5 to 6...what advantages, specifically, please ???

I have been watching and reading what folks have written, and mostly see positive reviews and that many still rave about ZorinOS 6 as they did about 5, and that there is no better 'gateway to Linux' from the m$ OS.
OK.

As a (mostly) happy user of ZorinOS 5 with it's looks set like win2k, what advantages are there in changing to 6 - and I ask this keeping in mind that just getting something newer (for it's own sake) is not a valid reason.
(Yes, it is a goodness to contribute to a group doing a good work, no dispute there.)

It looks to me as if in doing so I would have to go through and repeat the many tweaks/changes I made for my own preferences, and possibly find work-arounds for some different things which have been changed.

So, what are the exact gains in traversing from 5 to 6, please ?

Thanks.

First of all Zorin 6 (based on ubuntu 12.04) is an LTS version meaning that you will have 5 years of support. (up to April 2017)
The support for zorin 5 (based on ubuntu 11.04) ends on October 2012 (i.e. presently).

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Thanks Madvinegar.
I should have mentioned that - thanks for reminding me...I don't care much about support dates.
Linux in general - and especially in the case of ZorinOS 5 does not worry me that way; my h/w is not changing, and since ZorinOS 5 is installed and running fine, it's all good - EXCEPT:
I am asking about the WHY & WHAT of moving into the newest release.
Not wanting to just assume anything...inquiring minds want to know !!!
Thanks.

The way I see it is that slowly slowly there will be a migration to Gnome3 (even if presently a lot of people accuse it). Meaning that any newer drivers or new applications will only be supported under gnome3 (and not gnome2).

New kernels have come to existence (3.5.0, 3.6.0 etc) which promise improvement in speed, lower temps, better support for graphic cards, wireless cards, fewer bugs etc.

People who had problems with the kernel of Zorin 5.2 had to install Zorin 6 to sort things out. For example, my GPU (intel HD 3000) did not have 3D support under zorin 5.2. Whilst in zorin6 it was recognized out of the box (newer kernel).

I suppose that if your hardware will remain the same and you are perfectly happy with Zorin 5.2, there is no real need of installing Zorin 6.

In case you want to, you can always prepare a live CD or live USB of Zorin6 and test how it works on your machine before installing.

Thanks again Madvinegar.
I understand, and yes - my h/w all works perfectly with v5.

If I were to venture further, it would be with v6 Ultimate - and one thing that has always been sort of impossible to find out is just what exactly is in the Ultimate version...?
Once before I even asked this and was told the devs were too busy to bother answering my silly question.
(A great way to make friends with new users who wish to pay, yes ?!?)

Ultimately I went ahead anyhow based upon my friend's acceptance of it, but the downloading was pure h*ll from the one slow site with multiple failures - took 2 full days to all come in, and IF this is time to get a newer version that means I buy the DVD instead because I won't go through THAT again.

But as I say - I still want more info because I found only a little bit of info.
(And frankly I am not impressed with Gnome3 -or- Avant Window Navigator.)

Thanks.

The extra things you get in the ultimate version are:

1) Three more looks (unity, mac OSX and windows 2000)
2) Zorin background plus
3) Zorin splash screen manager
4) A lot more applications and games that come pre-installed (that you might or might never need) but which you can also install by yourself in a core version. I am not going to list all of them as I have not gone through all of them. In case you don't really need most of them, it could be considered waste of hard drive space.

So basically, the differences are concentrated on 1, 2 and 3.

Thanks Again Madvinegar.

Yes, I understand what you are saying here:

madvinegar wrote:The extra things you get in the ultimate version are:
1) Three more looks (unity, mac OSX and windows 2000)
2) Zorin background plus
3) Zorin splash screen manager
4) A lot more applications and games that come pre-installed (that you might or might never need) but which you can also install by yourself in a core version. I am not going to list all of them as I have not gone through all of them. In case you don't really need most of them, it could be considered waste of hard drive space.
So basically, the differences are concentrated on 1, 2 and 3.

And to each in return I say...
1) Win2k 'looks' are critical to my comfort...
2) I don't use a background.
3) The splash-screen is fine how it comes.
4) HERE is the tripping point=> there is NO complete list of apps/games at all !!!

The info link on the ZorinOS website points to the Distrowatch package list, which is NOT even remotely a list of included apps/games !!! (A very clever & tricky thing to do, but NOT helpful.)

Since the devs demand a mandatory 'donation' to get the premium versions & support, after all their other work they NEED to tell folks what they are actually getting for their donation money=> like the comparison chart style that most software folks offer to show what is vs. is not included in the several versions they offer...see an example here:


Back to my curiosities from the OP:
Given that G3 and AWN seem superfluous to my requirement for the win2k 'classic' desktop shape(?); and that I'd need to (somehow ???) copy/transfer all my stuff from my existing Z5 installation to the newer Z6 installation=> these remain my priorities to learn about AS WELL as somehow finally knowing what is actually included in the Z6U offering as an actual list or chart of included apps/games.

Thanks.

Hi I have made a document telling some of the difference between core and ultimate.Maybe there are even more.... It's in danish but maybe you can translate it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11b1_yuDEShzBAU2BiloTzNYv5sHT0JUxP6P1X43P4s0/edit

Hello Swarfendor437, and thanks.

