Zorin 15 Lite release date ?

Hi, just wondered if there was any target release date for Zorin 15 Lite ?

I am downloading 12.4 at the moment, and will boot live USB to check it out.

Usually Lite comes out about a month to 6 weeks after the main release but it has taken Team Zorin a long time to get Core and Ultimate Final releases together which was originallly planned for Fall/Autumn last year. Zorin don't release .iso's until it has been tested thoroughly, so please be patient.

Keep us posted.

I was given two times six weeks to make a move to either 15 Light or go to MX Linux 18 on number of older notebooks at the one of the partner's offices.

The office expects the update done by the 1st of September.

zoringroup21 wrote:Keep us posted.

I was given two times six weeks to make a move to either 15 Light or go to MX Linux 18 on number of older notebooks at the one of the partner's offices.

The office expects the update done by the 1st of September.

MX Linux 18 is pretty awesome. It's high up on my list of impressive distros- not that I am any kind of an expert to have a worthy list.
I tried using it on an older notebook and it outperformed many of the lightweights. It was a bit resource heavy, though and had a couple of annoying bugs. It was great over-all. But CPU usage on that poor old notebook was consistently high.
On a whim, I decided to try Zorin Lite on that notebook.
It outperformed MX linux, hands down. While it lacked certain features, like MX Linux's superior software installer, it shows cpu usage at no higher than 10% at idle and if I put a heavy load on the system, it will spike but then drop down to no higher than 60% - consistently. It's HARD to try to get the CPU up to higher than 80% and keep it there. Whereas with MX, it stayed at over 80% quite often.
Now, you couldn't convince me to move Zorin Lite off that notebook.

Might be worth the wait.

If someone is really eager and cannot wait, they could also just install Zorin 15 Core. Then install XFCE desktop, DockbarX and Arc Menu and have very nearly the same effect. Log in as XFCE desktop. EDIT: Also, install Lightdm.

Thank you. I will print your reply and will try convince the company.

I am with Zorin since version 3 or 4...

Justa bit more on your comment:

https://www.slant.co/versus/2713/22501/ ... s_mx-linux

zoringroup21 wrote:Justa bit more on your comment:

https://www.slant.co/versus/2713/22501/ ... s_mx-linux

I see your article and by no means am I going to trash Slant.
However, I will point out a few things you already know:
How often do you google search something to find a comparison and find that the comparison was biased, even if not intentionally so?
For example, let's search for "The Best Dark Theme."
None of the results appeal to me, at all... Paper Icons? I like Depth and 3D appearance, not flat paper cutouts.
The bias there is not intentional or malicious, it's just what is Popular or based on another persons preference.
Some of it is also based on what developers wish to push.

These are Not Scientific. A scientific experiment of such a topic would first set a control, then it would set a series of standards that must be met. Each catagory holding ranking. Then, the conclusion would be divided into groups- Best for What Purpose?
Graphical design? Eyecandy? Speed? Gaming?

Linux Mint outranks Zorin on downloads. It is more popular.
Is it a better O.S. than Zorin? That has no scientific answer. Claiming it is better if it is more popular is a fallacy.

Is Jessica Alba more Beautiful than Aubrey Hepburn? Depends on who you ask. And what their priorities are.

MX Linux is a Great O.S. with a large support crowd and functionality. In my own personal testing, I found that Zorin outperformed it in the Lite Version on several Old Notebooks however.... I must point out that this testing occurred because I was trying to get away from using Zorin O.S.

I wanted a change.
Now, you cannot get Zorin off my machine, I will bite if you try.
What you could do is load up Zorin 12.4 Lite (Due to 15 Lite not yet released) on an Old Notebook and test it out for a day. Then take that same notebook, wipe it and install MX Linux and see how YOU observe on that machine what happens. Pick an oldie and test it out. If MX Linux works better for you on your computers, then there ya go- you have what you need. If Zorin works better, - same thing.
I immediately always put my CPU conky on the primary desktop screen so I see the graph move constantly. And that difference in personal style MAY be why I noticed what I described in my post above. Others may not notice.

Just wanted to point out... the Slant link was comparing a XFCE version to Zorin Ultimate/Core. A fair comparison I would think would be Zorin Lite 15 vs MX Linux 18. That's like comparing apples to grapes.. Just not exactly the same, if you get the meaning. We each like what we like, and what we select is always the winner... Any Linux Distro will have you better off than M$. And things like Brave Browser, and future release of Firefox with the VPN is going in the right direction...

I'm just waiting to try Zorin Lite 15... Wishing it was here already...

So, does anyone have an idea, or maybe some inside info on the actual release of Lite 15...?

BTW, Jessica Alba is much 'Hotter' than Aubrey Hepburn. More beautiful, that's up for discussion.

I have no idea but it is taking longer to produce than usual - possibly some issues with the build? Bearing in mind that Team Zorin now is just Artyom and Kyril - they no longer have the additional 2 full-time devs they once had (funding?)

