Unofficial Manual for Zorin 15 Core - Completed 28.07.2019!

[Swarfendor437]

I can't change the opacity of zorin panel. In fact, there is no option to change it, even though it is said that it is possible according to page 24 of the manual.

Apologies, I have been rushing things a bit, however I have some good news! There is an extension (you'll need to have gnome-tweaks installled [Tweaks]) 'Dynamic Panel Transparency':

https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/ ... nsparency/

And it works beautifully!

I've updated the manual to reflect this glaring error!

Please go to the first entry to download the updated manual - still a way to go yet!

[zabadabadoo]

@Swarf:
Date on front cover of your manual is "This is the final version, uploaded on 28 July 2020".
Er..Do you drive a DeLorean by chance

[Swarfendor437]

I can't change the opacity of zorin panel. In fact, there is no option to change it, even though it is said that it is possible according to page 24 of the manual.

D'OH! No I don't have one of those.. it's my 2020 vision! LOL! Thanks for pointing this out (however if you look below it does stipulate E. & O. E.

[andzts]

Thank you! I'm done installing and finally reading the manual I would never thought zorin will be so good and beautiful like this.

[Lioh]

Under which License is the manual released? Are there already existing translations available for German?

[marytanasy]

I've been using Zorin for a couple of years and I love the product and give it a 10+ rating and I think you have one of the best OS Linux that Windows users can have a solution other then a Microsoft product.. The only issue I have is I just purchased your new Zorin os 15 and has this issue as well as in the same as Zorin OS 12 and the sound becomes severely distorted and when I go into the Task manager, it shows "Speech-dispatcher" and the audio remains distorted unless I terminate it from Task manager. Then it becomes normal again. Can I permanently disable "Speech-dispatcher" from loading to correct this issue? and if so, what needs to be done to fix this or will you have a patch to fix this issue.

Please help me with this.

Thank you,
Mary Tanasy

[Swarfendor437]

Under which License is the manual released? Are there already existing translations available for German?

Hi, I've not got round to translating into German yet. For 12 I used Google docs - for 15 I'm going to use Yandex translate. I haven't assigned a licence as such but the logo used in the manual is gpl by ncc. I would like to say the text is Creative Commons so it can be freely distributed and amended by those whose native language is not English. I never sought approval from Team Zorin - that is why it is 'Inoffiziele'.

[Swarfendor437]

I've been using Zorin for a couple of years and I love the product and give it a 10+ rating and I think you have one of the best OS Linux that Windows users can have a solution other then a Microsoft product.. The only issue I have is I just purchased your new Zorin os 15 and has this issue as well as in the same as Zorin OS 12 and the sound becomes severely distorted and when I go into the Task manager, it shows "Speech-dispatcher" and the audio remains distorted unless I terminate it from Task manager. Then it becomes normal again. Can I permanently disable "Speech-dispatcher" from loading to correct this issue? and if so, what needs to be done to fix this or will you have a patch to fix this issue.

Please help me with this.

Thank you,
Mary Tanasy

First, I would backup your system in case it becomes unstable. You could install timeshift to create a snapshot of your current system to restore later if following the guide here messes up your system:

https://www.howtoinstall.co/en/ubuntu/t ... ion=remove

[danceswithcats]

Swarfendor, this is a superb piece of work: thank you.

The thing I think the Linux community never gets quite right is the level of guidance for ordinary computer users. You have hit exactly the right tone. This document of yours adds real value to the Zorin product.

Actually, I've bought Zorin Ultimate, just because I could, and I appreciate the level of precision that the Zorin developers seem to have built into their distro. I love UbuntuOS, (though less so, since they gave up on Unity) but it still feels, after all these years, like a techy's workbench, rather than a system for people who use computers for purposes other than making more computer stuff. Zorin gives it that extra level of clarity, addressed from the point of view of a user who is not, actually, that interested in computing for its own sake, and it does it beautifully. This manual of yours is the missing link in most other OSs: the book-style guide that makes more sense to an average user than a wiki, which is not a natural format for learning for people without an existing overview of the subject.

I've put Zorin on an old gaming machine I picked up for £150 - I try not to buy new computers. I had put Kubuntu on it first, as I've never had a machine that could cope well with KDE, and wanted to have all the whistles and bells. However, KDE is just so incredibly fussy, and I really don't like the KDE Kontact suite. One of the deciders, for me, in buying Zorin Ultimate, was that it uses Evolution, which does the job of integrating comms software in a straightforward and reliable manner, without the need for a couple of dozen overlapping configuration dialogues.

Are you planning to publish this more widely? I'd be happy to do a full proofread. If I were you, I would be encouraging the developers to adopt this and include it in the ISO.

Anyway, I've rambled. Thanks again.

[Swarfendor437]

Swarfendor, this is a superb piece of work: thank you.

The thing I think the Linux community never gets quite right is the level of guidance for ordinary computer users. You have hit exactly the right tone. This document of yours adds real value to the Zorin product.

Actually, I've bought Zorin Ultimate, just because I could, and I appreciate the level of precision that the Zorin developers seem to have built into their distro. I love UbuntuOS, (though less so, since they gave up on Unity) but it still feels, after all these years, like a techy's workbench, rather than a system for people who use computers for purposes other than making more computer stuff. Zorin gives it that extra level of clarity, addressed from the point of view of a user who is not, actually, that interested in computing for its own sake, and it does it beautifully. This manual of yours is the missing link in most other OSs: the book-style guide that makes more sense to an average user than a wiki, which is not a natural format for learning for people without an existing overview of the subject.

I've put Zorin on an old gaming machine I picked up for £150 - I try not to buy new computers. I had put Kubuntu on it first, as I've never had a machine that could cope well with KDE, and wanted to have all the whistles and bells. However, KDE is just so incredibly fussy, and I really don't like the KDE Kontact suite. One of the deciders, for me, in buying Zorin Ultimate, was that it uses Evolution, which does the job of integrating comms software in a straightforward and reliable manner, without the need for a couple of dozen overlapping configuration dialogues.

Are you planning to publish this more widely? I'd be happy to do a full proofread. If I were you, I would be encouraging the developers to adopt this and include it in the ISO.

Anyway, I've rambled. Thanks again.

Hi danceswithcats,

Thank you for the glowing comments. I'm in the ZorinOS front to enable migraters from Windoze to make an easy transition to GNU/Linux. Once a user has become confident in its use it then allows them to try other flavours according to their desires. I am aware of some proofing errors and before I was aware I made a seachange to the cover - "E&OE" - Errors and Omissions Excepted. I will get around to tidying it up a bit more as I used the Manual for 12 as it's basis for speed of release. I also could have added a few more applications that people may not be aware of as a recommendation, and just to add, not specific to Zorin but specific to GNU/Linux and that is why it is essential that one of the first things to do after updating the system post-install is to add Synaptic Package Manager - no software channel will ever be able to compete with its thoroughness or application detail (provided the writer of said app has made the effort!). Another graphics app I missed off was for stop-go animation which my youngest used on their College Art course, 'stopmotion' available from here: http://linuxstopmotion.org/

So easy to use.