Zorin OS 15.3 Core review

Zorin OS is one very amazing Linux distribution available. It is packed with lots of features, applications for daily use and others things as well. Most notable, this a Linux distribution for those who are willing to begin their journey into the Linux world. In this article, check out this brief Zorin OS 15.3 Core review. 

As I noted in brier introduction of this article, Zorin OS is a very amazing Linux distribution but also is a distribution that has come a very long way in it's development. Before we dive into a review of Zorin 15.3 Core which runs my laptop, let us jump on  to it's website. Once you visit official Zorin website, there are four editions of Zorin which are available for download. They are Ultimate, Core, Lite and Education. 

Note that Ultimate edition of Zorin, which is bundled with tons of apps and other useful packages is not cheap and it cost around 39 Euros. Therefore I have downloaded Zorin OS Core edition and using dd command, created a bootable Zorin OS installation. Check out the full article down bellow in order to make your own bootable USB installation using dd command.

Once I have made installation, I've also moved all my data on to my backup  hard drive which is around 500GB strong. Previously, my HP Pavilion DV6 laptop was run by Linux Mint 20 Ulyana and distribution it self runs very smoothly. But, since I'm that kind of Linux user who changes Linux distribution every so often, Zorin OS was a good choice. 

Zorin OS Requirement 

Zorin OS is a modern Linux distribution and as such, there are some hardware requirements that your computer or laptop need to meat in order to experience a full power of this Linux distribution. Those requirement are as follow.

I would also suggest at least Intel i3 processor, 4GB RAM and SSD 120/240 GB for the optimal results. As far as my laptop, these are it's specs.

I should note that my laptop has 240 GB fast SSD drive and 500 GB HDD for storage purpose. Also, there are two GPU that runs my machine Intel HD 3000 able to perform up to 6 GB and AMD Radeon 750 HD graphics able to perform up to 3 GB of video RAM. 

Short guide on Zorin OS installation

Since I'm writing this review from a fully installed Zorin OS 15.3 Core, I'm going to give you a short guide on installation scheme that I have done. Basically, you can install Zorin OS alongside your Windows OS, but if you have decided to move on to Zorin entirely, than you will have to choice something else. 

This dialog will allow you to create custom partitions for your Zorin OS such as the root (/), swap, and home. Since I always install every new Linux distribution using something else dialog, these are three partitions that I have created. Since I'm running 240 GB SSD, I have created following partitions:

• Root (/) - 78 GB 
• Swap partition is around 8GB
• The /home partition is 134 GB

These are three partitions that I'm usually installing when it comes to every new Linux distribution. It is also recommended that you make a boot partition which should be around 1GB, but I'm not installing it. 

Once you create partitions such as (/),swap, /home, and boot as in case of above image, all you need is to click install now which will create and format these partitions; afterwards you will need to fill out your username, host name, password and you're good to go.

 

The final step that is left is to click Continue which will start installation of Zorin it self. 

Zorin OS Tour 

Once the installation of Zorin is completed, you will be greeted with it's dialog which asks you to enter your passwd in order to login. Once you do that, you will see empty Zorin desktop with the default background. 

As you can see, I have made my own Zorin background and it looks nice. Anyway, it is important to note that this edition of Zorin Core is based on Ubuntu 18.4.02 LTS which brings a improved security and privacy features, Linux kernel 5.4.0-58, GNOME desktop environment, Zorin custom themes and icons. 

As far as applications, they are separated in categories but, there are no to much applications preinstalled. Once you click Zorin bottom icon, a menu will pop up with applications that you can select.

As I noted, not many applications are preinstalled so by default, Zorin 15.3 comes with Firefox web browser, GParted partition tool, LibreOffice, Pitivi video editor, GIMP open source graphic, Remmina remote program, Shootwel, Zorin Connect program and etc. There are also some games included in Zorin 15.3 Core and they are as follow.

 Note that all other applications can be installed from Zorin Software Center which look like this.

Application installation from Zorin Software center is easy and it takes three click most, and application will be availabe. Also, Zorin comes with several GTK and icon themes that you can select in order to make your desktop space better. 

Inside appearance dialog, you can select several GTK and icons themes for your Zorin OS. 

Conclusion

Zorin OS Core is one very unique, easy to use and friendly Linux distribution. For it's work, it requires optimal system requirement, it has very simple way of installing new softwares, is is bundled with all essential applications that every Linux beginner might need. Therefore, Zorin OS Core is ideal Linux distribution for new Linux comers that are seeking distribution that will help them dive into Linux more seriously and on the way try to learn the Linux way of things and eventually switching from Windows on to Linux.

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