I gotcha... Was kinda looking for, End of Sept. Middle of Oct. Tonight...lol... Was just hoping for a target date. So I can plan accordingly...

I have already tried out Zorin 15 Lite---- In a Way...

I took Zorin Core, installed the DockbarX and XFCE4 desktop environment and brutally murdered Gnome on it. Some tweaking later, it was a Reasonable Approximation of what Zorin 15 Lite may be.

And it brings an issue- the Recent Release of XFCE 4.14 which may be a factor in the release date of 15 lite.

I, by FAR, prefer XFCE 4.12.

Curious, why do you prefer 4.12 over 4.14? I just watched a video last night on the 4.14 release, looks good. Did they make anything worse with their improvements?

As far as the making the 15 Lite...lol, sounds like way too many things to do in hopes of it working... I'll wait. With my limited knowledge, I'd be much better off...

That was a very good point about the 4.14 release, just happened a month ago. Sure there's plenty of tweaks and changes needed to be made...

JeffK969 wrote:Curious, why do you prefer 4.12 over 4.14? I just watched a video last night on the 4.14 release, looks good. Did they make anything worse with their improvements?

It's a matter of personal preference and opinion.
I moved over to Linux from Microsoft not long ago. I landed on Gnome.
Before long, I didn't like it.
After time, I began to hate it.
Now, I abhor Gnome with a passion.

Gnome has become a photocopy of Microsoft. It is authoritarian, controlling, un-user-friendly as hell. Gnome, beginning with the introduction of GTK3, deliberately wrote it in a way to break themes under the basis of "protecting their -brand image- of Gnome."
Gnome actually removed functionality from Nautilus File Manager (saying, "Because we don't want people to access terminal from the file manager") in an effort to force branding in a way I can only think of as getting very carried away with their desire for control.
GTK2 was user friendly, customizable, intuitive and rock solid. GTK3 has been EXTREMELY unstable and was made so deliberately (this statement is true and well supported by the evidence) to (successfully) drive out all the themers and as many independent app developers as possible. It is not customizable, it lacks basic functionality, is very hard to write apps for and it seeks more and more control- it is Microsoft in cloned form.
In 2016, after the stakeholders got after the Gnome Development Team, the Gnome Team wrote a pledge to stop breaking themes and going to extremes in order to secure their control and power.
Since making the pledge, Gnome has not honored their pledge and continues to harass indies with small, subtle and Unnecessary changes to GTK to make writing for it too frustrating to bother with.
Linus Torvalds has denounced Gnome as the antithesis of everything that Linux and FOSS stands for.
I agree with Mr. Torvalds 100%

Which brings us back to XFCE4.12 and 4.14.
4.12 is based heavily on GTK2 and as such is supported by GTKs's lack of uber-control-meddling. However, 4.14 was supposed to bring everything current and up to speed, which is a fallacy. Just because Gnome is on 3.36 doesn't mean it is the latest or greatest or even any good, especially with Gnome intentionally breaking what isn't broken until it is in order to ensure that ONLY Gnome is doing development.
XFCE4.14 is very gtk3 heavy and this brings all of GTK3's problems with it.
But even those problems aside, I FIRMLY believe that as long as distros continue to pander to what Gnome has become, we are only sealing our own fate. We must put Gnome in its place, not just shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, I guess if Gnome is all we have then we just have to conform to it..."


https://igurublog.wordpress.com/2012/11 ... in-threes/

Whoa... Didn't know it got this political.. I knew different ideas/theories led to forks, so to speak, but didn't know all the behind the scenes stuff... So how do they ban together to get rid of Gnome?

The one thing I will defend Gnome on is Accessibility - it is down to the Gnome project that Orca works and on Zorin Core/Ultimate it works the best as it is fully integrated with the Menu System that Zorin has developed - not so with the Cinnamon DE - whilst Cinnamon DE offers the best visual experience (from an eye-candy point of view) I prefer FerenOS over Makulu Linux. Makulu Linux is better in one regard and that it is based on Pure Debian - where it falls over is the users inability to remove the Google security key. FerenOS is where Makulu used to be, a hybrid of Mint and Ubuntu. I took a look at installing Peppemint 8 recently on an olde Dell D630 and deleted when I found out that every app it comes with is Google oriented - I suspect they were pandering to those Chromebook users - even the Office Suite is all based around Google docs!

Swarfendor437 wrote:The one thing I will defend Gnome on is Accessibility - it is down to the Gnome project that Orca works and on Zorin Core/Ultimate it works the best as it is fully integrated with the Menu System that Zorin has developed - not so with the Cinnamon DE - whilst Cinnamon DE offers the best visual experience (from an eye-candy point of view) I prefer FerenOS over Makulu Linux. Makulu Linux is better in one regard and that it is based on Pure Debian - where it falls over is the users inability to remove the Google security key. FerenOS is where Makulu used to be, a hybrid of Mint and Ubuntu. I took a look at installing Peppemint 8 recently on an olde Dell D630 and deleted when I found out that every app it comes with is Google oriented - I suspect they were pandering to those Chromebook users - even the Office Suite is all based around Google docs!