1. Notice that whilst there might be little or no viruses, that does not mean that Linux is more secure than any other Operating System - why else do you need to do a restart after security updates? And that is a key reason to change to a newer version of GNU/Linux.

AFAIK, the bulk of the baddies are not aimed at Linux, and I'm willing to live -that- dangerously !!!

Colour me baffled here:

2. If you need Win2k look then migrate to Zorin 6.1 Lite - so it only lasts 18 months as it is based off Lubuntu - but hey, there's likely to be a Zorin 6.2 for another 18 months after 6.1?

Do you say by this that ZorinOS 6.1 Lite HAS the win2k look included ???
I was under the impression that ONLY Ultimate has it - or is there some trick to get it in there that remains unmentioned here...?

Thanks.

100% correct.
The base of it being Kubuntu worries me though, because I may waste alot of time trying VM stuff just to find out it won't work on the minimal setup of that...

Lu...Ku...Mu...Fu...too many Ubuntu variants to remember the first letter !!!

To discourage anyone else from wasting their time:
Core is limited to NOT having classic looks - Lite has that, but is based on Lubuntu as previously said, and may not be able to do all the stuff one wants it to do.

I see this combination as a fatal flaw (my opinion).

Here's why:
ZorinOS is wanting to lure folks away from the latest/newest versions of windows - and this might be a workable plan IF that was vista and folks were massively disgusted already.
But it's NOT vista that is new & current, and those who have the newest right now are not so likely to leave it.

Folks with old PCs will want a better OS, this is true - but NOT one with limited abilities as their beloved XP ran everything even on an old box with an old CPU and 512mb of RAM and a 30gb HDD.
In fact those with average boxes (1gb RAM, ~2gHz CPU, bigger HDD) will want a better OS too - but they will likely miss their beloved classic windows look (as I do) and NOT want to pay & get a 4-5gb download for a maximal version just to get it.

And who is the worst of all the windows converts ???
Those like myself who had a superb, long love of win2k on a box with a 1.3gHz CPU, 256mb RAM, a 20gb HDD, and a very plain graphics card with a CRT for YEARS with ZERO troubles !!!

If/when I pay for Ultimate - I will have to look forward to DAYS of stripping out extra stuff, getting my data into it bit by bit, and all around making it be like an installation of XP with the classic windows look of win2k.

If I was involved in the guts of this project I would release a patch for the (literally !!!) millions of users who want Core with the classic look & feel - and make friends with them, so that when they DO buy a newer PC, they'll come running for ZorinOS Ultimate to jazz it up AND have the looks they are accustomed to rather than the looks of the newer OS - which many simply cannot tolerate at all.

Making an OS with a cartoony 'pearl' to replace & cover up it's entire menu system was not only dumb - but openly offensive to operate for many - which explains why so many have added programs to get the classic menu systems back on those OSs (as well as the ubiquitous & overpriced 'office' product).

Corporations and other businesses are least likely of all to either ditch their good, stable XP systems or the latest & greatest OS just for a change to Linux; so it is the families & individual end-users that ZorinOS must attract if it desires a larger share of the desktop PC users.

I have searched for 'Ubuntu win2k' and found some good info, as well as 'Ubuntu classic windows'; I know with certainty that I am BY FAR not the only PC user wanting a better OS with the classic windows 'look & feel'.

The developers would be well advised to try and grab these users & make easy friends of them.

I've always considered the word 'start' in that button to be idiotic, and mine has always been just blank instead.

I am not any sort of graphics designer or programmer.

My post remains about how ZorinOS can be useful to me (and to others wanting the same things of course...).

Unless I was a totally insane man - why would I want to re-invent the wheel ?
The win2k 'look' already exists for ZorinOS, as well as for other -buntu variants.

I think that to charge extra for it - as in forcing those wanting it, but happy with the ZorinOS 'Core' version is a fatal mistake on the part of those in charge of this distro.

That having been said=> would I pay something to get it for the 'Core' version ? Yes, absolutely.
Is it worth the $25 which Ultimate costs to get on disc ? I don't think so, really.

The question I point at is the willingness to be helpful to users.
I bet making a separate patch of some sort to add it into 'Core' would take someone who knows how just minutes, and it would be another thing for folks to pay for...all good things from the starving developer POV, yes ?

Edit:
My sincere apologies Swarfendor.
I have an odd cognitive/physical disability which makes me miss graphical things.
Sometimes, if I am very, very carefully attentive, I can figure such things out - like this time .
Sorry if my reply below seemed a bit strongly worded; I had totally missed your intended assistance .
(And I've PM'd you as well...)

Thanks, but this is totally unrelated (from what I can see) to my query regarding getting the win 2k 'look'; are you trying to side-track my thoughts and request - or is there some info there which has eluded me completely ???

And speaking of existing w2k themes for *buntu variants - here is where to find 2 of them:
http://rissland.blogsite.org/pub/gnome-themes/

One is described here, but with a dead download link:
http://www.softepic.com/linux/desktop/t ... acflieder/

Whether these will install & work in 12.04 - I don't know, but I may try it...

Hi,

make sure any themes you want to use are labelled "GTK3" as that is important for the Gnome 3 DE.

Regards Wolfman