Hi to everyone. I know the Zorin Group recently released Zorin OS 17 in December. I understand that. But with the feedback I have provided (and seeing the Zorin Group act on some of it), especially with regard to centering the windows and buggy apps (e.g., the APT versions of a few apps misbehaving and needing to be replaced with a Flatpak version and vice versa), I feel as though a 17.1 release would be warranted sooner than later so to "bake in" the changes made, and to dispatch corrected versions of the software and make Zorin OS more complete "out of the box." This would actually help new Zorin OS users adjust to the migration going from Windows to Linux (Zorin) much more easier.
I encourage the Zorin Group to consider updating version 17 to 17.1 sooner than later mainly for that reason alone. I can see a lot more folks migrating from Windows to Linux, and it would be nice if users didn't get discouraged by trying out Zorin OS only to run into buggy software. The OOBE (out of box experience) is very crucial to user retention, and the Zorin Group would be wise to release a 17.1 release perhaps in the next month or so in anticipation of an added influx of users frustrated with Windows 10 and 11. Zorin OS is meant to simplify the user experience, especially for former Windows users, right? Why frustrate the lesser-experienced migrants and potentially drive them away? The Zorin Group would be keeping in with its pledge and mission to act as an option for former Windows users by getting to 17.1 sooner than probably planned. Just a thought.
Thanks to all. Best wishes.
EDIT: Or the Zorin Group could put together an updated ISO and leave it at version 17. I think that would suffice - just having available a downloadable and installable ISO that just "works" and would provide a better OOBE. (Thanks again.)
Zorin does not update the software. The software developers that own/manage an application update for bugs or security fixes.
Zorin does back port some popular packages like LibreOffice via their own PPAs. So those packages would be updated at the point release but again, the developers provide those updates that then Zorin backports. I think, from past experience, you can expect ZOS 17.1 to be released on or after June/July 2024.
Debian and Ubuntu packages for Ubuntu 22.04 (ZOS 17) are pretty much locked in as-is except for those packages that Zorin has their own repositories as previously stated. Security fixes do get updated.
The only packages that are updated on a recurring basis would be Flatpaks, Snaps, or AppImages. It all depends how often that developer updates their packages. Snaps get automatic updates. Flatpaks sort of have automatic updates too. AppImages do not have automatic updates.
That is one of the weaknesses of Linux unlike Windows. The software binaries are tied to the distribution release for the most part. That is what AppImages, Flatpaks, and Snaps attempts to mitigate by providing self contained applications that will work on a new or old release of a specific distribution much like Windows can do. The idea is that now developers can package one format and be done with it. It has not worked out that well so far but it is work-in-progress and constantly improving.
The Zorin's are constantly working toward a better experience for everyone. While this release (Zorin 17) felt a little rushed to release, they have done a great job in releasing fixes for many of the issues that have appeared since the public release.
Requesting a point release will not mitigate any issues, nor is it on us to decide what qualifies as a point release. Improvements are coming, some quicker than others. Having a point release does not mean the issues will be resolved. It is the work and dedication of these two developers to tirelessly investigate, research and provide patches or reworks that fix these issues.
They're goal is to provide a stable OOB expeience for most. Your experience isn't the same for all users. Your disappointment isn't held by all either.
There are many that have had issues, i won't say there aren't. Far more than Zorin 16. But these issues are being investigated and resolved(why you see updates at least once a week, if not more). They do not have access to every possible combination of hardware to test. Even if they did, it would take some time before we would see any release then.
The point release isn't going to mitigate issues. What will is what they have been doing... patching, updating and upgrading to efficient stability.
Zorin lite users haven't received Zorin 17-Lite yet, and here you are talking about 17.1 release. My guess is, they are working on 17-Lite now(as my updater shows Zorin Lite 17 coming soon).
Zorin is already providing a great OOB experience. And about the app behaviours I haven't seen a single issue where a user had problem with APT versions.
It may still take a while, if we use the release of ZorinOS 16 (Aug, 2021) and 16.1 (Mar, 2022) as reference. But at the end of the day, software versioning is used as a means to track the current state of the project at a given point in time. My guess would be that this release will only come once there's a more stable OS with most of the commonly reported issues worked out.
Exactly. Zorin OS 17.1 will be a point release, not an update.
While improvements and listening to feedback is ongoing, Point Releases are MileStones of the version and cannot be rescheduled to an earlier date. That is not how the packaging works.
As well as the ZorinGroup having to abide by the upstream schedule.
None of this means, though, that feedback won't be implemented in the meantime. @Omnimaxus points out in the O.P. that several improvements were made prior to any whiff of a point release and even before the release of Lite.
What I'm curious about is to see how many of the issues we're seeing with Z17 will also exist with the Lite version. Obviously both the Core and Lite versions should work all the same, so we may not get to know more about it, but I have the feeling that many things are caused due to the Gnome 40+.
Thanks for commenting. I wanted to respond real quick and clarify that I understand the Zorin Group isn't responsible for updating the software that they bundle with the Zorin OS distribution. I get that.But what I meant was this - that the developers of Zorin OS can choose between different formats (e.g., APT, Flatpak) of apps to include with the actual distribution ISO file itself.For example, the APT version of Cheese (the camera app) that comes with Zorin OS 17 Pro does not work right. This has been confirmed by other users. The video is extraordinarily jerky, and so on. But when the Flatpak version is substituted for the APT version, Cheese works perfectly. So an updated ISO with functioning apps that work they way they should would be helpful in this entire regard (i.e., providing a better OOBE for migrants from Windows and for loyal Zorin OS users who just want to get "going" instead of having to fiddle around with this or that just to get working functionality out of the distro itself). Imagine what would happen if (for any distro) the .deb version of the bundled web browser didn't work right out of the box? Users would be annoyed or turned off by having to go retrieve a Flatpak to replace it. That sort of thing could be avoided if that particular distro's developer had bundled the working version in the first place.That is what I mean. Yes, the Zorin Group developers don't update much of the software that comes with Zorin OS. They do not have control over that. That is true. But what they do have control over is what they bundle with the Zorin OS distribution. They can improve the OOBE that way; the control over what they bundle with the ISO file. I hope this helps. Thanks very much again.
I think you said it well when you specified a working version. Plenty of Flatpak packages are broken out of the box. In fact, I would suggest far more of them are, and require a lot of tinkering with Flatseal in order to get them to operate as intended.
So, I want to suggest that we do not set the distinction as "flatpak" or "apt" as the difference, but instead, "working version" or "Non-working version."
Well, the Zorin OS Education release was confirmed if you went to the Upgrade Zorin OS application, same could be said for Lite.
Zorin OS point releases usually come out on March or April.
