Warning - Fake Zorin on sale!

[swarfendor437 14]

from reading this link Zorin Premium it suggests if you want to use apps that are included in other distro's or available to download then to get it in Zorin you must pay even for the download version

 

No that is not correct - it uses the same software centre as Ubuntu - the paid for version applications are usually in multiverse repos such as Crossover Office - that will never be free so surprised if it is in other distros.

Zorin is just like Mint it is (was) based on Ubuntu but recently Mint moved to Debian and had some issues but sorted these out with Cinammon and its own 'proprietary' desktop MATE. And no you don't have to pay for Zorin at all. Basically there are the Core versions which are free - the paid ones are to save newbies for downloading and installing apps without having to do lengthy searches - Multimedia, Business, Games. They do an Education version as well with all Educational apps which is free. Its only the special versions that they have put together that are paid for - you will find that most distros give the option to donate or buy special versions - at the end of the day its the customer's choice. I've got 3.2 running on an old 'puter and it works fine.

[melthebell 862]

I use FUSE in the Ubuntu repositories. It's available in the Software Centre. No compiling, and very easy to use. I haven't compiled a thing in years. I think Nestopia was the last thing I compiled, but it's in the repos on openSUSE, so I just use it there.

 

Not much of a geek or guru myself, and definitely not one of the "hardcore", but have never found Linux half as difficult to use as many like to make out.

see even all that

 

maybe i downloaded a version that needed compiling, i dunno, but even so, i shouldnt have to use some special way of downloading stuff (ubuntu repositories, software centre)

whatever happened to going to a website, finding something, double clicking and it installing?

why do linux developers STILL insist on doing it the hard way no matter how close to windows they pretend to be?

 

its been a fair few years since dos....why cant linux developers start a new leaf?

[swarfendor437 14]

Zorin aren't developing anything. They have made a distribution of packages. Sure, I believe in donating but not charging. Notice how they use the word donate to stay within the GNU terms? Yet they don't give you the option to not donate. If you want to support the devs then do that too but that's not what you're doing by paying for Zorin.

 

In fact if you click on the Zorin developers link, it sends you to the Ubuntu App page.

 

The donation is if you want to download one of the premium versions - NOT Core versions which are freely available from here:

http://ftp.heanet/mirros/zorin/

http://ftp.nluug.nl/ibiblio/distributions/zorin/

http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/zorin/ - if you live in Oz!

http://distro.ibiblio.org/zorin/ - if you don't mind wasting bandwidth allowance!

 

What they are doing is making Ubuntu their way without Unity - just like Mint did. Things you won't get precompiled in other distros are: the Zorin Look Changer and Background Plus (basically beryl desktop running animation) - Look Changer in Core allows you to change the look of the desktop between Win7, Gnome Classic and WinXP Menu styles; the premium version includes MacOS style, and *Win2k (or *KDE3 if you prefer!) and you can change the menu style in Win7 Look to take on the same feel as SuSE Linux menu which Mint adopted early on i.e., Application group name with grouped applications to the right/right arrow to get to). Background Plus is only available in the Premium version - this is the same as Beryl in early days but better - you can change the transparency of the video running on the desktop to view your application icons and wallpaper - we had a German visitor not long ago and I lent them an old laptop with Zorin 5 Premium - he was a big fan of BorussiaDortmund - he was impressed with the top goals of the last season playing in the background of his desktop!

Edited February 24, 2012 by swarfendor43

[Tony Erikson 10]

see even all that

 

maybe i downloaded a version that needed compiling, i dunno, but even so, i shouldnt have to use some special way of downloading stuff (ubuntu repositories, software centre)

whatever happened to going to a website, finding something, double clicking and it installing?

why do linux developers STILL insist on doing it the hard way no matter how close to windows they pretend to be?

 

its been a fair few years since dos....why cant linux developers start a new leaf?

