XPS laptop running Zorin 16 Pro now
Ok, so I love Debian for what it is. Great collection of packages, rock solid stability and very true to the open and libre aspects of open source. But it is not de most polished option when running a desktop.
So this time around I opted for Zorin. This is an Irish company/linux distro based on Ubuntu. I had tried it before in the core version, but this time I opted to go for the Pro/paid option.
I'm very much looking for a open source based desktop, but it would ideally be as good in polish and UX as Macos or Windows. I figured my best bet would be a desktop distro backed by a company with paying customers.
There are a number of options to choose from, I tried Elementary before. But if I was going to spend money, might as well spend it within the EU.
First impression after half a day of usage: Jay!
Yes it is polished, looks nice and just feels more finished that say, Ubuntu. Also the system seems snappier than Debian or Ubuntu, but I must admit I have no real figures in this.
Zorin comes with Flatpak enabled and has Ubuntu upstream packages, making the transition from Debian 11 to Zorin rather smooth and painless. The only issue I had was the ssh module/role I use in ansible does not recognize Zorin.
General setup
- plain next next next gnome desktop install with disk encryption
- flatpak for stuff like Intellij IDEA and Whatsapp desktop
- ext4 filesystem
- ansible playbook based setup for 95% of the things I need / want
- syncing contacts and calendars with my iCloud account
- syncing files with my Synology NAS using Synology Drive
I like what I see and feel.