Zorin OS 10 is very polished but support ends in a few months. Elementary OS has all the new bells and whistles in Zorin 10 but based on the older 14.4 Ubuntu LTS. Elementary OS might be the best option until the next LTS release of Zorin.
True but it looks pretty dated compared to 10 and Elementary, but that's just being picky. 9 is going to be the more stable of the three.
Speaking of the three - do you think its possible, say if you like such & such about Elementary, and like such & such about Zorin 10, and the same for Zorin 9, you (and I do mean YOU, not me, I'm noob) could mix and match different distro's to form one "perfect" OS? Isn't that what Zorin, Elementary and say Mint really are anywayz? People getting together and building an OS from other distro's and combining the different sources to make a custom OS? Like I said, I'm a noob when it comes to Linux, so feel free to flame me
As I see it Zorin aims to be the most Windows like release, Mint stays with the Linux approach but tries to be as user friendly as possible and the guys [and gals] at Elementary are more about the design and beauty of their baby. At the end of the day all three are based on Ubuntu so they are not going to be all that different, just grab all four and try them out, one of them will float your boat.
How many different types of toasters do you need to toast a slice of bread? For some people, an operating system is like a car. It can take you to work, to the bank, to the store, it can take you sightseeing, it can take you to entertainment. It's about the destination not the car. To others an operating system is like a collectors car. They will tinker for hours on an engine. The will detail and polish the car. The will gun the engine and even race it. They will read books and magazines about the car. They will sit around for hours with friends talking about cars. But the car is a collectors item and stays in the garage. They never go anywhere in it. For me, it's not the operating system. It's the destination.
You ask: "What do you think of Zorin OS?" I answer, 'To whom it fits, it is good, whom is not suitable, it just does not fit and my or someone else's opinion will not change anything. "
This is what I found out about Zorin OS - I understand that this is designed for newcomers of Linux. It is said to be a multi-functional operating system for windows users.
I have 10 Ultimate running on an old laptop, its very Windows like and easy to use. Zorin resembles Windows 7 by default but its so much faster on this tired old machine. I cant fault Zorin, its as good as any Ubuntu based distro and the most friendly to windows defectors. The Ultimate package has just about everything you will need to get started, without a doubt the best starting point for Linux "newbies".
Some of the packaged software doesn't work, just a few, but I view 10 as a beta release so I would say that its very good, cant wait for the next LTS release.
I would recommend staying away from the the Broadcom wireless drivers, they just don't work, the open source drivers work fine. Broadcom drivers are a universal problem in Linux, its not a Zorin issue. As for Zorin 9, I missed this release so I cant comment.
I installed Zorin 10 Ultimate x64 (Paid Version) and Zorin OS 10 Core x64 (Free version). Here is some info I have gathered so far.... =========================================== Zorin OS 10 Ultimate x64 iso size 3.9gb initial installed size 9.97gb initial Linux kernel 3.19.0-23 INITIAL SOFTWARE INSTALLED BY DEFAULT IN Zorin OS 10 Ultimate x64 MENU (the 1st update downloads an additional 1.5gb of update files) -ACCESSORIES- Activity Journal Archive Manager Backups Calculator Character Map Discs Files Font Viewer Passwords and Keys Plank Screen Shot Search for Files Synergy Text Editor Virtual Box Xournal -GAMES- Arcade Airstrike AisleRiot Solitaire Armagetron Advanced Brutal Chess Mahjongg M.A.R.S. Mines Pingus Quadrapassel Sudoku Trigger Warzone 2100 Xmoto Xonotic -GRAPHICS- Blender Darktable Dia Document Viewer E-Book Viewer GIMP Image Editor Hugin Batch Processor Hugin Calibrate Lens Hugin Panorama Creator Image Viewer Inkscape LibreOffice Draw LRF Viewer Photos Scribus Simple Scan -INTERNET- Desktop Sharing Empathy Instant Messaging Firefox Web Browser (39.0) Geary Mail Remmina Remote Desktop Transmission Zorin Web Browser Manager -OFFICE- Calendar Calibre E-book Manager Egonomize! Getting Things GNOME! gLabels Gobby Collaborative Editor HomeBank Kraft LibreOffice (4.4.6.3) LibreOffice Base LibreOffice Calc LibreOffice Impress LibreOffice Writer PDF Mod Planner PyRoom VYM - View Your Mind wxBanker Finance Manager -SOUND & VIDEO- Amarok Arista Transcoder Audacity Brasero Disc Burner Cheese Webcam Booth Dvdisaster DVD Styler HandBrake ISO Master Kazam Kdenlive Kodi Media Center Media Player Me TV Miro Mixxx OpenShot Video Editor Rhythmbox Transmageddon Video Transcoder VLC media player xine -SYSTEM TOOLS- Administration Preferences Disk Usage Analyzer Power Statistics System Log System Monitor System Settings Terminal Zorin Background Plus Zorin Look Changer Zorin Splash Screen Manager Zorin Theme Changer -UNIVERSAL ACCESS- CellWriter Easystroke Gesture Recognition Text to Speech -WINE- Programs Browse C: Drive Configure Wine PlayOnLinux Universal Wine Software Winetricks -SOFTWARE CENTER- -PLACES- =========================================== Zorin OS 10 Core x64 (Free version) iso size 1.6gb initial installed size 6.2gb initial kernel 3.19.0-25 INITIAL SOFTWARE INSTALLED BY DEFAULT IN Zorin OS 10 Core x64 MENU -ACCESSORIES- Activity Journal Archive Manager Backups Calculator Character Map Discs Files Font Viewer Passwords and Keys Screen Shot Search for Files Text Editor -GAMES- AisleRiot Solitaire Mahjongg Mines Quadrapassel Sudoku -GRAPHICS- Document Viewer GIMP Image Editor Image Viewer LibreOffice Draw Photos Simple Scan -INTERNET- Desktop Sharing Empathy Instant Messaging Firefox Web Browser (39.0) Geary Mail Remmina Remote Desktop Zorin Web Browser Manager -OFFICE- Calendar LibreOffice (4.4.6.3) LibreOffice Calc LibreOffice Impress LibreOffice Writer -SOUND & VIDEO- Brasero Disc Burner Cheese Webcam Booth Media Player OpenShot Video Editor Rhythmbox -SYSTEM TOOLS- Administration Preferences Disk Usage Analyzer Power Statistics System Log System Monitor System Settings Terminal Zorin Background Plus Zorin Look Changer Zorin Theme Changer -WINE- Programs Browse C: Drive Configure Wine PlayOnLinux Universal Wine Software Winetricks -SOFTWARE CENTER- -PLACES-