Zorin has potential but like all other Distros of Linux, lacks

Many threads on this forum cover some of the rather phenomenal help provided by @Storm and @Michel on Linux gaming.

For Synapse:

There may be viable options for it.
I had to look that up on the web... I have never used Razor Synapse.

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Original post is by maccabbeo on the old ZorinGroup Forum, quoted here by
@TronGold

Hi to all.
Yes, I'm leaving Zorin and I wish I could share my feelings with you in order to get the project better. In short:

WHY I INSTALLED ZORIN?
1) It has been announced to be easy to use for people that are new to the Linux world, alternative to Windows.
2) I was tired of Ubuntu (too many commercials and mostly I hate Unity) and I have been disappointed by Kubuntu and Linux Mint as well

WHY I AM LEAVING ZORIN?
1) Since it is not stable (talking about AWN, talking about the FILE fork of Nautilus, talking about the window manager, ...)
2) Since there's not enough support, mostly relying on just a couple of always-the-same holy and helpful users
3) Since it is not 100% customizable (for example: cannot add new themes to the theme changer. Maybe there's a way to do it, but I did not find it despite I'm Gnu/Linux user since 2006)
4) I've been unable to install a Brother and a Canon printer

More in detail, we cannot say Zorin is an alternative to Windows as long as it only has just some look-and-feel reminding Windows. It cannot be an alternative to Windows as long as you experience troubles and solutions which has nothing to do with the Windows world. Of course you may tell "Windows is Windows, Zorin is Zorin (or Linux is Linux)": one reason more not to tell Zorin is "similar" to Windows. What can a Windows user do when experiencing typical distribution upgrade troubles with Ubuntu based distros? And what when experiencing continous AWN crashes? And what when the window manager fails? How can a Windows user feel at home with such new troubles? No way. Of course, changing OS implies the above, but again we cannot tell Zorin is a good place to start compared to Linux Mint and maybe others.
As for support, this is the worst pity in my opinion. The fact that I spent several posts and several google searches in order to understand the differences among the several Zorin releases explains the situation very well. The situation is confirmed when you get into real troubles: if the 2 holy guys of above have no solution/suggestion then you are definitively lost and stuck with your troubles.
i also know that many of the above problems are not strictly related to Zorin, such as Awn crashes. But it is do related to Zorin the choice of having AWN installed by default! I mean: do you want to build a "stable" system? Then do not rely on buggy applications just because they are shiny.

So, I wrote this post just to share my own experience and hope it helps making Zorin better and better.
I want to say thank you for you work and for your support during my stay here while experiencing Zorin. I've been installing it on pc others than mine spreading Zorin to other people. I will suspend this Zorin-spreading activity as I did it with Ubuntu but I will be surely be spreading it back as soon as I feel Zorin will become more stable.

Well, I think it is time for me to move from Ubuntu based distros to some different ones. Any suggestion, please?

Link to the post in question that @TronGold is referencing:
https://zoringroup.com/forum/12/7365/

@TronGold ...

You will notice that the thread you started that contained further obscenities has been removed.
Further infractions can result in loss of posting privileges - Ban.

Abusive behavior Simply Will Not Be Tolerated Here.

This is a community forum that derives its support from helpful people. Abuse such as you have swiftly dealt out would easily result in a low membership and low help to post ratio.

However, you do have a solution available. As you note, Windows fully supports your hardware and provides staff that are paid to address your... commentary.

Keep this thread Civil... even as you are currently under review.

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I'm a beginner in Linux and I have used zorin lite for 4 mouths until now, honestly , I have learned a lot from that forum. people here are very helpful and so friendly. they were answering for all my questions, they make me love Linux, and I became Linux user now.
I'm so sad for see abusing to so helpful and respectful people in here.
most of us have used windows, or still use windows beside Linux and in the same time we use android , and may others use mac besides that for certain work. companies do the same thing, Microsoft use Linux servers in their work, Microsoft recently support users to try Linux in windows. and Linux try support users to use windows app via wine and others. you can use what is working good at your job. I'm so sad, all about respect.

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I work from home and run 3 different businesses all while using Zorin as my daily driver. So actually it can be done and does work for people working from home.

As I don't game, I won't even get into that because I could not care any less.

I have a Brother, a MFC L-3750CDW, I went over to Brother, downloaded the drivers, installed them and mine works just fine. In point of fact I did all that in less time than it does in Windows to install. The only thing better is the Brother Utilities in Windows, but that is not a Linux fault that's a Brother fault for not having it for Linux.

Well, I've seen your other posting..... And yes there are quite a few that come on to various Linux forums who post not knowing what they're talking about.... :roll_eyes:

I'm really not sure what it is you're even saying here, nor how to respond.

BTW, Windows has a look and feel of KDE, that's who they stole features from years ago.

Many of the issues I see here are PEBCAK issues, and could have easily been dealt with.

Windows has zero help for people on home edition and even Pro edition you have to pay for it. But you're here demanding a Linux distro provide you free support.. Whenever I see this, I am mind blown by the sheer disconnect.

