Thanks - reading these responses is a reminder to me (who wants to make the switch) that it IS a whole new thing.
So it is a Acer Aspire Spin 14, ASP14-52MTN-74BS
Spec for that is here: https://store.acer.com/en-gb/acer-aspire-spin-14-laptop-asp14-52mtn-grey
Wow. Just wow...
I've just spent a fruitless hour trying to attach my wireless printer, a difficulty I suspect is caused by my being connected through my VPN. But I look at this as a learning exercise and a problem to solve. I don't throw my toys out of the pram and say that it's the fault of Linux developers.
Again, wow...
I suspect you not being able to right click is due to Zorin OS disabling right click for track-pads on laptops by default which can be changed in settings. You will need to click Zorin OS start menu, click settings, click mouse & touchpad on the left settings pane, click touchpad button on the top of the settings window, look for the Clicking settings and change it to corner push.
Hi and welcome.
I can't comment on 3D Max (I always avoided playing with 3D applications as I found them too difficult to Master.
I think where the issue lies in the marketing area of Zorin is that they are trying to say that GNU/Linux has equivalent free software that would cost upwards of $/£5,000 were you running Windows. In terms of Adobe Photoshop, someone recently posted about a YouTuber who has managed to tweak WINE in order to run Adobe Photoshop on GNU/Linux. Just to clear things up, Richard Stallman wrote code for his OS called Hurd using GNU C++ Libraries but he did not have a kernel to run Hurd. 8 years after Stallman started his Hurd project, Linus Torvalds wrote the Linux kernel and so GNU/Linux was born. A lot of hardware such as DVD writers had to be reverse engineered in order to be usable under GNU/Linux and the 14-year-old teenager who did it was put under house arrest for breaching copyright on DVD devices. Drivers for all hardware is embedded in the Linux kernel in terms of computer hardware. Peripheral device drivers are also included in the Linux kernel but sometimes you need to acquire specific Linux drivers from printer manufacturers, such as Canon, but sometimes they have been known to sunset drivers for specific models but can be found elsewhere on the internet.
You need to be clear that Zorin does not write or contribute to the Linux kernel, this is maintained separately and is present in all GNU/Linux distributions, and not all distributions use the same kernel. Some opt for lower numbered kernels, accommodating users of older equipment, whilst others use higher kernels to accommodate bleeding edge tech used by gamers.
What Zorin does is use Ubuntu as its base and modifies the Gnome Desktop Environment to be more user friendly for migrators from Windows with a familiar Windows menu etc.
In terms of screen recording and video-conferencing you will need to change your compositor from Wayland to xorg at the login screen. When you enter your user name a cog appears lower right. Click on it and choose 'Zorin on xorg'.
I have just remembered, Winboat, a third party solution has been cited as being able to run Adobe Creative Suite 6. You could try and see if 3D-Max might work under that. No guarantees mind.
I can understand your frustration, and I suspect you were wanting to see something like this:
Just go back to Windows, you are just frustrated, take a cold shower, I don't know but if you don't understand how to use linux it's just because you don't want to...
I copied the extract below from an email I got today from Mark37, the supplier of my ghost phone. It focuses mainly on phones but is equally applicable to computers and just seemed relevant to what the OP is fighting against. Pasted here without comment:
TECHNOLOGY
This is the one I work in every day, as the devices most people are carrying were not designed to serve them. They were designed to extract attention, harvest data, and keep you tethered to platforms that profit from your engagement regardless of what that engagement costs you.
You can choose the hard of learning how technology actually works; understanding what's running on your phone, what's being collected, what tools exist that you actually own and control. That means a learning curve as you pick up digital situational awareness. It means some inconvenience during the transition. It means making intentional decisions about your digital environment instead of just accepting the defaults.
Or you can choose the hard of living inside a system designed to keep you distracted, monitored, and dependent; one where your data is the product, your attention is the inventory, and your children are the next generation of users in the pipeline.
I felt a bit like posting the same type of thing but restrained myself because we shouldn't criticize other forum participants but try to help or just ignore.
you are right but sometimes it's too much, I helped many people and try to contribute with my little knowledge, but he don't want help, he's just a hater.
