Unsolved Zorin OS or Linux Mint?
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Very simple question: which is best to migrate to for a long-term Windows user who wants to change?
Travellin Bob
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@TravellinBob
Hi, after 20 Years of testing Linux distributions I still go back to Opensuse every time.
I use Tumbleweed, it is a rolling release and include always the latest software and libraries, I never had any issues with it.
Mint is more lightweight but limited and the most problems with Vivaldi are reported from Mint users.
I don't test Zorin OS but with the most niche Linux distributions the help you can get is low.
I am not sure we have Zorin users here in the forum.Cheers, mib
Opensuse Tumbleweed x86_64 KDE 6.2 X11, Windows 11 Pro, Vivaldi latest
HP Probook Intel(R) i5-8350U 16 GB, GPU UHD 620, SSD 256 GB
Miniforum-B550 AMD Ryzen 7 4700G 16 GB, Radeon Graphics
Redmi Note 14, HyperOS Android 14 -
@TravellinBob There are simple questions but no simple answers in the Linux world
Both are relatively similar in the sense that they are based on a 'Long Time Support' Ubuntu base, I'd say try them both from their Live USBs (you could use Ventoy where you throw all the .isos there) and decide for yourself because looks are subjective. I'm sure there's a ton of material on the Internet and Youtube comparing them, you could take further info from there. I'd say be prepared having more disk space available for Zorin as contrary to Mint it provides programs in all sort of packaging formats (3) vs (2) (which include additional "runtimes" in order to work -a probably unknown detail to you-).
As a start you could take a look and play around with them a bit from https://distrosea.com
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I have been a Linux MInt fan for years. Very stable and user-friendly. Mature and very intuitive to use, much better than Win 10.
The argument that most of the problems here in the forum would come from Mint, as @mib2berlin wrote, may be due to its wider distribution.
Another point here is, that Mint users very often are Linux beginners and therefore get more issues than experienced users that prefer Arch or Suse or Debian.
BTW: I just moved from Linux Mint to LMDE 6 Cinnamon, that is a more stable release also from Mint. DE means it is built on Debian instead of Ubuntu.But yes, you don't let anything come to your own favorite distro, do you?
Vivaldi with mail-client and calendar
OS: Linux Mint LMDE 6 Cinnamon; Win10, GrapheneOS with Android 15 -
@npro I've been looking at Mint for a while, trying to decide to take the plunge or not, so looked at loads of stuff on YouTube and elsewhere, and I have to say I do like the look of it.
Then I came across Zorin, and my research this week is moving me towards it now. For me it looks a bit sleeker, has some clean desktop themes and less customisation options, so I have a feeling I'll fnd it better for me. Functionally, there seems little to choose - which is why I raised the question.
Thanks for your advice.Travellin Bob
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@mib2berlin Thankks for your response. I've not looked at Opensuse at all - I'll spend some time doing so tomorrow!
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@TravellinBob said in Zorin OS or Linux Mint?:
it looks a bit sleeker, has some clean desktop themes and less customisation options, so I have a feeling I'll fnd it better for me.
yeah definitely in that aspect, personally I find Mint's look too conservative, on the other hand I am not a fan of how dark or bright (and nothing between) Zorin is
. But if it fits your style go for it!I wouldn't recommend you openSUSE TW, it's a rolling release which includes a big batch of updates every week or so and it is more suited for more advanced users.
P.S. If it wasn't a particular "tech" thing by Ubuntu that I dislike in Zorin I would probably go with it.
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@Dancer18 Thanks for the info. I've never used Linux in my life (at least not knowingly!) so I am absolute beginner - and no-techie to boot. I wouldn't know where to start if I have to use the Terminal for anything.... This is why I'm leaning to these two distros from the hundreds that are available: they seem the most Windows-like for a migrating beginner.
Travellin Bob
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@TravellinBob There's a dude on line who does a lot of advisory youtube videos on open source projects. His favorite, over decades, is Mint. Still, for a new user, he has posted a 20-minute video explaining why he recommends Zorin OS. His argument is that it's better "curated," that is to say, its options, included software, UI, ways of doing things, have been more carefully examined and chosen to avoid noob pitfalls. The thing with Linux is, it's really easy to change systems. You may use Zorin OS for several months to a couple years, then decide Mint is more capable and you'd prefer it, move from there to LMDE, and eventually go to ArchLinux.
Of if you're less tech-curious and obsessed with fiddling and exploring, you might start with Zorin OS and stay there forever, because it just meets your requirements.
My own experience has been that I have a hard time comparing systems, switching back and forth, noticing differences and making decisions, because my brain just doesn't work that way. I've a 155 IQ, no joke, but I reserve my mental calisthenics for things I find important. And what I find important about OSes is that they WORK and that they provide an avenue to do the things I REALLY find important - and I really, really, don't want to think about them too much. To me, the task is the task, Messing with the OS is the meta-task, and meta totally does not interest me. I just want to do. I don't want to do about doing.