 

Mel, the software centre is just a list of stuff in preset or user added repositiries. The Ubuntu repositories are just that, a bunch of kit that will (usually) just run on your Ubuntu. A lot of the software in the Ubuntu repos is supported by Canonical (They make Ubuntu). For instance, if I download Firefox from Canonical, it pretty much means that version is guaranteed it will work with my build.

 

YOu can also download from websites if you wish. Take for instance Google Earth. You just go to the Google Earth site and download the .deb file. .deb files are similar to .msi files. Honestly, Linux is well supported by a lot of big guys, Google especially.

 

Also, if you really want that Windows software, you can often get it running in Linux with Wine. I use MS office 2007 at work on my Ubuntu through Wine.

[swarfendor437 14]

see even all that

 

maybe i downloaded a version that needed compiling, i dunno, but even so, i shouldnt have to use some special way of downloading stuff (ubuntu repositories, software centre)

whatever happened to going to a website, finding something, double clicking and it installing?

why do linux developers STILL insist on doing it the hard way no matter how close to windows they pretend to be?

 

its been a fair few years since dos....why cant linux developers start a new leaf?

 

If they did that they'd have M$ crawling all over them with IP lawsuits! Software centre is a bit like Control Panel except it shows you what you have installed and what you could install in one place. The first screen you see has it split into categories e.g., Office, Education, Games etc. When you click on an applications icon it gives you a bit more detail and is easier to use for someone who is 'scared' of using 'Synaptic Package Manager'.

[Tony Erikson 10]

The donation is if you want to download one of the premium versions - NOT Core versions which are freely available from here:

http://ftp.heanet/mirros/zorin/

http://ftp.nluug.nl/ibiblio/distributions/zorin/

http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/zorin/ - if you live in Oz!

http://distro.ibiblio.org/zorin/ - if you don't mind wasting bandwidth allowance!

 

I know that. All they are doing is charging you for downloading a few specific bits of software that you could freely download yourself. Other than looking a bit like Windows 7, Zorin offers nothing that Ubuntu or any other Debian based distro does. http://penguininside.blogspot.com/2009/08/not-just-ubuntu-go-for-variants.html

[swarfendor437 14]

I know that. All they are doing is charging you for downloading a few specific bits of software that you could freely download yourself. Other than looking a bit like Windows 7, Zorin offers nothing that Ubuntu or any other Debian based distro does. http://penguininside.blogspot.com/2009/08/not-just-ubuntu-go-for-variants.html

 

I've just updated my last quote that you just quoted! The one area that Zorin is weak on and I have requested the Devs take it on board for future versions is the Web Browser Chooser. The default browser (euggh!) is Chrome but there is a chooser that is supposed to allow you to install Firefox, Midori, or Opera - only the Midori link works - Firefox and Opera can be downloaded through the Software Centre; I have asked that they should consider doing what VectorLinux does (or did in 5.9) and that was to ask the user at point of install which Browser they would like to use and gave four options from recall as each browser was packaged - Zorin points to outdated links for Opera and Firefox for example - I haven't tried 5.2 yet so don't know if they resolved this issue - My knowledge is on 5.0 and 3.2 LTS.

[swarfendor437 14]

I know that. All they are doing is charging you for downloading a few specific bits of software that you could freely download yourself. Other than looking a bit like Windows 7, Zorin offers nothing that Ubuntu or any other Debian based distro does. http://penguininside.blogspot.com/2009/08/not-just-ubuntu-go-for-variants.html

 

They are not charging anyone unless they want something with the most relevant packages installed for that particular user: Business, Multimedia, Games - at the end of the day its down to the user whether or not they are CBA!

[RyoHazuki 10]

see even all that

 

maybe i downloaded a version that needed compiling, i dunno, but even so, i shouldnt have to use some special way of downloading stuff (ubuntu repositories, software centre)

whatever happened to going to a website, finding something, double clicking and it installing?

why do linux developers STILL insist on doing it the hard way no matter how close to windows they pretend to be?