My mother is 85, she use linux and never complain, she just ask when she don't know and learn like we all do.
Maybe he will find one day that 99% of servers around the world are on Linux, what a shock !
or a search engine
This summarizes the issue, neatly.
Professionals run GnuLinux. A large chunk of software developed for Windows OS is built on GnuLinux or Linux.
Your frustration stems from you not knowing how, not knowing what you are doing; not from immaturity in the GnuLinux system or developers.
Much of your complaint is demonstrably false. You insult and belittle professional developers.
I do not think this is what you actually want.
Yes, that's right, servers run Linux. Linux is good for servers. Linux has a lot of software for running servers. The problem is that I don't need a server, and Zorin OS is positioned as a solution for consumer computers.
Regarding the virtual machine for using Windows programs: This means you need to install a telemetry-free Linux in order to run Windows with telemetry inside it, which will still spy.
I have to use MS Office for some professional work that I do. So, I run a virtual machine with Win10 on it. I loaded all the software I need into it, ran all the necessary updates, and then cut off its access to the internet. Now I have a "frozen in time" Win10 installation that does everything I need it to (which is just run Office) without being able to phone home to Microsoft.
I gave the VM access to some of the folders on my computer so that whatever I update can be uploaded, shared, emailed, etc.
When I first switched to Linux a few years ago, I used the VM daily. I also wanted to pound my computer at times and write angry messages in the forum. I grew up on Windows and knew nothing else. But once I got used to how Linux works, I found that I preferred it.
There's definitely a learning curve. But now when I have to troubleshoot something Windows-related for a friend or in my VM, I'm frequently searching the internet trying to figure out how the heck to use Windows.
Most people use Windows, so most software companies code their software to only work with Windows. A few add macOS compatibility, and even fewer offer their products for Linux. That's not a defect in Linux, it's just a result of supply and demand.
Okay, I said earlier that Linux is for programmers and servers. So it's no surprise to me that programmers are creating programs in the Linux environment, even for Windows. But what does this mean for the user? Here's a program, and here's an operating system that won't run it. That's what's important.
Zorin OS doesn't have a "for programmers only" warning. On the contrary, the developer writes that it's the most convenient way to transition from Windows to Linux. For example, I don't criticize Debian or Red Hat because they don't promise what they can't deliver.
I never talked about virtual machine, but I will tell you, Do what you want and be happy 
Without wishing to be rude or inhospitable, I think that you're in the wrong place and have outstayed your welcome. You're not happy with Zorin. Ok, understood. But if that's all you have, then just leave it there.
You joined a large and populated community of GnuLinux users that are not programmers, not developers; just ordinary people that use their computers for a variety of purposes from home or work.
Many do not ever open a terminal.
The vast majority claim no programming skills, at all.
What you just did was a neat shifting of the goal posts. You claimed that GnuLinux cannot run professional software. When I point out it can and does, you turn around and claim that GnuLinux is exclusive to programmers and developers.
REB, you do not want to have to learn. That is where the issue is. Return to this thread when you are ready to learn.
Until then, refine from insulting and belittling those who are and have been willing to learn.
The effect it is having is not making you look smarter.
What about peripherals? For example, I use a Wacom tablet and a 3dconnexion SpaceMouse Enterprise; there's a Linux driver for these devices. But the SpaceMouse syncs with 3D Max via a plugin. Also, 3D Max needs direct access to the processor, since the viewport essentially renders in real time while you're working, and unwrapping objects onto a coordinate map complicates the calculations.
I also have ZBrush and Photoshop, which require access to the touch pen, not just the mouse, to process pressure points.
How does all this work on a virtual machine?
I don't really understand these arguments. I also came from Windows 11 and have tried out several distributions and done my research. Anyone who decides to switch to Linux needs to realize that Linux isn't Windows.
Before switching, you should test the system and, after careful consideration, decide whether Linux (whichever version) is the right choice for you.
Speaking for myself, I can say that Zorin OS is already very simple and intuitive, and the developers don’t pretend it’s Windows.
Zorin is really good and beginner-friendly.
Linux is not Windows. 