Zorin OS 15 launches today, and I'm going to go out on a limb and proclaim that Zorin OS is the best desktop Linux Vicenza in Italymade the switch to Zorin OS a couple of years ago,' says Arytom Zorin via email.
Zorin OS is a desktop GNU/Linux distro based on Ubuntu and this version 15 is based on Bionic 18.04. Zorin OS is a LiveCD system with Ubiquity installer, making it available for you to run the whole system completely without installing or install it quickly and very easily to your computer (trust me, it's easier than installing Windows).
distribution you’ve never heard of. Then again, it’s quietly had more than 17 million downloads since the initial Zorin OS 1.0 launch in July 2009. And though DistroWatch is far from a reliable metric, Zorin OS is ranked higher on that site than KDE Neon, Red Hat, Arch Linux and my current daily driver: Pop!_OS.Ok, here’s a sampling of the software in Zorin OS 15 Ultimate:
- Graphics: Blender, Darktable, Krita, LibreCAD, Synfig Studio
- Office + Productivity: LibreOffice, FocusWriter, GnuCash, HomeBank
- Video + Audio: Ardour 5, Audacity, Handbrake, Kdenlive, Kodi, OBS
- Games: 20-odd open source games including SuperTuxKart, Warzone 2100 and Neverball
For creatives, there’s a lot to appreciate and use here.
Simplified Windows-style layout in Zorin OS 15
Jason Evangelho The same Windows-style desktop with dark mode enabled.
Jason EvangelhoThe Ultimate edition also has some slick and simple ways to make Windows and macOS users feel comfortable. With one click in the Zorin Appearance app, you can arrange your menu, panel, system tray and all other desktop elements to easily resemble a couple different familiar Windows layouts, macOS layout and even Unity. There are a total of 6 built-in configurations.
Beyond that, you can easily tweak fonts, icons, titlebar, panel behavior, and a host of other options – without needing to hunt down and install any extensions.
A macOS-style layout with dark mode enabled
Jason Evangelho I also took YouTube and Netflix for a spin, and am happy to report that I had zero issues streaming video on Firefox. It's always nice when the necessary codecs are pre-installed.
Now, please remember that I’m always approaching my Linux impressions with a beginner hat on. Any distribution that takes focused steps to make the Windows-to-Linux transition easier gets points in my book. And many do, but so far Zorin OS 15 is just so clean and polished. I don’t really anticipate a learning curve for new users.
Thoughtful Touches For Gamers
I’m really bullish when it comes to making it as straightforward as possible to get your Linux distro installed and start gaming. Pop!_OS is one of the pioneers in that regard, offering the Nvidia proprietary driver right on the ISO (for newbies, this means no need to download that Nvidia driver, or even install it. It gets installed alongside the OS).
Ubuntu will take the same approach with its next version, but some distros go above and beyond.
Zorin OS 15 does three things I love.
First and foremost, you can install the proprietary (more performant) Nvidia driver during the OS installation.
The second thing: there are normally some additional moving parts necessary to use Proton – the compatibility tool that allows Steam gamers to play Windows games on the Steam for Linux client. Zorin automatically pulls down and installs the Vulkan API dependencies when you download and install Steam. The latest Nvidia drivers are also available without having to enable any additional software sources (or “repositories.”)
Finally, I’m quite an advocate for Lutris, a piece of software that makes it really easy to play Windows games from the Epic Games store, Origin and other clients. Not only is Lutris available in the Zorin OS software store, but it automatically grabs Wine 4.0 which is required for many Lutris games to work properly. In other distros there are sometimes several extra steps to get all this humming smoothly.
The one small hangup that may present itself is that Zorin OS is based on Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS. Meaning long-term support and stability is preferred over bleeding-edge software versions. So, the slightly older kernel (4.18 at time of this article) and open source MESA drivers for AMD Radeon users might introduce a hitch or two when it comes to high-end gaming (specifically for Radeon Vega or Radeon VII users). But I’m adding Zorin to my Linux Gaming Report, and I’ll report back on that front as soon as possible.
Zorin OS 15 Ultimate with dark theme and macOS-style layout
Jason Evangelho Recommended Reading: For a deeper understanding of Linux gaming, read my ongoing Linux Gaming Report.
Closing Thoughts
I've only spent 48 hours with Zorin OS 15, and I intend to spend a lot more time with Ultimate, Core and the upcoming Lite version featuring Xfce. So please don't treat this as a final review. But I am really enthralled by this distro, especially with its simplicity and focus on appealing to existing Windows and macOS users. It's worth checking out if you're a Linux veteran, and definitely worth recommending to friends and family interested in ditching Windows or macOS.
Here's a bonus bit of praise. Check out the default start page is for Firefox in Zorin OS. Sure, it's just directing you to a page hosted on the Zorin servers, but it's still a cool, elegant solution for people always firing up their browsers to do research or get a question answered.
(If the GIF below doesn't work, click here to use it yourself.)
Ultimate + Core System Requirements:
CPU | 1 GHz Dual Core - 64-bit |
RAM | 2 GB |
Storage | 10 GB (Core & Education) or 20 GB (Ultimate) |
Display | 800 × 600 resolution |
Download Zorin OS 15
If everything works out, Zorin OS 15 should be available by the time you read this. You can download the Core or Ultimate editions at www.zorinos.com. If they haven't pushed the live site yet, you'll find it at new.zorinos.com.