Zorin OS offer standard KDE Plasma desktop? (POLL)

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#125

I once installed the kde plasma desktop, but then again it requires more cpu usage. I guess the pc requirements for ZorinOS using a kde desktop will be much higher, meaning that the overall user will have to be informed of this before installing.

This isn't true. KDE has lesser memory footprint and resource usage than Gnome. Gnome is probably one of the heaviest DEs out there. KDE on the other hand has been optimized a lot and has comparable resource usage to XFCE.

KDE also supports a lot of things Gnome simply doesn't (Blur effects for example, Gnome would light your CPU on fire if it ever had Blur, KDE on the other hand does it gracefully) I don't think Zorin's relationship with Gnome is going to last long, especially when Gnome is restricting everything and will now not even allow themes in the future.

KDE feels like the obvious alternative for ZorinOS but I'm still not sure how that'll turn out since KDE can be extremely complicated and inconsistent at times.
Maybe if Zorin team manages to maintain the current Gnome version (or 40) it could work but Gnome's future is not very promising as the first choice for Zorin.

2 Likes
#126

I have no idea how well versed the ZorinGroup is with KDE. And this thread could be an interesting avenue for them; as exploring possibilities can be one of the great things in life.

100%. While I do think Zorin could benefit a lot from switching over to KDE, I'm skeptical of the ease of use.
Unless the Zorin team finds out a way to strip away a lot of unnecessary features from KDE, KDE is not a good candidate.

Here's my current KDE Desktop, it's absolutely amazing but at the same time, complicated in places, especially the settings app (it's a mess).

image
image1920×1080 245 KB

Gnome 3.38 is great because it's stupid simple, familiar (with Zorin tweaks) and looks nice but I'm really worried about the transition when Gnome totally ends up dropping all the customizability.

2 Likes
#127

I often wonder if the ZorinGroup is, as well.

And with a lot of users unknowingly pressing for it; by assuming that the latest is the Greatest.

2 Likes
#128

v40/41 is probably going to be the last good versions before the chaos turns up.

2 Likes
#129

It doesn't seem like the Zorin team takes input from the forum anyway, even if it is a big poll or if it published bugs and stuff. This all seems to be ending up as like "praying to the sun gods for rain" type deal.

1 Like
#130

I have seen many, many forum suggestions, bug reports, etc end up being accounted for by the ZorinGroup.
While they do not post an acknowledgement, they certainly do seem to pay attention an act upon suggestions.
This does not mean that every suggestion made ends up in Zorin OS... But they do seem responsive in action, if not in words.

7 Likes
#131

Agree with Aravisian. I don't know if people truly understand the amount of time, effort it takes to do what they do. Small team, several variations of Zorin. Possibly hundreds of suggestions, request each month. If not more. Over a million downloads of Lite alone in about day, from all over the world, different languages.

I don't mean this to sound harsh or insincere, but people need to realize that their idea, problem, what have you, while it may personally effect, impact themselves, it may not be in the top 50 of the most important tasks at hand.

I'm sure they go through all input, just takes longer than we may like.
Keep throwing those ideas and suggestions out there. Who knows what they may lead too, in time...

6 Likes
#132

That is total votes - looks like a 2/3 to 1/3 split overall in favour.
67% in favour of currently 70 votes equals 46.9 (47) votes in favour with 23 votes against adoption.

2 Likes
#133

One of the things they would have to look at is using Win 7 Themes and wallpaper like this (KDE Plasma on Zorin 16 modified to look like Windows 7) - Windows 7 Explore Dark:

file:///home/swarfendor437/Pictures/Win7 Dark.jpg

Win7 Dark
Win7 Dark1920×1080 190 KB

The problem with this theme is that Window Manager has a dark background and almost unintelligible writing. I think the Win10 menu is acceptable offering a mix of listed apps and most used apps as tiles.

Aero7.jpg - had to modify the Menu button from one out of multisystem that I had to copy to desktop before it would take:

file:///home/swarfendor437/Pictures/Aero7.jpg

Aero7
Aero71920×1080 190 KB

Win7 OS Plasma theme:

Win7OS Plasma
Win7OS Plasma1920×1080 205 KB

1 Like
#134

Windows look is never been appealing to me…. I came Over to Linux to distance myself from the look and the feeling of M$

2 Likes
#135

Zorin is for beginners people who out from windows to linux. That could be gived Zorin distribution more users also who used or liked DE - kde plasma. It depends somewhere else also creating some discussion if Zorin have a more DE will be better or more working for brothers?

