Review, Feedback, Questions for Zorin 15.1 Ultimate

Installation:

Canonical has done a **** poor job of explaining the installation options.
Install along Windows means Zorin assumes the primary partition takes all the disk space, so resizes that partition and formats a new partition and install zorin after windows.
A Windows user may confuse that option with well I left a bunch of free space unpartitioned, Zorin will use that when I choose install zorin along windows; this is incorrect.
If the user picks something else once again, ambiguity is abound.
It it should be understood that the boot partition is always installed on the root device and not a partition thereof....so why then does zorin confuse to user by giving them options to choose incorrectly.
Secondly when one creates a partition, once created there is no option to say "use this partition to install zorin on" of course linux users know that it will install on the first / partition that it finds, but the windows user does not.
Once again these are mostly Canonicals fault, but nevertheless.

Post Installation: The little things are just as important as the big things; so I'm nit picky because you missed a lot of little things

Start Menu - Right hand side - OK
Entering settings menu
Um...wifi and bluetooth belong under the network header not outside of it
Appereance.. why the mac look not the default on the ultimate edition?
Theme -> other -> all 3 fields blank(applications, icons, shell), and once you pick an option you can't go back to blank and have no way of knowing the default.
Icons, why is high color not default?
Shell theme, why are there no other shell theme out of the box?
Explain what the hell the calculator is doing under the search settings
Same with the clock and terminal; seems odd.
Universal Access - Nice touch - Untested but hopefully good.
Privacy - Nice touch
Sound - Over-Amplication - Nice Touch
It would be sweet if you could implement some of the awesome sound technologies employed by mac software H.E.A.R (It truly takes sound to the next level, and linux needs awesome technologies like this to distinguish it from Windows and Mac.
Power - Nice touch
Network - As previously stated wifi and bluetooth belong here.
Devices - Rename to device manager
-> screen display -> appreciate night light , but for the scale why not an input field vs only two choices
-> keyboard -> shortcuts -> Very nice touch
Details umm weird menu name change to system information and make date and time, Users and default applications separate menus.
Now we look at left-hand side of default start menu
Just a pet pieve but I want the text editor under both accessories and office.
Moving on to system tools, main menu should be called start menu and zorin should ship with Synaptic.
Also where is support for kernel 5.4...is zorin a significant departure from you ubuntu kernel or can one use the ukuu
Ubuntu Kernel Update Utility whilst keeping the system stable.
Also where are the options to switch to and from XFCE and other desktop environments; not obvious to me nor to a windows user.
You sure have a lot of graphic applications yet you don't even have the paint .net linux equivalent forget what's it called.
No ways to quickly install games, seriously guys how do you expect to gain market share when you can't include or provide a shortcut for every platform that makes installing games on linux effortless; steam, playonlinux just to name a few and there are much more. Finally, I am still waiting for a distribution to provide type 1 hypervisor with full mouse, keyboard and graphic acceleration for Windows 10....like what do you think sells to users. It is not very difficult. For example, I prefer the security of linux especially from a network point of view, browsing the web etc...but doing work and playing games makes more sense on windows...since too many devs use directx.

First off, read the unofficial manual:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14361

In there I clearly state that installation should follow the 'something else method'. The installer isn't Canonical's it is Ubiquity which was actually invented by Guadalinex:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalinex

worked on by others and adopted by Ubuntu (and Debian).

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Ubiquity.

The right side of the menu and Settings.

This has been in use for some time by Fedora, long before it was adopted by Zorin.

Appearance - remember the majority of migrators to Zorin are Windows 7 users - hence the familiar menu to make it less stressful for migrators, a touch of familiarity - Windows users are not Cupertino addicts!

Universal Access - yes it works flawlessly (assuming a good install). Zorin is currently (IMOH) the only decent Linux distribution to integrate all of the Access needs, in particular the screen reader - it reads the menu - it won't on Mate, Cinnamon or other DE's (Desktop Environments).

There aren't many themes as Zorin like other distributions use Gtk3 - you have to hunt them down - I gave two links away in the unofficial manual.