They're explained right on the Zorin website, I didn't need to google or ask anyone as I understood clearly the differences just by reading the website. So I'm at a loss, where were you looking?

I would suggest maybe going back to Windows as you stated you were doing, and I say that after seeing how you responded in your other post and this one. I don't think I could subject another distro to this type of behavior in good conscience.

I rarely have to ask questions, because I usually search and follow one thing after another until something works to fix a problem. But I've also not had any problems on Zorin either.... But if I do ask, I 99.9% get someone to help me just fine.

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it." - Albus Dumbledore

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I have only been using ZorinOS for about two years. It's my everyday driver, handling vscode, Firefox, slack and zoom without issue. It took some time to become familiar and comfortable with the differences. I don't hate windows, i dislike the company that insists on invading your privacy in order to run their OS.

Anyone starting out should find comfort in their browser and search engine, because there will be things that they don't know how to do. The ones helping in the forum may provide links they found helpful or to provide examples of how to do something, instead of writing it out themselves, because time is a commodity, shared freely here, and not reattainable. This also allows everyone to learn and grow (as a community and individually). Microsoft and Mac would both have you paying for it. Be glad there is someone to assist (hold your hand). It's amazing that people find this OS and Forum by a search, but it somehow seems difficult and extra work (if even considered) to search their issues, expecting answers for their setup that the person they are asking has no knowledge or (possibly)
experience with.

We do our best, when we have time, to assist everyone that asks for it. It may be by a search, or experience.... possibly both. This doesn't diminish the desire to help, or that we are mostly shooting in the dark due to generic requests with little info that has to be pried from the user (help, my dual screen setup isn't recognized... says everything i need to assist). This is partly Microsoft's fault, because people complain to support, support asks for remote control and the user just gives it to them. We don't ask for that, instead requesting the user to share information in order to find a solution. You can't tell me you've worked with every possibly combination of hardware compatible with your computer?!

Due to the many possible configurations a computer could have, it's a wonder that any OS not made by a huge company, able to spend millions to ensure hardware works, has as little issue as Zorin does. Sure, there are things being added constantly. You can't get the latest and greatest expecting someone to have already reverse engineered a driver, when the manufacturer doesn't see the point in making a driver. It's improving, but many manufacturers don't see the point in pleasing 2% of the consumer market. You may not either if you had the choice.

Solutions become available for Linux daily, for many different issues. This is no fault of the OS nor this forum. It is the nature of Linux because it is based on volunteer support and development. Stating that you searched everywhere and couldn't find a solution just tells me you couldn't find one in the two minutes you alloted for the resolution. I've spent weeks trying to get things working correctly in the past... it's all in relation to the time and effort your willing to expend.

Everything you mention being wrong with the OS is resolvable, if you are invested in finding the solution, and not an issue of the OS.

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I edited the post made by @TronGold in order to better clarify the post.
This post quotes a post made by username maccabbeo in 2014 on the old forum, now archived.
Beginning at "More in detail, we cannot say Zorin is an alternative to Windows": These are not TronGold's words, but maccabbeo's. It may be the TronGold agreed with certain sentiments, but the intent of the quote is not spelled out.
The line "I've been unable to install a Brother and a Canon printer" is also maccabbeo's, from 2014.

The rest is TronGold's words, quoted directly from this thread:

And that Mr 337harvey is the best answer I have heard yet on the Windows OS and one I totally and whole heartily agree with ....

I dual boot with a stripped down version of Win 10 and have Win 7 Home Premium installed on another laptop to play my games on .... why .... because I have approx 3TB's of games already stored on DVD's and external HD's and I'm not willing to buy them again from Steam especially at their prices .... they wanted $30 for Far Cry 3 I only paid $40 when I bought it 10 years ago .

I am looking a GOG if I can figure out how to get it to work as I bought it from them for something like $4 but I can't install it ...

By the way I'm 76 and a LOOOOONG time Windows user .... but even with 2 other Win OS's Zorin is still my daily driver ....

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I also am running a Brother printer and when a problem developed after a couple of months a member on here gave me a solution to solve it .... so there is HELP available IF you want it .... but you have to ask ....

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Is going closed-source even legal? I'm pretty sure GPL doesn't allow it. I'm not very good with these licenses but even tho it's legal I don't think anyone would want a Linux Distro to be closed-source. How will going close source even help?

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Red Hat have done it, (closed source) but that is server side to be fair, and now owned by IBM.
TronGold made a fatal flaw of quoting a post from the old forum - yes there were issues with the AWN Panel because it was limited as to what could be done with it and it was not developed by Team Zorin - they had to use what was available at the time. I have used Zorin from version 4, then 5, then 6, then 7, then 8, then 9, then 10, then 11, then 12 and finally 15.3. It had always done what I wanted it to do. The OP fails to note that hardware is not built for GNU/Linux but for the mass market garnered by M$ - no hardware developer is going to waste development time for a free OS! A lot of hardware drivers, such as DVD-ROMs had to be backward engineered by a 16-year-old who was put under house arrest for breach of IP rights (Intellectual Property) of DVD manufacturers!