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All that said, I'm still a Linux noob after five years, have never tried Zorin OS, can slog my way through a limited Terminal operation, and my version I have on board for Vivaldi testing at present is Linux Mint 22.04. I find it's easy and requires little to no thought - just like a Iike it. I've a feeling I'd be equally happy with Zorin OS.
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LLonM moved this topic from Vivaldi for Linux on -
@TravellinBob
There is no live system for Opensuse Tumbleweed but for Leap, this is not a rolling release system.
One of my main features of Opensuse is the configure tool Yast, all system setting in one tool.
As Windows user I would prefer the KDE live systems.https://download.opensuse.org/distribution/leap/15.5/live/
Cheers, mib
EDIT: Download Zorin iso at moment. -
Having been pretty emphatic about how I don't like meta, one might ask what on earth I am doing with Vivaldi, which offers endless opportunities to fiddle with the medium rather than, say, Chrome, which is the simplest possible window onto the web.
Well, it's because no browser but Vivaldi actually WORKS for me. The things I find essential in a browser to be able to use it at all, are only in Vivaldi. It offers endless opportunities to do things I have no interest in or time for, so I don't do them. I just set up my email, my vertical tabs, pinned tab stacks, icon-only bookmarks bar and a visual scheme I find pleasant and soothing, and go to work. I'll leave all the meta stuff it can do, to others.
Volunteer Mod and tester on Windows 11 Home X64, i7-13700 @ 5.4 GHz turbo; Intel UHD 770 graphics; 1TB NV2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD; 32 GB DDR4-3200 RAM. Community Code of Conduct
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@TravellinBob Yes, you hit an important point: learning to use the terminal. I found a German YT video that clearly shows that Mint in particular makes it easy to get along completely without a terminal at first.
At some point you will recognize the advantages of the terminal. In most cases, it's about copying certain commands from a manual and executing them in the terminal, rather than memorizing lots of commands
It is important to be able to get help from forums like this one. I really appreciate the Linux-Mint-Forum with its many professionals.
A "downer" for Zorin is that you have to pay for the full version, while the core version doesn't contain all desktop versions you eventually want to use.
Vivaldi with mail-client and calendar
OS: Linux Mint LMDE 6 Cinnamon; Win10, GrapheneOS with Android 15 -
@Ayespy I'm of a similar view. I've been using Edge (old and new) since they came out and with the new one I got it set up to do what I want how I want. I moved to Vivaldi because I just felt like a change, and once I'd spent a week or so playing around with look-and-feel and got it working how I wanted (very close indeed to my Edge set up) I use it pretty much all the time and have it set as my default. All the tab stacks and feeds and productivity tools I don't need so I ignore them, the same as I ignored similar stuff in Edge (which I still use regularly - for me the browsers are interchangeable). I'm happy with that.
The only reason I'm even looking at Linux is because of the upcoming W10 end-of-life. I can't upgrade to W11 because my old but perfectly operational Beast doesn't meet the MS technical requirements and I don't really want to blow a month's pension on a new one when I have food and bills to pay!Travellin Bob
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@Dancer18 TBH I think if I continue to use my computer as I do now - which is to say browse the internet, send and receive emails, listen to music via a variety of sources, watch my YouTube subscribed channels for daytime entertainment, write my blogs and stories and things on LibreOffice then publish - (and I believe all of that should be possible on either Zorin or Mint) then I'm done. All the techie stuff, using commands and Terminal or whatever, should not be needed. I bloody hope not anyway - my mind doesn't work that way at all, and at my age it ain't gonna change!
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@TravellinBob If you just one to start using inmediately, buy Zorin OS. If you dont want to buy, use Mint.
Have take a look at Linux Lite? I know that some people that doesnt know anything about technology like it, the interface, and use it without any problem at all. Also make sure of checking in search engines "how to make linux look like windows". I have found some great commands that are very simple and get linux a windows looking. If you know which desktop you are going to use, search "how to make kde (or whatever is your desktop) look like windows 10 (or windows 11)" -
@TravellinBob
As I said before, I would recommend 'Q4OS'.
https://www.q4os.orgIt runs very well on older and brand new devices.
It is based on 'Debian Stable' and can be installed very easily, like a Windows programme, without an installation CD, making it very suitable for new users.
You can try it out immediately.
If you don't like it, you can uninstall it again like a Windows programme.You can install it in parallel, 'dual boot', or it can take over the whole disc later if you want to keep Windows for the time being.
I have had very good experiences myself and with the recommendation.
With today's large Linux distributions, nobody has to use a terminal if they don't want to, there are graphical interfaces for everything.
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You can configure the built-in desktop 'KDE' very similarly to Windows.
You can then continue writing your beautiful Vivaldi blog here.
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I prefer Zorin OS
to me it´s more familiar desktop... -
@TravellinBob
Try Debian Stable: It is the most stable distribution and the least likely to face serious bugs (dealing with bugs when learning Linux is a nightmare!).
Or try a Debian Stable based distro, as Q4OS or LMDE, but you may face some additional bugs.
And use KDE: it is more friendly for windows users.
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