You can find it here: Index of /zorinos/17
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i noticed there is link for it in all Europe mirrors only,
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Interesting ..... it came out on the 12th of April but I have not received anything in my emails about it being released ....... has anyone tried it yet and can verify it as being authentic ?????? ......
I assure you it is authentic. The ZorinGroup is planning to make an official release announcement for Zorin OS 17.1 Lite.
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Installing in KVM now and there was a file check with checksum.
The mirror I used gave 17.1 core not Lite. Waiting for the official notice.
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The good information will be support to 2029
There is a Zorin Webpage for Zorin 17 Lite with the Checksum to control the ISO:
In this Text is a VERY big Annoncement: ''We aim to sunset the Lite edition from Zorin OS 19 onwards, so it would no longer be actively developed as an official edition of Zorin OS.''
There is an Explanation why they go this Step, too. I think that is a very big News Ladies and Gentlemen.
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I like their explanation and think it can only mean more focus on the more robust distributions. If Zorin has become efficient enough to run on old equipment without being pared down, then why spend time doing it?
Is this a Beta version? Or the real thing.
It says "Download Zorin OS 17.1 Lite" so is the production version.
A "Beta" version would say just that, so devs seem to have skipped a pre-release version of Z17.1 Lite.
not beta, i think it available to upgrade too, i run the upgrade app in zorin lite 16.3 and i found zorin lite 17.1 allowed for upgrade, but i'm afraid the upgrade may conflicts with other tools that use ubuntu 20.04
When Lite in Future don't will be exist then it comes only Gnome and Wayland?
Yes.
While the ZorinGroup states that users can install XFCE if they want, this means that users that do so will Not be Officially supported.
This is akin to Gnome responding to user requests with suggesting that they do it themselves. It is not really an offer of freedom - it is just carefully worded to appear that way.
I find the statement that Gnome is as efficient as a light desktop like XFCE4 to be questionable, at best.
Words chosen for use, like "sunset the edition" may seek to underlie what is actually written. I prefer to read beyond the words and read the whole picture.
In this statement, ZorinGroup has opted to limit official support and backtrack on what their previous statements have offered. To me; I understand that many users will hesitate to change what ZorinGroup provides.
This is a statement that asserts a Dominant D.E. for GnuLinux systems, limiting users rather than working toward the best interests of the End User and rather than listening to User Feedback.
What has made GnuLinux successful (and beautiful) is the modular nature of it and the Variety and Diversity in user choice. We are living during the time of watching that be "sunset" by the developers while they slowly and neatly push us into fulfilling what they want instead of treating the End User as the End Goal.
It serves the best interests of the developers, even as they try so hard to convince us that it is best for us.
IBM has been very proactive in pressing for the adoption of Wayland protocol.
In spite of Wayland lacking the functionality of X and being unready for full release. They had to patch it with XWayland just to make it work, then blamed everyone else for all of its problems. This push has still been successful in even end users being convinced that they need to advocate for this.
Serving corporate interests and developer interests is the exact reason that so many of us sought to move away from Microsoft Windows OS.
We did not make this move only to end up on Microsoft - Linux Edition.
Zorin OS 17 Core was a bit of a shock in that it is easing the user into forcibly accepting Flatpak; which ZorinGroup publicly supports.
It also defaults to Wayland. Though each and every one of us Nvidia users cannot use Wayland. It comes with the buggiest Gnome Software, yet. It comes with a newer version of Gnome which has led to threads asking where their features have gone, why is it laggy, why is it crashing.
And Zorin OS 17 was the roughest launch of a Zorin OS release that I have ever seen. It has been plagued with problems from crashing, missing features and functionality, lag and stuttering and display issues. We are to accept that Zorin OS is "better" with these issues than the existing long term stable D.E.?
Is this a believable claim?
Or are we being shepherded into feeding corporate interests?
When we combine this with the very lengthy release cycle of Zorin OS (far more lengthy than is reasonable or acceptable. Looking over the Zorin OS repositories and estimating by the speed at which I code or transfer with git and launchpad on my own projects - I would estimate that I would have the packaging in place easily within about three months. Even if I assume personal delays or extensive testing and that I am taking my time, not rushing - it would never add up to a year and a half); The ZorinGroups long lasting and never changing lack of communication; the long standing vaporware of proposed releases that do not materialize (Zorin Grid) or materialize so late as to raise too many questions (Zorin Upgrader - a feature other distros have had for years, now); given that it takes them unreasonably long delays to respond to anything...