If you want to edit the Menu, just launch 'Main Menu' (=alacarte) and you can indeed have Text Editor in more than one place. Again, in the unofficial manual.

For gaming I tend to use PS4. But if you need gaming then go take a look at Ultimate Edition Gamers.

As for the kernel, Zorin won't jump to the latest kernel until they have tested that it won't bork their stable releases!

Enjoy Zorin!

Forgot to add... and you don't think M$ would sue for using the phrase 'Device Manager'?

This is a very thorough and thoughtful line of comments.
This is what feedback is all about. Thanks for examining and taking the time to let the developers know what to examine, as well.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Installation:
Canonical has done a **** poor job of explaining the installation options.

True.

thmtrxhsu wrote: Um...wifi and bluetooth belong under the network header not outside of it

True- But this is with a purpose. If they were not in Plain Sight, I would agree that something is wrong. But in this case, those items are put where they can easily be found.
They are placed right where they are seen right away- which is important for people migrating over to Linux.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Appereance.. why the mac look not the default on the ultimate edition?

You can't please everyone? This is an odd complaint as Zorin was geared for helping migrants from Windows to have an easier transition.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Theme -> other -> all 3 fields blank(applications, icons, shell), and once you pick an option you can't go back to blank and have no way of knowing the default.

Valid - an I have wondered about this one, myself.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Icons, why is high color not default?'

As above- you cannot please everyone. Complaining that your preferred Icons are not default is not just nitpicking the little details... It's unreasonable.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Shell theme, why are there no other shell theme out of the box?

Perhaps more should be. Many distros offer many themes. Some distros are more conservative on which themes they offer, allowing the user to decide what to download and which clutter to keep.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Explain what the hell the calculator is doing under the search settings
Same with the clock and terminal; seems odd.

That does seem odd.

thmtrxhsu wrote: -> screen display -> appreciate night light , but for the scale why not an input field vs only two choices

Perhaps someday that could be available.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Details umm weird menu name change to system information and make date and time, Users and default applications separate menus.

Good suggestion, I think.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Just a pet pieve but I want the text editor under both accessories and office.

This one falls under the same heading as the Default Icons, really. I think your proposal is very logical, though and is a good suggestion.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Moving on to system tools, main menu should be called start menu and zorin should ship with Synaptic.

Good points.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Also where is support for kernel 5.4...is zorin a significant departure from you ubuntu kernel or can one use the ukuu
Ubuntu Kernel Update Utility whilst keeping the system stable.

Download and install Xubuntu 18.04 and you'll find the supported kernel is in the range of 4.15.0.78.
The kernel push is based on ensuring it is tested and stable. Throwing the Latest And Greatest out right away causes problems. Even as it is; many users have to roll back the kernel after an update breaks things.
The 5.4 kernel should not be default-shipped at this time.

thmtrxhsu wrote:Also where are the options to switch to and from XFCE and other desktop environments; not obvious to me nor to a windows user.

Antix offers this ability. It's a very nice touch, I agree.

thmtrxhsu wrote:You sure have a lot of graphic applications yet you don't even have the paint .net linux equivalent forget what's it called.

Pinta - I download it after every installation. Good suggestion.

thmtrxhsu wrote:No ways to quickly install games, seriously guys how do you expect to gain market share when you can't include or provide a shortcut for every platform that makes installing games on linux effortless; steam, playonlinux just to name a few and there are much more.

Very good point.... Though I personally think people game too much and need to open their eyes to the real world.
Just Sayin'.
It's a mess... And here we are spending gobs of money on silly gaming...

thmtrxhsu wrote: Finally, I am still waiting for a distribution to provide type 1 hypervisor with full mouse, keyboard and graphic acceleration for Windows 10....like what do you think sells to users. It is not very difficult. For example, I prefer the security of linux especially from a network point of view, browsing the web etc...but doing work and playing games makes more sense on windows...since too many devs use directx.

Again, you make a very strong point. It is a bit more difficult than you may think, however.