I tried peppermintOS for a VERY short time. In the end, of all the distros I was exploring at the time, I decided it was the Worst Hands Down and I never want to see it near my machine again.

Gnome may have a virtue, doesn't make it a redeeming one. Their monopolistic anti-FOSS stance is far more "Microsoft" than it ever was before. It boggles my mind... writing code to deliberatley force FOSS users out...
If I had my way, Gnome would be thoroughly banned from all OS's except Windows.

Okay, so Gnome aside... Do we know what type differences there may be between between Zorin Lite 15 Ultimate and free? Would one assume (and we all know what they say about assumptions) that Lite 15 Ultimate would have a bundle of packages that the average user may not need, nor want? Or do we have to just sit back, wait and see...?

I'm eagerly awaiting the release. Check my email 6X a day in hopes of getting word in the news letter...

On a side note, if some complete stranger from here on the forum was to e-mail one of the brothers, how likely would it be to get a response? I'm sure they are busy as heck, and wouldn't want to bother them especially while they are busy, but yet curious.

JeffK969 wrote:Or do we have to just sit back, wait and see...?

Yup.

And you may well be right about it having bloat we may not want or need.
Even so, have you ever heard a song on the radio that you liked but never heard before? One you would not have known about if the radio had not introduced you?
Much of bloat is just that, but bloat can also contain some real gems in there.
Giving the Zorin Team credit; I often enough disagree with their preferred applications as people are wont to do. I have still noticed they hit the upper end on Good Apps far more often than many out there.
Many distros just kind of throw on a TON of apps and let you pick and choose. Reasonable enough. But the Zorin Team is more discriminating. They don't just throw on one of each variety. They sort out the top ones.

JeffK969 wrote:On a side note, if some complete stranger from here on the forum was to e-mail one of the brothers, how likely would it be to get a response? I'm sure they are busy as heck, and wouldn't want to bother them especially while they are busy, but yet curious.

I have PM'ed Artyom Zorin a few times and one was NOT a friendly message.
While it took a week or so to see a reply, he never failed to reply with a polite and well thought out (as well as informative) response to the PM.
There are some GOOD distros out there... FerenOS, for example, MX Linux... many. But part of my loyalty to the Zorin Team is that it stands out from most, by far, in handling, responsiveness and well structured Operating Systems. Zorin utilizes many backends that others don't.
Zorin O.S. is assembled SMARTLY, not universally.
I don't always agree, but then life would suck if we all always did.

While looking around the website under ultimate, came across this. "Every purchase of Zorin OS Ultimate comes with a Lite edition. It's built to run fast on old computers, but still includes the same additional Ultimate apps and games."
So I think I have my answer, that Lite Ultimate would come with the same packages as Ultimate. Which for me, was way too many... But that's me. I'm a novice, non-power user. Pretty basic pc user. Almost vanilla in a way. Was a newbie, I've morphed into vanilla... If I only had some sprinkles...

Also see that the Zorin OS 15 Education Lite version release is 12.4....

Should we be worried about a long delay for lite...?

No you should not be worried, the Zorin guys want to release a great product. Which they will. All in good time. I think it's refreshing in this age of instant gratification that these two guys take as much time as they need to get it right. There used to be a wine ad long ago which said "*** will release no wine before its time." That applies here as well.

JeffK969 wrote:Also see that the Zorin OS 15 Education Lite version release is 12.4....

Should we be worried about a long delay for lite...?

No, that is not correct! What you see is Zorin OS 15 Education (= Core = 64bit)

12.4 Education Lite is not Zorin 15 version - it is the Lite version because it comes in 64-bit and 32-bit - basically, the Core version of Education is like the rest in that they are only going to produce 64-bit versions - and that in part has been the main thrust of Ubuntu in terms of 'ditching' 32-bit OS but there was a turnaround by Canonical over this but it might be limited to Lubuntu and Xubuntu - the latter being what Zorin 12.4 will have been based off (Xubuntu) as it uses the xfce DE).

mdiemer wrote:There used to be a wine ad long ago which said "*** will release no wine before its time." .

LMAO, Paul Masson. I turned 50 today, and sadly remember that commercial as a kid... But back then in my early days, I couldn't understand how they used the same guy that read a story on the radio and scared millions of people,,,lol Why Him.... and I used to get him and Raymond Burr mixed up... Ahhh the good ole days..

At least you remembered the name. I tried but could not. Mogen-David? Manischevitz? At least I knew there was an "M" in there somewhere. As for Raymond Burr, I watch Perry Mason reruns every night. Even if I've seen them. The show was just so damn well produced. They don't make em like that anymore...

JeffK969 wrote:

mdiemer wrote:There used to be a wine ad long ago which said "*** will release no wine before its time." .

