5 Reasons to Try Zorin OS Linux

PC World ^ | December 31, 2010 | Katherine Noyes

[decimon]

One of the best features of the open source Linux operating system is that there are so many distributions to choose from.

Ubuntu gets by far the lion's share of the media's attention, it's true--largely by virtue of its top ranking at the top of DistroWatch's popularity list--but there are hundreds of other options out there as well, many tailored to particular kinds of users and situations.

I've already looked briefly at several of the Ubuntu derivatives that are available and more specifically at Linux Mint, which is currently third in popularity. Today, however, I'd like to make a pitch for Zorin OS, an Ubuntu-based distribution that offers a number of advantages with particular appeal for Windows users.

Zorin OS 4 was just released earlier this month. Why should you consider it? Here are just a few reasons.

[Vaquero]

linux....errr linuxs....awwww forget it.

[JRandomFreeper]

Whatever she's selling.... I'm buying. Heck, you can add her to the list of women that hate me and live in a house I bought. Too bad she's white. But she curves in all the right spots.

/johnny

[Spktyr]

Nope, they’re marketing it as slightly different versions or distros. So, no, you’re not right. :P The net result is that you are paying for a distro.

[Spktyr]

Yeah, about the same here.

[P8riot]

I’ve got an old working P4 in the basement, and it just begging for something new.

[bajabaja]

Rescued Laptops? Hey, listen, I have Linux distributions on Pentium III machines ($50 for the IBM T20) plus a poor man’s solid state drive (<$15 for the IDE/adapter + $20 for the Flash Card) and Ubuntu/Mint/Puppy yielding a “disposable laptop” for <<< $100.

Talk about 9 lives.

I never fear a lost, stolen or broken laptop.

[JRandomFreeper]

He took care of cowbell at post 14. Please do try to keep up. ;)

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

I don't actually pay cash money for any laptop or parts. People give them to me. I combine 2 or 6 and get one that works. The last one I rescued is sans case, screen, keyboard, and is running that funny tall robot that's freaking out the catz.

I will mention that HP is evil for blocking all wireless adapters but broadcom(tm) in their wimpy bios.

IBM does the same whitelisting thing. EVIL.

/johnny

[rockrr]

Time to ask the question again:

Does anyone know of a linux distro/flavor that handles broadband aircards? Specifically the ATT/Cingular Sierra 800 series?

I’ve seen several cobbled up Rube Goldberg approaches, but nothing that comes close to reliable yet.

Thanks

[Moonman62]

Would you buy an OS from this man?

An OS, maybe. A watch, never.

[databoss]

Only one district turn use

#!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Did broadcom write a linux driver for it?

They seem to be doing that for their latest stuff....not sure when they started.

[martin_fierro]

Does anyone know of a linux distro/flavor that handles broadband aircards? Specifically the ATT/Cingular Sierra 800 series?

Dunno about the ATT/Cingular series (what chipset does it use? Atheros? Broadcomm?), but Ubuntu works pretty well with this no-name brand.

[DesScorp]

I don’t like Windows-clone distros. Give me something that looks and feels like Unix. That’s kind of the point anyway, right?

[decimon]

I don’t like Windows-clone distros. Give me something that looks and feels like Unix. That’s kind of the point anyway, right?

That's the point if you're comfortable with Unix. Zorin is trying to lure the Windows Joes.

[rockrr]

It’s a MSM 7200 Chipset (for what it’s worth). ATT wrote Linux drivers for it and I believe that starting with ver. 9.10 Ubuntu had them native to its install package.

The OS detects the card OK but the available communication managers all look at it and say WTF is this thing?!

Naturally the Wintel manager doesn’t work either.

[Spktyr]

Use something like a MiFi, which doesn’t care about what you’re connecting to it with.

[chuckles]

Xandros has a "windows look alike" feature for years now. Course it's not free either. I've tried about 12 distros and erased them all. I don't want to mount drives and I want to click on an .exe file and have it install while I go pee. I'm sick of trying to un tar something and then figure out where to put the file with what program. If you grew up with it, great, but I started with Dos 3.1 and windows just makes sense to me and Linux is greek. If something messes up, I want to be able to fix it myself and know where the file is supposed to be and why. I have a box with Kubuntu 10.10 right now, but after about an hour of surfing, I get bored and go back to windows. If I download a file, there goes another hour of frustration trying to get it to install somewhere. If I can't just click on it and it knows what to do, I don't want it.

Believe me, I WANT to tell Bill to go to hell, but I just can't seem to cut the cord.

[gura]

You’re trying to install stuff all wrong. 99.99999% of linux programs now come in the form of a package which is much easier to install and keep updated than with any windows system.

I can update my OS and every installed program on my linux systems with a few clicks as opposed to the annoying “update these five separate applications” every time a windows system boots.

[chuckles]

I know all that. Kubuntu is Debian so they have a package installer. Others use RPM’s. The only problem is not all programs are Debian packages and some updates etc. As I installed Kubuntu and tried to update several packages, about 50% didn't work. To install and update Widows with Adobe and my video players and various other programs I need, takes about 2 hours. Kubuntu was about 4 hours and some programs I need are still needed.