I thought, I could create a little Voting for something that interests me. What do You think about to change the Ubuntu-Base of Zorin Os to something different?
Zorin OS Change Base Voting
Keep Ubuntu LTS
Switch to Debian
Switch to something else
0voters
I know, the ''something else'' Option is not very ... specific. I will let it like this and hope for Suggestions in the Comments. I've chosen Ubuntu because Zorin is already based on it; and when someone is happy with this, that is totally fine. And as ''the other Option'' I've chosen Debian because it is a good reliable LTS Distro which isn't a too small niche Distro.
I voted Debian - with reservations. I think that this is a complex question.
Ubuntu provides patches and support beyond the ordinary. There are good and valid reasons to have Ubuntu as a base.
But going with Debian offers greater flexibility for the ZorinGroup as well as increased support for a more 'freerange' development.
Debian is quite stable.
This avoids Canonical specific tweaks that must be undone (e.g. Snap integration).
It brings more (Or different) work for the ZorinGroup. Debian comes with some older package versions, including Gnome D.E., than Ubuntu. While Zorin OS has increased a base package version before (Including Zorin 17 having a higher Gnome version than the base); I am not certain how much of this they want to do. Using Debian as a base would make this easier to do, but more frequent to do.
I also agree with what @Aravisian said, he pretty much covered all the points so I don't have to. I like the idea of greater flexibility, putting me in control, not as dev's ideals. I also like the idea of greater support. And like he said, its stable.
I was tempted to vote "other" and say Arch as Steam has chosen but stuck with Ubuntu. One of the thing I like the most is Zorin's implementation of Debs, Flats and Snaps = more app choices for me straight out of the box.
In terms of freedom, I would immediately vote for Debian. But so far my notebook has run hotter on all purely debian-based distros I've installed than on ubuntu-based ones (even under AntiX), so I currently prefer Ubuntu. I can't really explain this. Maybe it's the Nvidia card.
I think Debian is more future-proof as a basis.
I haven't actually voted as my only real issue isn't the base of Zorin, but the age of components. No matter what the base is, I would expect Zorin to continue to prioritize sticking with older, more tested components, so a rebase doesn't really alleviate any of my issues--I'd still be manually swapping out the kernel, updating Nvidia drivers before Zorin adopts them (in this case in particular, I don't blame them for their caution--I'd like to see new drivers appear more quickly, but in a non-default configuration users adopt at their own risk), and unable to use my preferred DE. That last one will eventually get fixed as time passes, but the base itself isn't the issue.
They could follow Devuan or PCLOS Debian, neither of which use the bloatware of systemd, and implement Pipewire. Alternatively adopt Q4OS, currently at Aguarius 5.8, a rolling distro with a low end 6.1 kernel. I can't say how these would work on a notebook as I don't have one to test. Then there is the old style KDE, Trinity, which Q4OS provide in both 64- and 32-bit offerings.
prefiero ubuntu ya que obtiene mas compatibilidad con drivers, en especial con nvidia ya que en debian hay que hacerlo con consola y eso va en contra de ser una distribución amigable
Most people seem to be opposed to Ubuntu's snap strategy. As a user, I like snaps for e.g. JetBrains IDEs. There are also some cases where the snap is verified and the Flatpak is not, and I'm not going to enter any sensitive account passwords in an unverified app. Finally, Snap's auto-updates are the correct default behavior for an end-user distro.
If I had to give up snaps, I wouldn't pick Debian, but instead go the immutability route and use something like Bazzite or Bluefin that gives me an immutable base system, and where the things that snap solves nicely are available as prepackaged add-ons (developer tools in bazzite-dx or bluefin-dx).
To be fair, Vanilla OS seems to manage both immutability and a Debian base, so maybe the two don't contradict each other. It doesn't seem to have a lot of traction, though.
I'm anti-snap personally, but this is one of the reasons I don't prefer using any distro's repos. I'm not afraid to do it, but to the extent possible I prefer using software released by its developer or publisher. I very briefly had a job at an environmental testing facility in the late 90s, and samples had to include a chain of custody. The longer it was, the greater the risk of problems, whether as a result of a simple accident or tampering. Software is the same--the more hands it passes through, the greater the risk one will make a mistake. I'm willing to trust flatpak verification. (And snap--my issue with them isn't trust; it's not liking snap.)