LMAO, Paul Masson. I turned 50 today, and sadly remember that commercial as a kid... But back then in my early days, I couldn't understand how they used the same guy that read a story on the radio and scared millions of people,,,lol Why Him.... and I used to get him and Raymond Burr mixed up... Ahhh the good ole days..

I want to add that I am a very satisfied user of Zorin 12 Lite Ultimate. I have Zorin 15 Core on an older PC to try, but after a month of use, I realised it did not appeal to me. I would not pay $39 for the Ultimate version.
I will happily pay for a new XFCE version when it appears. When Zorin Team first moved to XFCE for 'Lite' I suggested that they give the Ultimate version a better name, such as 'Zorin Pro'. The reason is this: if someone has invested in new hardware, they don't want to read that Zorin XFCE is best suited to "older and low-spec" computers. I believe it is overall probably the best distro available today (and I have tried a few).

ian4238 wrote:I want to add that I am a very satisfied user of Zorin 12 Lite Ultimate. I have Zorin 15 Core on an older PC to try, but after a month of use, I realised it did not appeal to me. I would not pay $39 for the Ultimate version.
I will happily pay for a new XFCE version when it appears. When Zorin Team first moved to XFCE for 'Lite' I suggested that they give the Ultimate version a better name, such as 'Zorin Pro'. The reason is this: if someone has invested in new hardware, they don't want to read that Zorin XFCE is best suited to "older and low-spec" computers. I believe it is overall probably the best distro available today (and I have tried a few).

I am looking forward to trying out Zorin 15 Lite with XFCE4 d.e. However, if it has XFCE4.14, I will undoubtedly roll it back to 4.12.

ian4238 wrote:I will happily pay for a new XFCE version when it appears. When Zorin Team first moved to XFCE for 'Lite' I suggested that they give the Ultimate version a better name, such as 'Zorin Pro'. The reason is this: if someone has invested in new hardware, they don't want to read that Zorin XFCE is best suited to "older and low-spec" computers. I believe it is overall probably the best distro available today (and I have tried a few).

I guess you can say I pre-paid for Ultimate XFCE...lol Just waiting on it's release.. Just for the heck of it I downloaded and looked at Ultimate in Live Mode. Really Liked it. However, I have found the desktop environments (If that is correct. Where's Swarfendor when you need him...lol) I have ended liking the best have been XFCE. Tried Mint Cinnamon, MATE, have stuck with XFCE. Loved Chalet which was XFCE. Maybe it's due to the overall speed. Also tried Manjaro, XFCE the longest of them, but just felt off. Is a very good OS though.

That was a good suggestion btw. I like the sound of Zorin Pro.. Quicker to type too...lol

Swarfendor437 wrote:

JeffK969 wrote:Also see that the Zorin OS 15 Education Lite version release is 12.4....

12.4 Education Lite is not Zorin 15 version - it is the Lite version because it comes in 64-bit and 32-bit - basically, the Core version of Education is like the rest in that they are only going to produce 64-bit versions - and that in part has been the main thrust of Ubuntu in terms of 'ditching' 32-bit OS but there was a turnaround by Canonical over this but it might be limited to Lubuntu and Xubuntu - the latter being what Zorin 12.4 will have been based off (Xubuntu) as it uses the xfce DE).

BTW Swarfendor, Thank you for the clarification on that....

mdiemer wrote:At least you remembered the name. I tried but could not. Mogen-David? Manischevitz? At least I knew there was an "M" in there somewhere. As for Raymond Burr, I watch Perry Mason reruns every night. Even if I've seen them. The show was just so damn well produced. They don't make em like that anymore...

JeffK969 wrote:

mdiemer wrote:There used to be a wine ad long ago which said "*** will release no wine before its time." .

LMAO, Paul Masson. I turned 50 today, and sadly remember that commercial as a kid... But back then in my early days, I couldn't understand how they used the same guy that read a story on the radio and scared millions of people,,,lol Why Him.... and I used to get him and Raymond Burr mixed up... Ahhh the good ole days..

Ahh, brings back memories of my childhood - can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday but Perry Mason used to be a favourite weekend watch with my parents. Not forgetting Ironside (poor Raymond Burr got bed sores through acting in a wheelchair.)

Aravisian wrote:

ian4238 wrote:I want to add that I am a very satisfied user of Zorin 12 Lite Ultimate. I have Zorin 15 Core on an older PC to try, but after a month of use, I realised it did not appeal to me. I would not pay $39 for the Ultimate version.
I will happily pay for a new XFCE version when it appears. When Zorin Team first moved to XFCE for 'Lite' I suggested that they give the Ultimate version a better name, such as 'Zorin Pro'. The reason is this: if someone has invested in new hardware, they don't want to read that Zorin XFCE is best suited to "older and low-spec" computers. I believe it is overall probably the best distro available today (and I have tried a few).

I am looking forward to trying out Zorin 15 Lite with XFCE4 d.e. However, if it has XFCE4.14, I will undoubtedly roll it back to 4.12.

