's date, which is 12/17/25). These things are what I noticed with casual use within a 30-minute space. That said, I don't understand how people still praise Zorin OS 18. These regressions are visible and replicable. I'm using the same OS version that everyone else is. I see them. Surely others must, too. I just don't get it. I will not pay $50 to put up with multiple bugs that others are inexplicably willing to put up with.

I ... just ... don't ... get ... it. If I went to buy a car and they brought out a car that "worked," but had all kinds of dings and paint scratches, I would not buy that car. Sure, Windows isn't perfect, but Windows doesn't have bugs like this. They hit different. Sure, Windows has bugs, but ... these kind of bugs shouldn't be happening, and in all honesty, should have been caught well before release. I spotted them without effort within the space of 30 minutes. Why couldn't Artyom and Kyrill Zorin? What happened? Didn't anyone go through the OS with a checklist or whatever and check out each nook and cranny before putting a stamp of approval on Zorin OS' release?

Anyway ... hope this post makes people think. Thank you to everyone.

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I've been using Zorin Pro since version 16. Other than the initial issues I ran into with multiple displays (which actually turned out to be an issue with Mutter), which were solved by switching from wayland to xorg; I've had ZERO issues.

I don't use Snaps or Flatpaks, and only use apt, debs, or build from source.

I've tried multiple distros and the reality of what I've found is that most "bugs" exist across distros. Most of them are related to gnome, wayland, and mutter.

I've been using some sort of a *nix system since I first bought Mandrake (8 I think) in a retail box from circuit city. *nix has come a long way since then.

I've run redhat, centos, netbsd, freebsd, debian, ubuntu, lubuntu, budgie, and opensuse to name a few. In my experience, every "distro" has its' issues, and almost all of them are related to an apps interaction with the DE (Desktop Environment). IMHO, most issues exist because of conflicts with the underlying DE frameworks. So much so, that many professionals skip using a DE or Window Manager all together.

The reason I like Zorin is because they do a great job customizing gnome so I don't have to. Under the hood Zorin is Ubuntu based, but follows more closely with the update schedule of Debian. Why not just use Debian? Well Debian was a version behind Zorin with gnome and mutter when Zorin was at 17 (from what I can remember). Which in fact, still is the case. Debian Bookworm is currently at gnome version 43, Zorin 18 is at 46. (UPDATE: Debian Trixie has gnome 48, gnome 49 is the latest.)

The fact of this reality comes into play when a user chooses to use gnome, then the question is: what distro do they want under the hood. When you start to look at all the variations, most are all the same, or only slightly different.

I chose Zorin because I like apt and deb. I could go with a number of other distros being either ubuntu or debian based, or go even further looking for a non-systemd *nix...but that's a whole other issue. The thing that came down to it for me was a desire to use a deb based distro with gnome.

IMHO Zorin does gnome better than anyone else, especially when looking for a DE that resembles macOS.

I went looking for other distros who used the latest version of gnome (and the latest of everything), and ended up choosing suse tumbleweed, which I really like, but it wasn't apt based. It might seem insignificant, but having a 3 letter package manager with minimal character commands is a big deal to me.

There are a lot of things I like about the suse package manager, but having to type all those characters for everything isn't my thing. I do like yum as an alternative on a redhat / rpm based system, but then I just come back to wanting to use something deb based. If I used anything else, it would probably be budgie, but it's DE has it's own problems with menubar / systray icons / app indicators.

The gnome menubar / systray icon / app indicator extension compatibility issues are one of the biggest problems in gnome, at least as far as I'm concerned. I also hate the File Manager.

I'm not saying Zorin is perfect, but I also haven't found a DE distro that is. Personally I really wish Apple would release their DE for Linux. Finder is the greatest Miller Column File Manager that exists. Ranger isn't bad, but it's not fully integratable with a GUI. Pantheon Files would be a great alternative, but it doesn't work right on anything not elementary.

The one thing I have noticed with Zorin 18 is that it actually seems to run cooler on my gaming laptop than 17 did (but I doubt that that actually has anything to do with Zorin...it's probably got more to do with the updated underlying framework and kernel more than anything else).

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

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3

I agree with both the above.

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I would guess that it means in Relation to the Taskbar at the bottom - when it isn't ''floating''.

When you mean with ''Software Manager'' Gnome Software: Here would be the Point that it comes to the Brave Repo and not from a System Repo; that could explain it.

So, I understand it right that You can't uninstall it in Gnome Software, yes? What exactly happens when You press the Uninstall Button. Does simply nothing happens or does it start but abort? Do You get an Eror Message? When You use the Terminal, does it work with that?

Here , I would have the same Questions like before.

That happens with Firefox, too. why that happens, I don't know.

Here is the Point: Not Zorin offers the .deb Version of firefox. They offer the Possibility to add the Mozilla Repo to get Firefox as .deb. And then it comes from Mozilla, not from Zorin.

Unfortunately Thunderbird doesn't have an own Repo or come through the Mozilla-own Repo (which I find sad by the Way. I mean, they have that and even when Thunderbird is a bit seperated, Mozilla could use the existing Repo to offer Thunder this Way, too. but this would have to be adressed to Mozilla). There would only be the Option to add the mozillateam PPA what Linux Mint uses, too.

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I had Thunderbird installed as apt from Software Store on my Z17.3 Core. It was v128 and received no updates. I added mozillateam ppa and Thunderbird now receives updates via Software Updater.

That is an additional step users have to make if they want to have Thunderbird as an apt, but keep the version up-to-date.

Firefox apt enjoys updates without needing to add a ppa, as Zorin devs have worked round the download apt, get Snap redirect fiasco.

