When I decided to go to Linux. It was a long time coming. When I saw Zorin and how it looked. I said this was it. But it was Linux. I remembered when my brother had Red Hat. Before it became more for enterprise. This was many decades ago. I got fed up with Microsoft/Windows. I said it was time to go. Now the boot drive that I had gave me much trouble. I prepared for weeks watching videos. When I went to install. It didn't go as planned. Lets just say I had a nervous breakdown. And my brother had to come out to help. After it got installed and no more Microsoft/Windows as my OS. I saw how this looked. This is nice. It took me a few days to learn. After being with Windows for 30 years. It does take time. But after a while I kept saying to myself "this is how a computer should work, wow." I always fought windows. And I didn't like a lot about Windows 10 even hated Windows 11. Like most who said enough is enough. A course there are problems that arise. Mine was sound that was fixed by getting new speakers with Linux support. The other was most would know my scanner issue. That has been solved. As I have been referring to as my "New Linux Family". I have Dell. I like Dell because you can customize most computers. I do see that on the higher end Dell offers Linux Distros. But not Zorin. I wish computer hardware companies made it better for Linux users to use their products. Since people are leaving Microsoft in droves. And I wish the computer companies started thinking. To offer Linux on new computers different distros. Since Microsoft is becoming worse. I would prefer Zorin OS as an option. Going to Zorin from Microsoft would be the simple way for a high percentage of people. Since for a few decades Microsoft have controlled the people. Thank You Zorin for being there for all of us who left Microsoft/Windows. As far as my concern Microsoft could fade into dust. Now that the people have Zorin OS. Maybe someday when you buy a new computer Zorin would be the OS on the system and not Windows.
Well it is good that you are having a good time with GNU/Linux. Whilst I would agree with most of what you have said, unfortunately there are occasions when some people are in a specific profession that relies on Proprietary software and there is nothing of the same calibre in the open source world.
I have just lost a client who has had to go back to Windows because being someone who deals with Planning, their GNU/Linux experience was unable to cope with planning documents.
I was a fervent advocate for Zorin after I joined at version 4. Version 5 is still probably my favourite release, but sadly, nothing lasts forever or stays still long enough to be appreciated.
The issue facing future releases of Zorin are many, principally the issues facing Zorin are:
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The Gnome project. As @Aravisian has stated elsewhere they have taken on an attitude potentially worse than Microsoft, and that is saying something. They believe Developers and Users of Gnome should only do things how they say they should be done. (This reminds me of the time I undertook MS Office Professional Exams at work. You had to carry out MS method of three steps whereas in real life you would only take two steps, but doing that in the online exam would result in failure. Needless to say unfortunately I only passed on Word, Excel and PowerPoint - MS Access was beyond my grasp [thankfully!])
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Canonical (Ubuntu) on which ZorinOS is based on. Major changes are happening with the introduction of Rust and a whole load of other changes that is going to add more complications down the line. One of the biggest issues that I have noticed of late is that forum members have installed an 'APT' package only to find somewhere down the line, Canonical have forcefully changed the software to a 'snap' package. 'snap' is Canonical's response to Red Hat force-feeding 'flatpak' to be adopted by other distributions (even though they were not behind 'flatpak' they quickly adopted it and tried making it the 'de facto' software packaging system to replace 'outdated' APT and prevent the need for developers having to write software in different formats for different packaging systems - .rpm (RedHat Package Management), .deb (Debian Package Management).
What 'snap' and 'flatpak' do is they make programs work in isolation from the system, in a similar way to what App Images do, they are standalone elements that have to be updated separately from the system and because of this they introduce bloatware.
Sadly it appears that team Zorin appear to be pushing 'flatpak' more and more as evidenced in the Software store 'APT' has been re-labeled Zorin-APT, so alphabetically it becomes the last option instead of the first, flatpak followed by snap being the first two available options, alphabetically.
This is one area where Q4OS differs in that flatpak is a post-install option, not part of it, for those who want it.
For me personally I now limit myself to distributions that do not come encumbered with 'systemd' (with the exception of Linux Mint Debian Edition and Q4OS) or PulseAudio. I even still prefer ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) over PipeWire that has superseded (but not entirely replaced) PulseAudio, another Red Hat imposition (i.e., Pulse Audio) just like systemd.
That is not quite right. The Order isn't alphabetically. And I think, they have labeled it Zorin APT, so You know that it is a Zorin System Package. You can check the Order with the Command:
gsettings get org.gnome.software packaging-format-preference
And by default, it should look like this:
You can change the Order (using a Command or Dconf Editor) but unfortunately, but it doesn't have an Effect. I don't know why.
Yes but APT has always been APT, it is not specifically a 'Zorin product'. 
No, but it makes clear that it is related to the System (Zorin) Packages.