Here is a 4.12 xfce distribution you might like - Ultimate Edition 6.4 xfce:

Swarfendor437 wrote:Here is a 4.12 xfce distribution you might like - Ultimate Edition 6.4 xfce:

I have actually looked at TheeManns' Ultimate Edition O.S. before, several times. Each time, though, there is something that turns me away.
I tested it once on V.M. and it ran fine. Over-all, it seems pretty solid. Very thoughtful build in certain regards. Installation files need some work, though.
Yet... something, I cannot put my finger on it... leads me away from it. Maybe I am just jumpy and it means nothing. But some instinct seems to kick in...

Downloaded 6.3 the other day after reading Swarfs post. Never heard of it, so became curious to take a look. Burned onto a DVD to try it in Live Mode.
Hung up all 3X's when I got to the "Try in Live Mode" screen... Maybe I'll download again, re-burn onto different disk and attempt again in the next
few days... Although I would rather be doing a fresh install of Zorin 15 Ultimate Lite and doing my little setting up and tweaks... And making it even
more perfect... Yes, I know that is grammatically wrong, it's either perfect or it's not, no such thing as more perfect. Or is there...? A lot of good
arguments on both sides. So is it possible to make Zorin 15 Lite More Perfect? We shall see....

JeffK969 wrote:Downloaded 6.3 the other day after reading Swarfs post. Never heard of it, so became curious to take a look. Burned onto a DVD to try it in Live Mode.
Hung up all 3X's when I got to the "Try in Live Mode" screen...

Yeah, that is not unusual with Ultimate Edition. As I said, the installation files need some work.
Getting past that will require some hoop jumping using terminal.

JeffK969 wrote:So is it possible to make Zorin 15 Lite More Perfect? We shall see....

Yes, it is.
I have already been hard at work on the gtk 3.22 version of the window management. It is interesting... I have had to make some pretty dramatic changes. I had planned to put it up on Pling.com for others but I am not sure anyone will want it.

Actually I owe an apology it was 6.0 xfce I downloaded some time ago - cross wire with 64-bit!

So I took a look at Ultimate 5.8. Aesthetically I really liked it. It was 'Live', so really hard to tell without making the changes I would have to make to my personal liking. The wallpapers, icons, theme. I may have to do some google searches and try to get some of them...lol.. Also had a whole bunch of things in the settings I think that I never seen before, and maybe would screw up...lol Might try at some point in a dual boot to get a better feel... Thanks for the tip Swarf...

So... Not to became a PITA, but does anyone know what would be an acceptable to all time frame when we could expect the release of Ultimate Lite 15?

Some form of feedback, target date, or even a window would be awesome... Yes we know, 2 guys, working on too much. I get that. No word when, don't get that..

There are few distros that look very appealing out of the box unless like Ultimate they’ve been pre-customized the results of which add tons of bloat and will likely not suit everyone. If Xfce is the preference above KDE then Mint 19.2 with Emerald themes added and Compiz correctly configured is IMO one of the best options. Otherwise Zorin 15 Core with just a few shell extensions is an excellent system and no one hated Gnome3 more than me. It’s just a pity it’s taken this long to achieve something useful.

In case anyone is interested these screenshots are from my Zorin/Mint dual-boot on a Dell OṕtiPlex-3060.
https://i.imgur.com/cj66EvU.png
https://i.imgur.com/6YfjDzP.png

Looks nice... I may have to steal your themes/look for my pc... Thanks...lol

I'm getting tired of the distro hopping, I've settled on LM XFCE & Zorin Ultimate Lite 15. Just want those two and instead of tweaks and such, would like to learn more of Linux.
Figure out all the stuff I don't know. Which is a lot. Actually have looked at taking some Linux courses online.... For example, not very familiar with Compiz. And basically everything else...lol
BB, do you remember how you configured for that look, or just trial and error.... What icons are those too btw?

JeffK969 wrote:Looks nice... I may have to steal your themes/look for my pc... Thanks...lol

BB, do you remember how you configured for that look, or just trial and error.... What icons are those too btw?

I tend not to like how some themes change 'everything' so I mix and match. For Zorin the apps theme setting is "DarkCold" and the shell theme is "Ambrosia". The system icon theme is standard but then I changed the file manager icons manually/individually using the extracted Windows 10 theme pack for Xfce.

https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1080259/
https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1012999/
https://www.xfce-look.org/p/1167936/

I should add that I work online using Linux as my daily driver. I also need Windows in order to respond to Windows user queries via our website. Windows 10 is just a commercial abomination so for this I still use 7, but as little as possible . The Windows machine is dual booted with SolydK which for me is the best of the KDE distros although I would also recommend Q4OS as it gives the alternative option for Trinity DE and lets you add what you want instead of giving a default selection of software half of which you'll never use. Neither of these operate a rolling release model which is something I don’t recommend unless you’re prepared and able to fix the inevitable glitches hence my reluctance to use Manjaro or most things Arch based.

BonusBrain wrote:I tend not to like how some themes change 'everything' so I mix and match.