My issue with those is that I'm stuck with whatever driver options they choose, when they choose to offer them. I don't like having to go through console commands to update my drivers, but I do like that I can if I want newer drivers than the distribution has available. That, and Bazzite is a royal pain in the rear to get ProtonVPN working on, if that's even possible. "Use distroboxes!" turned into a couple of hours of frustration and wiping the system to get away from it.
Personally I don't mind whatever format you want to use, but I know Ubuntu has been pushing more and more for snap-only. I mean when the latest "Snap Store" came out, it didn't even support installing Debs. I believe they've patched that now, but I don't understand why that wasn't a bigger deal when I went to try it out on a live session.
That being said, I've been so busy maybe it was a big deal and I completely missed the discourse over it. But personally, that's why I would like to see a shift to possibly Debian, such as @Aravisian has stated before, but with reservations. Ubuntu brings a lot of pros with it, so I'm perfectly happy if Zorin continues to use it, but depending on how much further they wish to push things on people, may even make more work for Zorin to deal with in the future.
It was a big enough deal for a couple of Linux websites I occasionally check to call it out rather brutally.
I'm here literally because I got fed up with Microsoft pushing things on me. I have more reasons to prefer Linux now, but having the file explorer stick a "back up with OneDrive" in my path bar was just the final straw. It's very important to me that whatever Zorin uses as a base not do that, or Zorin successfully strip it out. My personal support isn't going to make or break them and I know that, but having my OS willfully push me into stuff is the best way to get me to go elsewhere.
I really don't care what Zorin OS uses, although if there had to be a switch I'd vote for Debian. It's well tested and stable, plenty of support for various popular packages, etc.
All in all, I favor whatever makes the developers more productive and helps them ship a better product.
Immutable for a private User ... I don't think that this the right Thing for this. I see immutable Distros more in Companies or Administration where You only need to work with the Programs You need and not dive in the System to change Stuff.
I personally don't like Snap. In the Past it tested it and the Performance was ... bad. To be fair: I don't know how it is today. After that, I never tested it again. I sue today .deb and Flatpak and thats works fine for me. On the other Side, I don't like how Ubuntu forces Snap.
I gave my reasons for not favoring immutable builds above, but private vs. corporate is too simple a perspective for the suitability of immutable systems. SteamOS is immutable too, and it's generally the right choice for a handheld game system like that. Valve is ensuring that the components available are the best for the broadest range of games available on Steam. Desktop mode is available on the Steam Deck, but it's not the point of it.
I'd also much sooner give an immutable distro to ANY end user who just wants their machine to work and doesn't want to learn any more than absolutely necessary about Linux itself. My elderly parents, a kid whom I don't want to have breaking things following random online tutorials, a soccer mom whose time is consumed with a busy schedule and can't afford their computer going sideways. If someone's main use case for their PC is "start browser, use websites," an immutable distribution isn't going to hurt them any. Immutables aren't for me, but they have their place.
Okay, yes. A vaild Point. For Users like this, it is fine. But at the Moment, You want go in the System, it can be a bit ... difficult.
SteamOS is a Thing ... to be honest, I don't see it as a ''normal'' Desktop OS. Sounds maybe a bit weird, but because of it's Focus, I would seperate it.
I couldn't agree more! Plus, I am far too busy running my small engine shop, and mowing lawns, to be stuck being peoples IT lacky.
BTW, this is also the reason why MAC computers in the education sector, had "At Ease" running on them. It was the best way to give kids access to the software they needed to use, without giving them admin access, where they could run amuck, screwing everything up.
One has to remember Flatpak started out with a group of Devs trying to solve cross-distro installations (.rpm, .deb. APT). (When I was using Open SuSE Linux 9.3 Professional I learned .deb packages could be converted to .rpm using 'worm' and converting .rpm to .deb you could use (and stilk can) use 'alien'. And who attended the early meetings? Herr Poettinger, who brought systemd and pulse audio, and just like them, Red Hat were trying to push Flatpak in the same way they did with systemd. Enter Mark Shuttleworth, the guy who gives the impression that he is the Steve Jobs of the GNU/Linux world, and Canonical comes out with an equally bad option, snapd. The co-ordinator of our local LUG explained to me that systemd is like giving your PC a bar code that anyone can read. In regard to Snap he told me it was as secure as telnet or 'finger'. So I will stay a traditionalist, and as I have said elsewhere, if things go south, I may look at BSD long-term, or get a zz-9000 upgrade for my Amiga 1500.