Ok, I think I should chime in here. Since I am the one who wrote the feedback. I will be the first to admit that I have no idea what APT is. I have had my own problems with flatpak. Not bad just some software in flatpak not reconizing the software. Not a big deal. Now back to why I wrote this feedback. I am early 40's and for as long as I can remember Windows was it. That was all I knew. Every computer came with it no matter what. Then in the my school days in the 90's Apple was in every school. What was Apple? This computer was weird couldn't use it. Had no idea how to use this thing. I knew windows. At the time it was probably windows 98'. I only found out a few decades later that Apple made a deal with the schools to put their computers into the schools. When I said Zorin first not Microsoft. In my view 90% of people outside of Apple buys a computer for home and maybe small business. The computer companies don't give you a choice. Windows what ever version it is. That is what you get. I noticed the business grade computers in Dell offer Linux distros. mostly Red Hat. I have seen Ubuntu. Ok, that is fine. All I am saying is give every computer buyer personal business enterprise or even government a choice. Not force something down their throats. Maybe it is not Zorin. But Zorin is great to replace Windows. Or maybe the computer companies could offer different distros along with Zorin. Or here is a thought give an option for the consumer to be able to boot. Without an OS. Then with the boot only. The consumer could choose which system "they" wanted. But don't have a choice. You get windows version. And that is it. And MS Office. I found LibreOffice before switching. It took me awhile to learn it. But I had made my mind up that I was cutting ties to everything Microsoft. I converted all my MS Office docs. To Writer. otd. Files. Here you can still open and save docs as MS Office. I was looking at Apple for a few years because I wanted to get away from windows so badly. But once you get in with Apple. It seems like Apple controls more then Microsoft with their own Hardware. PC's you can build and customize everything you want. And aren't there something like 15+ different Linux distros. For what ever the person or who needs it for? I am just down right tired of Giant Companies telling people how to live and what "they" can use. My brother helped me install Zorin. But I was in a nervous breakdown state. He doesn't really help with the family. He even told me Zorin isn't really any good for me. And windows was better then Linux. That is why he got rid of Red Hat. Mean while when he re-downloaded Zorin. He had no idea what he was doing. He tends to be a know it all. And talk down to the family and sometimes others. When I tried to tell him what Microsoft did to me twice. He said Microsoft doesn't do that. Without ever really knowing. And the fact He (my brother) doesn't really know me at all. This is my own views that I notice. Everybody has a right to their own views. But I thought I should clear some of my views up, why I wrote the feedback in the first place. I can not even ask for help from my brother with Linux. I come here now. As I have been referring to my "New Linux Family". And one more thing I know I am in USA. But I have heard that European Countries started to ban MS Office for something. I am not sure of that. Since I am in America.
Hi @countrywolf19
I feel for you. Our local LUG (Linux User Group) co-ordinator told me that a medical student did a thesis on how Windows affects people's mental health with validated research and they got their medicine degree.
What you won't be aware of is that if a school district even attempted to introduce GNU/Linux they could get fined and suspect teachers might get sacked.
I have written an Unofficial Manual for Zorin 18 to help new users find their way around, even though I don't use Zorin OS. You can download it from here:
I hope it makes things easier for you.
Sidenote: My last job in my working life for 19 years was as a Vision Support Technician, employed in an Integrated Resource at a Secondary School (High School), modifying texts for low-vision and blind students. I attended an Expo where various manufacturers of Aids and Equipment were on display. One of the companies was from America, AbleData demonstrating their embossers for producing Braille. I had taken a derelict Dell notebook from work and put Ultimate Edition on it and had got a demo version of Duxbury Braille Translator to work under WINE (which is an acronym for WINE Is No Emulator; it uses Windows DLL's [Dynamic Link Libraries]). Unfortunately AbleData had not brought any appropriate cables for me to test it. They mentioned at the time they would have issues implementing Linux and I made the comment "So much for the 'Land of the Free'"! They took it in good heart.
You might want to give FreeOffice a try which can read .docx files easily.
The default layout is with the Ribbon (when Microsoft Office 2007 was introduced at the School where I worked it sent me off with Stress for 6 months) but it is configured differently, but you can change it's look on first launch to traditional menu (think Office 2003).
Wishing you well friend.
Just remember we are all here to help.
But I won't be around for Zorin 19 unless it moves away from Ubuntu base.
As a German, I can say that this is not wrong. But it isn't done yet fully. There are working on it. It is not only Office. They look for different OS, cloud etc. Here in Germany some States are already in the Making to convert Stuff.
On Zorin, You have the Option to install a Program in 3 different ways:
- .deb (native Package Format)
- Flatpak (a Cointainer Format)
- Snap (another Container Format from Canonical - the Company behind Ubuntu)
Now, there are AppImages, too. But these will not be installed. There are like portable Programs that You might know from Windows. They run out of itself.
So, APT is for handling .deb Versions out of the System Repo's (Repo, short for Repository=Source). When You install a Program via Terminal with a sudo apt install Command for Example.
I got your manual that you sent me. With the private messaging. I will have to look at it later. Could help with the question I had. Thank you.
Ok, that clears some things up. I found out a little about Appleimages. My pCloud download came with an Appleimage. That I found. Instead of doing a terminal install since I was so new. I needed a download to get my files. Love pCloud. On a side not. I thought you were German. From some of the post's concerning my scanner issue. I have German Heritage. I would love to learn the language. My schools never offered it, only Spanish. Why would I want to learn Spanish. I still try to learn German. Seeing you, thinking you were German. And my Heritage. Got my thinking again. How could I learn. I knew of Rosetta Stone. But I guess that is for Windows only. I am trying to find an open-source. I found something like Akin? I think.
The name is Appimage, not Appleimage.
Ok, sometimes my eyes play with me. Due to my floaters. I think I see what I am typing. Then after a send. It's not what I thought.
When I understand it right Rosetta Stone works in the Browser. So, the System wouldn't matter. Otherwise, You could look if You find Speech Courses in Your Town. Maybe there is a local Offer.
I looked the other day for Rosetta Stone. And it said it was only for windows. I thought maybe a local college did something, but I am not sure.
Ok, You were right. Me wrong. I looked at it again. Online good for me. Sometimes it takes two sets of eyes. Thank you.