Why upgrade from 16.3 to 17.1?

[bellgamin]

I am very happily running 16.3. It is very stable and the Zorin folks are updating it regularly.

If you have upgraded to Zorin 17.1, I would VERY much appreciate your answer to this question: **==>**WHY should I upgrade from 16.3 to 17.1?

[C141ZorinOS]

Biggest reasons vary from person to person.

1. Newer base and newer repositories. Although Zorin has some newer software on their own repositories, 16.3 is based on the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. That LTS won’t be supported after about April 2025. So you have about 13 months remaining on the Zorin 16 for updates and security.

2. Newer GNOME desktop experience if that is something important to you. Zorin is delayed and moves at a somewhat glacial pace which some people prefer but others might still like some newness.

3. New software that might not be available on the older repository. ZOS 17 is based on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

4. Some improvements in the kernel and increased hardware support for newer equipment.

5. Other improvements that will be included in newer developments that won’t be available on older operating systems. There may be some features available on ZOS 17 not available on 16. (The 3-D cube is a recent example - it’s not available in 16.)

All subjective and depends on what you want and prioritize as being important.

[Ponce-De-Leon]

When the Systems runs for You and You don't have any Issues You don't must do now an Upgrade. When the newer Base don't give You Things that You want, You can stay where You are until the Support for Z16.3 ends.

[zenzen]

If you are happy with 16.3, don't upgrade. Sure, there will be some improvements as mentioned above, but don't upgrade because of FOMO. Zorin OS 16.3 is still supported until April of next year. Unless you have a good reason to upgrade I would honestly advice to wait if you are happy with what you have right now. That is also what I'm doing myself.

You can always run a virtual machine and install Zorin OS 17 there, to see if how you like it:

How do I make a VM and which program should I use?

One option is to install VirtualBox, which also works on Windows (in case you need to create virtual machines from another Windows computer, you'll be familiar with the interface). However there's also KVM which is a Linux-native solution for creating virtual machines and runs much smoother. It's hard to say whether or not games will run "smoothly". It depends on the game, and how much power from the host machine you decide to allocate to the guests. In addition, passing through graphical cards…

[StarTreker]

Hello @bellgamin what a lovely question!

For me personally, Zorin OS 16.3 works perfectly, minus the Zorin Connect App, which doesn't work at all. So many folks who upgraded to OS 17, talked about system breakages, which as it turns out, was due to Zorin's switch to using Wayland.

For me personally, I require system reliability, not incompatibility. And since Zorin OS 16.3 will continue to receive security updates till 2025, I feel perfectly content to stay on OS 16.3, since it works for me just fine.

Now maybe when Zorin OS 18 comes out, and the Zorin team sort out the issues brought fourth by the use of Wayland, I will consider it. I'm using a dual GPU laptop with multiple external displays connected, I have higher level requirements, then someone who simply uses a laptop with its built in screen for non-gaming computing, or desktop computing users.

If it aint broke, don't fix it. OS 16.3 works just fine for me now. We are in complete agreement!

---

[zGnOmaha]

I am running 17.1 Pro on my oldest iMac which is 11 years old. However, I am still running 16.3 Pro on my newest PC which is my main machine. For my use cases, I see no reason to upgrade my main PC to 17.1. I prefer 16.3 for now even though 17.1 works fine after switching away from Wayland.

[bellgamin]

Several very helpful & instructive comments -- MUCH aloha & thanks to each & every one of you!!! I shall stay with 16.3 based on your comments.

I especially appreciated the comment by C141ZorinOS -- it was a brief but excellent eplanation of the overall differences between 16.3 & 17.1.

Based on zGnOmaha's comment, I'm going to go ahead & install 17.1 Pro on a separate laptop while, at the same time, keeping 16.3 Pro on my best laptop. Thus I will have 1 laptop with 16.3 & another laptop with 17.1.

For all you folks who so kindly gave me great advice...........

May you have -
Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire.

Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire

[timothys_monster]

I am glad you found a way of properly checking out the new OS. I think this is the best way: to have two different computers running parallel.
The reason I upgraded were a few usability improvements like switching the different power modes and audio outputs directly from the control panel, a newer kernel with real-time support. And of course, the new tiling feature a la Pop!OS.
It just makes a lot of my daily tasks easier and more fluent. I am really enjoying version 17.1!