It would be good and more consistent for users if Zorin devs did the same for Thunderbird apt, so that it is both available from Software Store and able to be updated via Software Updater. Maybe mozillateam not being mozilla is the issue.

I assume this remains true for Z18.

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Yes, because Zorin 17 is based on Ubuntu 22 - and there was an APT Package of Thunderbird available. But Ubuntu changed that for Ubuntu 24 (the Base of Zorin 18) like they did it on Ubuntu 22 with Firefox what was by default only as Snap available.

Could be a Pooint. But mozillateam is a Team from Ubuntu who cares about the Mozilla Stuff. To be honest, I don't quite understand why it doesn't land directly in the Ubuntu Repo's when they already have a Team for the Stuff, but it is like it is.

Another Point could be that You can get Firefox over this mozillateam PPA, too (with some Canonical Bookmarks). Maybe this would interfere with the Mozilla-own Repo.

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Yesterday I tried to install firefox in the live session of Zorin 18 (r1 iso) because I wanted to look as which package it would be installed.
I installed firefox with sudo apt install firefox and it was shown in the apt list -i, not in the snap list. But no repository of firefox was added to sources lists /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d

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Just a quick note to say you are not wrong. I agree that bugs exist. Sure. But not like this. Absolutely not like what I've seen in Zorin. That I can guarantee based on my direct experience from having distrohopped on and off for over a year before I settled on MX Linux XFCE. It's like day and night. Mind you, when I say "bugs," I'm thinking of small annoyances that most reasonable people would see as being understandable (e.g., a misspelling, a minor error message for some obscure app already included with the OS but can be lived without, et cetera) as having been missed (with the expectation it'll be eventually resolved down the road). Most of the bugs I listed for Zorin are dealbreakers. I can honestly 100% say I never ran across anything similar in the other OSes I tried. XFCE, Cinnamon, etc.

MATE did have some minor bugs, and I was willing to live with them and/or do workarounds, but MATE is unfortunately semi-dead at this point. Still, MATE did not have any of the major bugs Zorin has with its UX/UI. What really gets me is the inability to uninstall some software via GNOME Software. What the heck? I reported this behavior months ago when helping with Zorin OS 18 beta feedback, and it hasn't been fixed. And it goes against the general GNU/Linux philosophy, which honors user choice and freedom. Why can't I uninstall an app from GNOME Software? Why must I go through the terminal for some of these apps? It creates for an inconsistent UX across the board. And so on and on. Enough, ya know?

I don't get why more of you aren't saying anything. Thanks for commenting.

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Nothing happens. No error message, nothing. I didn't get the prompt to enter my password to uninstall these apps as I do with other apps. (If that helps.) So I had to go to the terminal and uninstall the apps I was testing. Worked. But why can some apps be uninstalled and others can't be (via GNOME software)? Why do users have to deal with this? Windows migrants would find this confusing and frustrating, too.

Thanks for asking.

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Thank you to everyone else who's participated thus far in this thread.

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I don't know why you faced this, but it could be a bug in gnome-software.

Back when I installed Z18 on one of my device, one of my first task is to remove apps that I don't use. Brasero, Deja Dup (Backup), Gnome-contacts, reminna, evolution and cups I could easily uninstall these through the Software Store. I faced no issue there.

In such cases including the system logs and app logs will be helpful to narrow down the issue, because what you experience may not be same for the other end users. If the Zorin team can't reproduce such behaviour or don't have much information then how will you get any solution. I'm not defending the Zorin team neither pointing at you that fault is all yours. This is just an observation I made, based on your input and my experience.

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Hmm ... does the Uninstall Button at least react visually with greying out? Or does it stay as it is? Did You tried a sudo apt reinstall gnome-software or ending the Process and start Gnome Software again?

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I guess that was because You had run it in Live Mode.

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I understand. I observed the same behavior on two different computers. One was my PC (Zorin OS 18 was installed), and the other was the MacBook I used in casually looking for bugs (Zorin OS 18 was installed, too). Honestly not sure why our experiences haven't been the same with regard to the GNOME app manager. My install of Zorin OS 18 was up-to-date, too, and I still encountered issues.

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Nothing happened. For some apps, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. For others, uninstallation was normal. I saw a password prompt, and used my root password to uninstall these apps. That's how it's supposed to happen. But the thing is, nothing (zip, nada, zilch) happened for some apps. Was this observed by Artyom and Kyrill, and if so, why didn't they patch it up before release? Or did they say, "let them eat cake" and call it a day? Answers would be legit appreciated here.

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Others have mentioned apps in the software store silently refusing to install or to remove, in recent threads.

I do not recall there being a clear resolution.

There are a lot of variables, for troubleshooting.

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Are Z18 users also seeing apps not listed in the "Installed" tab in the Software Store? I have encountered that with earlier Zorin versions. Such inconsistencies can be disconcerting for newbies as they can not uninstall or see app status in the Software Store.
I guess more will have to learn to use Synaptic Package Manager or revert to terminal for software installation and removal. Not to mention Flatpaks and Snaps.
That is not ideal for recent newbies and Windows migrants that have been used to app stores for their software needs. It goes against Zorin claim to be linux that Windows 10 users can move to without significant hardship. I wonder how many have tried and simply given up.

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I tested on the live session of Zorin 18 to remove all apps (except system apps) shown in software manager and was able to uninstall most of the apps. But at around 5-6 apps the uninstall button didn't work.

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Hmm ... Okay, When You in Gnome Software and You on the ''Installed'' Tab, You have the Uninstall Button. But whern You click on the individual Program, You come to the Site where the program is explained. And there You have another Button to delete it. Does this work?

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Bingo GIF