This is an interesting point. I am building a theme that works for gtk 3.22 therefor, Zorin OS 15
I would like to upload it so others can be tormented by it, but the biggest hitch is trying to decide what to make what do what.
Because some will love it and some will cry.
Top o' the head example; it cannot be an rtl theme due to the button arrangement on the titlebuttons. Ok, well it CAN, but I do not feel like going through the entire css and adding in all the rtl qualifiers for it all.
Some like scrollbar steppers and some don't. Fixed or stretch?

So on and so on...

Aravisian, that's all Greek to me...lol Those are things I would like to learn down the road, building themes is cool, just beyond my knowledge base.

Ex: I downloaded the from the links BB posted, thanks BonusBrain btw... I know enough about making an icon & themes folder, but am stuck to as what to do with the gnome-shell Ambrosia folder.

JeffK969 wrote:Aravisian, that's all Greek to me...lol Those are things I would like to learn down the road, building themes is cool, just beyond my knowledge base.

Ex: I downloaded the from the links BB posted, thanks BonusBrain btw... I know enough about making an icon & themes folder, but am stuck to as what to do with the gnome-shell Ambrosia folder.

Ambrosia should work from your ~/.themes folder or usr/share/themes folder.
Hierarchy should be /themes/gnome-shell/ambrosia

Aravisian wrote:

JeffK969 wrote:Ambrosia should work from your ~/.themes folder or usr/share/themes folder.
Hierarchy should be /themes/gnome-shell/ambrosia

Correct. I just copy mine into ~/.themes for it then to appear as a shell theme option in settings.

Tried that, doesn't show up. Do I have to change something in compiz setting? That's something I tend to stay away from since I have no knowledge on how it works and don't want to screw things up.

JeffK969 wrote:Tried that, doesn't show up. Do I have to change something in compiz setting? That's something I tend to stay away from since I have no knowledge on how it works and don't want to screw things up.

Yes, Compiz may be interfering in that.
Not sure...
I looked at the Ambrosia Shell theme and everything looks right.
Now that I think about it... When I was using Gnome Flashback with Compiz, I never could get a Shell theme to work, either. I did not really look into it much at the time.

I like the look. Would be very cool if I could get that in Red as well as Blue, and maybe Green. I like to switch it around every once in a while.
But really like the looks.

Any word on the release of Ultimate 15 Lite yet...? Anyone, please, something....

While you are waiting for Lite you could take a look at Makulu Flash - that is very cleverly written as it comes with Compiz by default and has a clever menu system so that it does not clash with Emerald Themes - So if Compiz is switched on, Emerald Themes/Metacity does not show up in the Menu and vice versa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unrto4SVH-M

Swarfendor437 wrote:While you are waiting for Lite you could take a look at Makulu Flash - that is very cleverly written as it comes with Compiz by default and has a clever menu system so that it does not clash with Emerald Themes - So if Compiz is switched on, Emerald Themes/Metacity does not show up in the Menu and vice versa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unrto4SVH-M

I went ahead and downloaded the latest Makulu Linux Flash (since you repeatedly recommend it) and checked it out. Finally.

You helped me out in two ways: one, It's pretty good. Good accessability built in, it comes with XFCE 4.12 instead of the terrible XFCE 4.14. Interestingly, it has gtk 3.24.
That is where things get interesting.
I built and finally completed AzenisEX in 3.18. Next, I built it in 3.22. Testing has worked out well for it in 3.22 and I will be uploading it soon.
Next was to be building it in 3.24 but I needed to find an OS that I could either install it on or has it on it already. Makulu is on 3.24.
Testing my 3.22 version on 3.24- everything works. I expected worse performance. There probably are some things that do not work that I have no found yet. If so, I am having trouble finding them. But this means I may be able to release 3.22 and 3.24 as one release instead of two.
Happy Me.

For many users Xfce does need some additional 'luv' to make it more visually apealing. One of the best out of the box distros for this is Voyager. Example here after some additional tweaking.

https://www.techsupportalert.com/freewa ... post125624

Compiz/Emerald also runs fine on Mint Xfce for those who want some extra glitz with a more conservative distro.

You could of course try the kitchen sink approach with Modicia.

https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/85390.html

I've used Voyager in the past - it is a great French variation on Ubuntu and a nice raft of wallpapers to boot.

Update:
After trying out LiveCD of Makulu, I decided to go ahead and install it, replacing my Zorin OS.
Three hours later...

I have now installed Zorin OS 15, added the XFCE 4.12 Desktop with all the fixins and lightdm, etc.,? Makulu lasted all of three hours worth of "Why is it doing that, where is my ability to add ppa's, why doesn't this work, what the hell is it doing thinking FOR me, THAT'S IT I'm Wiping it!
Makulu was extremely slow to boot. Even with Compiz (Which I don't care about one way or the other) and XFCE, it was difficult to customize. The Apps menu that comes preinstalled is a jumbled overcrowded mess. Much of what came with it did not work, I had to repair item by item until I got fed up.

