The release of the Linux distribution Zorin OS 17.1 has been announced, based on the Ubuntu package base 04.22.04. The target audience for this distribution is novice users familiar with Windows. To cater to this audience, the distribution offers a special configurator that allows users to customize the desktop to resemble various versions of Windows and MacOS. The software selection also includes programs that are similar to those typically used on Windows. The size of the ISO image for installation is 3.5 GB. It is worth noting that the previous release of Zorin OS 17 was downloaded over 500 thousand times, with 78% of downloads coming from Windows and MacOS platform users.
Zorin OS uses Gnome as the basis for its desktop environment, featuring custom additions and a panel based on Dash to Panel and Dash to Dock. For smartphone integration, the distribution includes the application Zorin Connect (based on KDE Connect). Default support is provided for DEB format and Ubuntu repositories, as well as Flatpak, Appimage, and SNAP formats, allowing users to install programs from Flathub and Snap Store catalogs.
In the new version:
- The list of alternatives has been updated, offering information on Linux programs that can replace Windows applications. For example, attempting to launch the Windows installer for the Todoist program will redirect the user to the Linux version available in the distribution repository. Currently, the list includes over 100 programs.
- Support for running Windows programs has been improved with an updated Wine package to version 9.0. To simplify the installation and configuration of Windows applications on Linux, the package Bottles is provided, offering an interface for managing prefixes, determining Wine versions and launch parameters, and installing necessary dependencies for the apps to run correctly.
- Zorin OS Education has been introduced, featuring a curated selection of educational applications for children of different ages. To help with learning processes, the application