 

its been a fair few years since dos....why cant linux developers start a new leaf?

 

The problem is you are very used to the Windows way of installing software, which is why anything else feels like a "special way" of installing software. There's nothing unique or odd about the repositories or the Software Centre. It's only the same as an app store on a phone. When you are used to using a package manager or a software centre, you'll wonder why on earth you preferred to faff around searching the internet to find a website to get a driver or a program.

 

It isn't that Linux is hard, it's that you expect it to be hard and subconsciously make it hard by going around things the long way. Linux certainly does NOT pretend to be Windows. Very far from it indeed, as your conflicting comments above illustrate.

 

whatever happened to going to a website, finding something, double clicking and it installing?

 

Ask your anti-virus supplier what's wrong with that statement.

[RyoHazuki 10]

@Swarf -

 

You'll never convince me with Zorin I'm afraid! I'm glad you found a Linux you love so much, but to me I don't honestly see the benefit of it over using Ubuntu. I think perhaps if they were maintaining the MATE desktop environment (I notice they still use Gnome 2 at the moment) or had created their own DE a la Mint then I could understand the need for it. But as it is, to me personally, touting yourself as a drop-in Windows replacement is a recipe for disaster imho. Linux isn't Windows, and vice-versa. Linux is a tremendous OS and a true alternative to Windows, but giving people the impression they can use it just like Windows because it looks vaguely like it (which is essentially what is claimed whether you agree with me or not) is a mistake imho.

 

But its great you love it and it works for you. I just wish they'd quit the "hey it's just like Windows but free!" thing.

[swarfendor437 14]

@Swarf -

 

You'll never convince me with Zorin I'm afraid! I'm glad you found a Linux you love so much, but to me I don't honestly see the benefit of it over using Ubuntu. I think perhaps if they were maintaining the MATE desktop environment (I notice they still use Gnome 2 at the moment) or had created their own DE a la Mint then I could understand the need for it. But as it is, to me personally, touting yourself as a drop-in Windows replacement is a recipe for disaster imho. Linux isn't Windows, and vice-versa. Linux is a tremendous OS and a true alternative to Windows, but giving people the impression they can use it just like Windows because it looks vaguely like it (which is essentially what is claimed whether you agree with me or not) is a mistake imho.

 

But its great you love it and it works for you. I just wish they'd quit the "hey it's just like Windows but free!" thing.

 

From a 'pure Linux' perspective no; what I do like about it is that it has attempted to make the transition for Windows users just that little less painful - not all Windows (or Linux users for that matter) are nerds when it comes to Operating Systems - they have been weaned on a desktop that has become familiar to them - which is where Lindows/Linspire/and Freespire took off to some degree, and likewise Xandros. I am not purporting that Zorin is 'just like windows' one of the main proponents (user) of Zorin is TOSToday on YouTube and he quite clearly states that Windows is not Linux and vice-versa - as a Linux community we should be encouraging any distribution that can show Windows users that there is an alternative. I was particularly taken (I know it is kindergarten to you and me!) by the Linpus Linux interface that shipped with Acer netbooks I believe - a Tabbed Desktop split into Internet/Office/Play/System/Learn environments with a 'swicth' (Linpus Spelling being from Taiwan!) to 'Classic' KDE 3 desktop for those who are not technophobes! My 'ultimate' favourite distribution has to be 'Ultimate Edition x.x' developed principally by Glenn Cady ('TheeMahn') and he has 'Mintified' Ultimate because of Unity! The state of play with Zorin and the problems they are facing can be found here:

 

http://zoringroup.com/blog/2012/02/22/news-about-zorin-os-6/

 

and I have to agree with a fellow moderator that at present (in general terms) the FOSS DE is in utter chaos at the moment, with Windows 8 hot on its heels!

[melthebell 862]

hmmm i tried downloading that zorin last night and it failed, even tho theres more than enough disc space and im on firefox like they said

 

tut

 

linux strikes again, cant even make a download work right first time