I tried again to get away from Zorin... Wound up back at Zorin, again. It just works. Installation is easy, the preloaded stuff all works right off the bat and out of the box.
I am now running what would be more or less Zorin 15 lite since I tweaked it quite a bit. Setting it up from 15 Core to Lite was easy as hell and since I started with Core, I got all the usual Zorin Goodies, then installed XFCE-Goodies.
I'll trash what I don't want later.
Didn't bother with Dockbarx, though.

Aravisian wrote:Update:
After trying out LiveCD of Makulu, I decided to go ahead and install it, replacing my Zorin OS.
Three hours later...

This unfortunately has been my experience too with this distro. There is a real ego driven presentation of the forthcoming LinDoz version that's still with the testers. If the result lives up to the pre-release hype it may be worth visiting but based on past experience....

https://www.makululinux.com/wp/2019/08/ ... -progress/

Aravisian wrote:Setting it up from 15 Core to Lite was easy as hell and since I started with Core, I got all the usual Zorin Goodies, then installed XFCE-Goodies.

A day later, I must clarify... Installing XFCE D.E. was easy. Setting it up to be Zorin with XFCE D.E. has NOT been so easy.
Zorin Connect does not like to play nice with XFCE, I have not figured out yet, why.

BonusBrain wrote:

Aravisian wrote:Update:
After trying out LiveCD of Makulu, I decided to go ahead and install it, replacing my Zorin OS.
Three hours later...

This unfortunately has been my experience too with this distro. There is a real ego driven presentation of the forthcoming LinDoz version that's still with the testers. If the result lives up to the pre-release hype it may be worth visiting but based on past experience....

https://www.makululinux.com/wp/2019/08/ ... -progress/

Yeah, it was very flashy but had a lot of great stuff. In the end, it did not work for me. It may be partly due to my own bias. Much of it was unfamiliar.
There was quite a bit that did not work and required a lot of repair. I must be spoiled a bit that I am accustomed to only patching or repairing a few things.

I had an issue with Zorin 15 Core last night. After logging in to Zorin Desktop I was faced with a panel at the top with no Applications or places but an overview button top left and a hidden Unity panel. On previous day received Extension updates warning and Zorin menu etc was not compatible with newest shell. Tried logging out (had to use Ctr+ Alt+ Del to get logout option) and back in again. Checking the DE I noticed that Unity appeared to have gotten installed from update day before! Logging in again led to the same interface which had me trying to replace current Gnome shell session also to no avail. Had to launch Tweaks from Unity bar, launch each of the Zorin components that were now switched off to get back to familiar desktop. Wondering if installing Gnome flashback had caused this as installed 3 days ago to see if I could get Compiz working but failed. Compiz shouldn't be written off entirely as it has great accessibility features.

https://vimeo.com/57264420

.

Swarfendor437 wrote:I had an issue with Zorin 15 Core last night. After logging in to Zorin Desktop I was faced with a panel at the top with no Applications or places but an overview button top left and a hidden Unity panel. On previous day received Extension updates warning and Zorin menu etc was not compatible with newest shell. Tried logging out (had to use Ctr+ Alt+ Del to get logout option) and back in again. Checking the DE I noticed that Unity appeared to have gotten installed from update day before! Logging in again led to the same interface which had me trying to replace current Gnome shell session also to no avail. Had to launch Tweaks from Unity bar, launch each of the Zorin components that were now switched off to get back to familiar desktop. Wondering if installing Gnome flashback had caused this as installed 3 days ago to see if I could get Compiz working but failed. Compiz shouldn't be written off entirely as it has great accessibility features.

https://vimeo.com/57264420

.

I tried Gnome Flashback as well, in the past and could never get it to work right.
Zorin Menu is Arc Menu made by Graeme Gott (Spelling?); same fella that made the Whisker Menu.
Honestly, (and I mean brutal honesty) my opinion is that the best way to tweak Gnome to get it working right is to Get Rid Of It.
Zorin 15 really does have a lot of issues. I do not blame the Zorins for this, though, as almost every one of them is easily found as an Ubuntu 18.04 bug.

I have (SADLY) moved on from Zorin 12.4 Lite to Zorin 15 in order to continue testing and work on multiple themes I am in the process of making and for that, I need to be able to consistently run gtk 3.22 or 3.24.
I suspect I will backtrack to Zorin 12.4 before long. Eventually, must follow the times, but I will normally stubbornly cling to the Old Days as much as possible.
It amazes me how often people assume "newer is better" as that is infrequently the actual case. In fact, most "modern Improvements" are in fact worse than historical builds- Compare O'Keefe and Merrit Stove to any modern Counterpart. Compare Old Chevrolet to new Chevrolet.
Compare Plastic to steel. Old Cuisinart to New Cuisinart. Well... it's a long list...
As time goes by, those wanting to pad the profit margin look to cutting quality and cutting corners to reduce expenses. Then they market it as "new and improved."