I have been growing more and more disenchanted with Zorin OS over the past several months.
This announcement, for me, marks my complete departure from Zorin OS. They have pushed this fanboy too far. I, for one, am more than tired of spending daily time covering for them and making up excuses for them and their delays and their lack of communication.
They even told us moderators to put members who are unruly on ignore rather than be able to moderate the forum recently. Are they that out of touch? Moderators simply cannot ignore disruptive members. That is simply not how reality works. We have spent a great deal of time and effort to develop this place into a safe area where members avoid the elitism and sluggish snail paced responses. We did this. For free. Not them.
I did download Zorin 17.1 Lite and load it up with Ventoy to look at it. It would not boot.
I had to divert to Safe Graphics. Then it booted in poor resolution.
I poked around a bit, was unimpressed and shut it down.
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Despite the issues you express, for me Zorin is still the best option - even 17.x with GNOME, because it just works. It has been my go to distro for supporting older hardware for the last 5 years and I have to say there have been virtually no issues.
I had no issues installing Zorin Lite 17.1 in Virtualbox; I have yet to install on bare metal.
I do find that XFCE is more stable than GNOME in some cases - mainly with allowing higher resolutions for integrated webcams on laptops. With XFCE I can run the webcam at full native resolution without stuttering or freezing whereas with GNOME I often have to settle for much lower resolution to get stable operation.
As for the launch of 17, it hasn't been the smoothest but it is still better than some of the other major distros out there.
So in the end, I'll stick it out and hope that any issues get resolved as they arise.
Just my 2 cents.
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Yes, there are many very stable distros and many that have initial release issues, as well. I have settled on Asmi Linux as my initial choice as a potential replacement. But time will tell. There are many to choose from. or, I can just build my own distro (for personal use).
I agree in many ways, but I also feel it is exceptionally important to show support for the diversity and variety in the integrity of GnuLinux and a distro that opts to stop showing support for this in GnuLinux cannot get support from me. Ethically, I would be a sell-out to do so. I would have to set my principles aside just to fulfill self-interest... and I am not willing to do that.
The great many changes and direction in Zorin OS over time have deflated and undermined my confidence that the ZorinGroup support FOSS Freedom. Actions speak much louder.
This is not a new thought or frustration. However, it is new to the public forum even as I confront that I have been trying to psychologically rationalize it away and make excuses for them. ZorinGroup has long pushed support for the corporate side of things and I have been trying to convince myself that it was OK. This stark change is demonstrative otherwise.
By all means, use what works for you - enjoy the freedom of choice.
I just hope we can maintain having the freedom; with the direction that developers are pushing us into.
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To say something to this new Way that will coming:
I find it interesting in the Point of Support-Stop in 2029. That is the End of Support from Ubuntu 24 LTS. So, maybe Zorin plans more and will change the whole Base. I mean, they see the Development from Ubuntu too. And it goes to Snap. So, maybe they will change to a Debian Base. And when they change that, they change the Way how her Versions exist too. But that is only a personal Idea and Thoughts that are coming to my Mind.
For me it seems that they want to focus the Experience on one Thing. Or better: on one Desktop. If this will be successful, depends on how they will develop the Future User Experience on that.
I totally agree with what you have said. I "stuck" with Zorin because I do like what it does, and have been anxiously awaiting the 17.1 "lite" version of the software, as I much prefer XFCE over Gnome, but from the tone of their announcement, they make it sound like they are doing us XFCE users a favor by continuing to support it for a very limited time. I did try the upgrade that came out today, but it changed my display settings to a point where I could no longer read the fonts, let alone see what I was doing to try and change them back. Thus, I will wipe out that laptop that I upgraded to 17.1 lite, and install another XFCE distro... one that I have been playing with and have decided it will probably be better to just convert all of my PCs over to it given the circumstances. Oh well... it was nice while it lasted.
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... of course, now I must "vent" on my Facebook page. I have been praising Zorin for years on Facebook. Now I must post a HUGE RETRACTION!!!!