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So I have noticed some points that don't make sense in my opinion, now don't get me wrong I am not trying to spread hate nor forcing you into Zorin.

I agree with you on this one dual monitor setup sucks, there are some easy fixes though if you ask the community or simply search the web, but I don't agree with you on the fact you are comparing Linux with Windows, it is like comparing macOS with Chrome OS. Linux is no where near Windows neither it will ever be Windows, it is a fairly an operating system that got its attention over the last decades and is targeted for everyone who wants to learn, do or experience new things.

This community is not a tech support, if you want that then you have to pay about $43 to support them and get extra features since not everything is free in our world. By the way communities are actually donating their time to help us since they are not obliged to help us neither they are even getting payed for it, there may be some people who actually don't know what they are talking about but the mods check that and they correct them if something is off, so there is no reason to complain about a community that's trying to help and not serve

Everyone has their opinions of course, I am not trying to say that your opinion is unreasonable or stupid and it is true that some find Linux complicated but as I mentioned it is a totally different OS than Windows or macOS and you got to have a mindset that is willing to learn like most of us who have learnt Windows and passed it into the next generation. Although Zorin respects privacy and it is a reason why Zorin is open-source as they say in their website

We believe privacy is a fundamental human right. That's why
Zorin OS doesn't collect personal data, so advertisers and governments can't spy on your activity. Zorin OS is Open Source, so anyone can audit its source code to verify its privacy.

This OS IS serious, it is not a hobby as it used to be, there are adults actually working for ZorinOS so I don't think they are playing around

Again, I'm not spreading hate nor I'm forcing you to use Zorin, everyone has their opinions on things and that's just my opinion, hope all the best to you:)

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Wow thought I was the oldest on here, you beat me by a year, and like you "Zorin" is my main OS, in fact I have only got "Zorin" cheers.

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FrenchPress once mentioned that there was a gentleman on here that is in his 80's .... so we both have a ways to go yet ..... :+1: :grinning:

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For what it's worth, I am 86, and have been using Zorin since Z-5. First as dual boot, then Zorin alone since Z-9. I prefer XFCE to Gnome, but I have proved to myself that the big 'WIN' can be replaced fairly easily by buying 'Pro' or its predecessors, then following instructions (over the years I have had some very helpful advice from the Zorin Team, and they have never failed to solve the odd, perhaps simple, problems I have had).

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Good for you stay safe friend. :relaxed:

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OperaGX is a privacy-invasive browser and I wouldn't recommend using it if you sincerely care about not getting your data exploited.
There are so many good browsers out there with better performance, privacy, cross-platform and features but you've chosen a Windows exclusive that's basically a Chromium Reskin. Recommend Brave or Firefox.

This is an Nvidia issue. I have problems on RTX mobile as well. Nvidia driver on Linux takes some time to be stable.

That's because Razer Synapse is a windows exclusive. There are alternative software for this, a quick search would throw many results.

Essentially, aside from hardware compatibility issues, it boils down to how much you're willing to change. You changed your operating system, can you not change apps like Browser and Razer synapse? Up to you.

No offense but that's quite possibly the worst opinion I've ever read on a FOSS OS. The power of Zorin lies in open source. If you want something closed source and privacy invasive, you can always use Windows, it's possibly the best OS for people who don't mind getting their data stolen or worse performance and security.

The point is, if you're trying alternatives, go all the way till the end. Try to find what works and what doesn't, and if it doesn't, Windows is always there as a last resort.

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OpenRGB Should work Open Razer ect..

What would be closed source accomplished? being closed source is not what what garnishes success or wide acceptance, Apple has invested something 20Billion in r&d on macos / macbooks /imacs ~ and only have a small portion of the market share. Simply put, MS beat others to wider acceptance to the market earlier and therefore became the standard, personally, i liked GEOS and DeskMate more but i digress.

I'm running dual GIGABYTE G27QC monitors on a igpu (Ryzen 5700G) on my desktop at home, on Zorin Pro no issues, so not sure what the dual monitor issue is, and I game and work/browse the interwebs at the same time as well.

For me, Zorin has been a replacement for Windows, and I've tried many distros over the years, K/L/X/Ubuntu, Mandrake, Slackware, SLax,PCLInuxOS, Mint, WInFX, Arch, and others whose names i forgotten, And ZOrin is at least to me is the most Polished, and End User friendly i've found, Seconded by Mint&Elementary

I'm sorry people have taken time out of their day to help you.

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There have been a lot of good comments so far, addressing concerns and offering alternative software suggestions.

Being a helpful member is rewarding in many ways - from helping everyone to learn and expand their horizons, to turning problems into solutions.
Not every suggestion will be helpful, but every member can be helpful.

To this end, it is time to close this thread.
The O.P. has moved on, leaving us with the remnants of what he left in our trash can on the way out.

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