Yes, I remember my first job my supervisor had a classic Vauxhall (like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with a Picnic Grille on the back. A sports car of the 60's ran in to the back of him - the sports car was written off - just a scratch on the picnic basket grille!

Similarly, my dad was a 'transom polisher' (window cleaner) and whilst cleaning the local Public House a customer could be heard bragging about his sports car could stop on a sixpence (dime) now he had air-brakes fitted. The following week he stopped instantly when the traffic lights changed to red ... but the 10 ton truck following him didn't - and wrote that sports car off too!

Swarfendor437 wrote:I had an issue with Zorin 15 Core last night. After logging in to Zorin Desktop I was faced with a panel at the top with no Applications or places but an overview button top left and a hidden Unity panel. On previous day received Extension updates warning and Zorin menu etc was not compatible with newest shell. Tried logging out (had to use Ctr+ Alt+ Del to get logout option) and back in again. Checking the DE I noticed that Unity appeared to have gotten installed from update day before! Logging in again led to the same interface which had me trying to replace current Gnome shell session also to no avail. Had to launch Tweaks from Unity bar, launch each of the Zorin components that were now switched off to get back to familiar desktop. Wondering if installing Gnome flashback had caused this as installed 3 days ago to see if I could get Compiz working but failed. Compiz shouldn't be written off entirely as it has great accessibility features.

https://vimeo.com/57264420

.

Have you explored MX Linux with Compiz? Not sure about 19, but MX Linux 18 has their own package manager that includes Compiz.
It is quite a good Operating System, over-all.

OK, I heard it from a very reliable source that the time frame for the release of Ultimate Lite 15 is.... Drum roll please..... Quiet in the back... "early-to-mid November"....

Remember, you may of heard it here first....

"As for me I couldn't possibly comment."

LOL... I look at it this way, now I can stop with the nagging questions of when. Also I would also expect a delay or two, based upon what Aravisian has been saying in regards to the move from XFCE 4.12 to XFCE 4.14...

So if it's by our American Thanksgiving, I'm very happy. Earlier, ecstatic. If not until Xmas, the Grinch will come out in full force.....lol

JeffK969 wrote:LOL... I look at it this way, now I can stop with the nagging questions of when. Also I would also expect a delay or two, based upon what Aravisian has been saying in regards to the move from XFCE 4.12 to XFCE 4.14...

So if it's by our American Thanksgiving, I'm very happy. Earlier, ecstatic. If not until Xmas, the Grinch will come out in full force.....lol

Don't quote me on it. I just strongly suspect that they would switch to the recently released 4.14 version of XFCE last minute. Sigh...
Which I would then remove and install XFCE 4.12 as soon as I installed Zorin 15 Lite. The whole POINT of moving to XFCE was, in being a Gnome Refugee, to Get Away From GTK 3. Then they switched XFCE to GTK 3. I could cry.

It's a lot like Craftsman switching to Made In China Tools. Hey, I admit I don't buy much Craftsman but when I need to run to a Brick and Mortar to get a tool on short notice, I prefer to get one that doesn't Break On First Use. I'm just saying. Now, one of the last bastions is gone.
Aging sucks.

Thought it would have been released by now also. Hopefully soon!

waltff, targeted release date is early-to-mid November. I feel ya, think we both wanted it out yesterday...lol

As my Dad oft' did tell me:

"Patience is a virtue,
hold it if you can.
It is seldom found in women ...
and NEVER found in man." [Anon.]

I am the sort that I do not install something right after its release date. Give it time for the bugs to be found, reported and worked out.
Yet, in this case, I know that I will probably be installing Zorin 15 lite on the kids machine the very day it is released as long as I know it has been released.
Props to Zorin.

BonusBrain & Aravisian:
So... Back to this Ambrosia talk.... Should be like this, correct (Ultimate 15 Lite)



Because even after a reboot, it's not showing up....

JeffK969 wrote:BonusBrain & Aravisian:
So... Back to this Ambrosia talk.... Should be like this, correct (Ultimate 15 Lite)

Screenshot_2019-11-25_18-38-41.png

Because even after a reboot, it's not showing up....

The Gnome-Shell theme will not work on Zorin Lite because Zorin Lite uses the XFCE desktop, not the Gnome Desktop.
It will work on Zorin Ultimate and Zorin Core. Zorin Ultimate Lite is also XFCE Desktop.

Well then.. My bad, I was confused. But I'm not that smart, so it's acceptable. Only XFCE then, or XFCE/XFWM4 Themes.. Right?

JeffK969 wrote:Well then.. My bad, I was confused. But I'm not that smart, so it's acceptable. Only XFCE then, or XFCE/XFWM4 Themes.. Right?

More or less. XFCE Desktop does use gtk, though it does not use the full gnome desktop. Your GTK theme will still apply but a Gnome theme or Gnome Shell theme will not. Most XFCE4 themes include the GTK components.
But be wary that some also are the Window Manage only. I posted one of those for download last night- but I am creating the full gtk (will work on XFCE4) and full Gnome (will work on Gnome) theme for it even as I type this.