I’m really bullish when it comes to making it as straightforward as possible to get your Linux distro installed and start gaming. I don’t really anticipate a learning curve for new users. And many do, but so far Zorin OS 15 is just so clean and polished. Any distribution that takes focused steps to make the Windows-to-Linux transition easier gets points in my book. Now, please remember that I’m always approaching my Linux impressions with a beginner hat on. It's always nice when the necessary codecs are pre-installed. I also took YouTube and Netflix for a spin, and am happy to report that I had zero issues streaming video on Firefox. Games: 20-odd open source games including SuperTuxKart, Warzone 2100 and Neverballįor creatives, there’s a lot to appreciate and use here.Ī macOS-style layout with dark mode enabled Jason Evangelho.

Video + Audio: Ardour 5, Audacity, Handbrake, Kdenlive, Kodi, OBS.Office + Productivity: LibreOffice, FocusWriter, GnuCash, HomeBank.Graphics: Blender, Darktable, Krita, LibreCAD, Synfig Studio.Ok, here’s a sampling of the software in Zorin OS 15 Ultimate: 'We were inspired to begin expanding and creating this tool after we saw that the city of Vicenza in Italy made the switch to Zorin OS a couple of years ago,' says Arytom Zorin via email.

They say they're on-track to launch an organization-wide computer management SaaS (Software as a Service) tool which will make it easier for more businesses, schools and government customers to switch from Windows to Zorin OS. (It's staggering to think that Zorin OS is this evolved, and the two brothers developed it while first learning how to program!)īriefly circling back to the Windows 7 end-of-life discussion, the Zorin brothers say they're planning to expand the team towards the end of 2019. Artyom Zorin tells me that Ultimate edition customers have made it possible for Zorin OS to thrive and remain a full-time project.

The brothers started the project in their teens (12 and 14 respectively), and have slowly grown it into a success. You may also offer up your cash just to support a distro that is, surprisingly, created and maintained by only two people: Artyom Zorin and his brother Kyrill. To put it in perspective, the Ultimate ISO is about 4.2GB, while the Core version of Zorin OS 15 is 1.6GB.Įssentially, you’re paying for the convenience of pre-installed open source software, extended desktop theming, and installation support. The Ultimate version, which I’m currently reviewing, costs 39 Euros (or about $43 USD) and is jam-packed with features and a boatload of software that should appeal to a wide range of users.

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