1 Like
#136

Possibly bad

  • KDE sacrifices other improvement
  • KDE distros exist
  • Zorin is unique being Windows-like without KDE
  • Increased confusion when considering what to get
  • Harder to move forward in terms of development
  • QA test cases explosion
  • KDE is extremely clunky (my opinion), it looks OK on first sight, but when you get used to it, it is unpolished as software can ever get.
  • KDE's code is written in C++, instead of C - exponentially more complicated.
  • Most programs use GTK & look foreign on KDE, not limited to CSD vs SSD.
  • KDE is a mess to configure, it tends to have different cursors sizes on different windows and loots of quirks.
  • KDE can already be installed with a single command for the willing

Possibly good

  • Articles will be written and may attract new users
  • Some may migrate from other distros

I'm strongly against it, mostly comes down to added complexity and used resources versus shaky gains.

3 Likes
#137

Not sure on these two. You may have a good point on the first, but without giving some examples, it is hard to say.
The second point - many XFCE or Gnome distros exist. I don't really see this as a factor.

This ties into the above. What is increasing what confusion?

On these, I lean more toward agreement. I also find KDE to look nice at first glance and get clunkier the more you use it.
I have often compared the organization within the desktop to be like an explosion in a kitestring factory. Things seem placed not in their logical places, but in places I would never think to look. And worse, components are divided and placed in multiple locations.
I have tried evenly and fairly to give KDE a chance many times and failed on each attempt.

I find this list to be tellingly short. The "possibly bad" list seems unusually long, with bulleted items added that I really easily question them being on the list.
There is a lot of good that can be added to the list:

  • User customization and control
  • More open development (This comes with a caveat, though and could haave a counter-argument placed on the bad list)
  • More highly developed apps that offer more functions and features - often asked about on this forum and evidenced by the proliferation of KDE apps being used on other desktops.
  • More similarities to Windows, in regards to this Forum and Distro.
  • Steady Developer direction. Users have less concern of the developers suddenly doing a 180 on them.
  • More user choices and control over their own machine (Though this also comes with a caveat, not really one of confusion as much as your point above about "QA cases explosions.")
2 Likes
#138

I would like kde plasma, only if it has the zorin layouts as in gnome, and if it doesn't replace ANY of the existing versions...

#139

and this is THE ONLY part I agree with you.

1 Like
#140

For me, when the vote will be finished, lets ping the zoringroup so they see, and they say what they think about it

1 Like
#141

A big part of what makes Zorin Zorin, is it's unique touches on the Gnome DE, and it's easily customizable layouts. However, I do love KDE and would like to see it as an option. Would probably still use the legacy DE though, but always good to have options.

#142

yes, the more options a user have, the most user will use zorin

1 Like
#143

Considering Zorin OS is meant for new users to the Linux world who are looking for a pleasant experience right out of the box, I don't think it's a good idea to add another option here. Firstly because it will add more workload to the developers, and secondly because new users will be confused: "which one should I download, which one is better, what's the difference?".

I think ZorinOS got right what so many other distributions got wrong: the out of the box experience. It's easy, it's familiar, it's intuitive and it's still very much customizable. And I say this after having installed it in friends and relatives' computers who don't know the difference between Google Photos and the Images folder...

1 Like
#144

I agree with @zenzen.
I even changed my vote to "No" a few days ago. Zorin OS is meant for newcomers and right now there are three editions: Core, Lite and Education. You can understand them by just their name. When it comes to a new edition of Zorin OS, it will increase the workload. I mean the devs are too busy to reply to the emails very quickly and how many days later than Zorin 16 Core did Zorin Lite 16 arrive? 4 months? When would Zorin KDE Plama 16 arrive, if it existed? And then obviously, as I had said before, 'more the options harder to choose.' And that is bad for newcomers. KDE Plasma is a great desktop environment and If the devs are thinking of adding it, then they should do it by ditching GNOME (replacing the DE in their Core edition).