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look changer

bobbypin57

Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:17:15 am

closed, waiting for zorin-06. with zorin-05-core installed:
when attempting to use look changer, after clicking on xp a pop up appears saying to relog-in to make change. i've tried every way to relog-in, reboot, re-everything, but to no avail. please note: i had the same problem with ultimate zorin-05 which i removed due to this problem and firefox wouldn't work

Wolfman

Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:36:45 am

Please see this post:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=961&p=2704#p2704

Do the same.

Regards Wolfman:)

Obsidian1723

Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:07:59 pm

swarfendor437 wrote:I had some issues running live with look-changer - what you should not do in Windows 7 or XP mode is to log out using the power button to the right on the system tray - instead use the 'logout/switch user' button on the menu - it should then work.


More proof it's a coding flaw which needs to be fixed.

Obsidian1723

Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:34:19 pm

Sadly, after emailing the developers and hearing back from them, this issue that Zorin's Look Changer does not save gnome settings when you change between UIs (Windows XP / Windows 7 / Gnome2) appears to be a "feature" and not a "bug" for the reasoning that some gnome2 themes do not work well with Zorin OS.

I was rather dismayed that my gnome2 customizations disappeared without any warning at all. I would have at least expected an alert box (with the option to click a checkbox under the message "Do not display this message again"); but alas, none of that happened. Everything was just lost instead.

I can easily re-do everything, not a big deal in that regard, but what about for the Linux neophyte? If I perceived this as a "bug" and not as a "feature", you can be your a** that 99% of the people out there will too.

In my opinion, Zorin OS is geared towards Windows expatriates who are at the very least, at what many would consider to be an "Intermediate Level" of technical skills and expertise. Yes, there are Power Users, Geeks and Gurus who will use it too; but the vast majority are the "Intermediate / Power User / People who want to either dual boot with Windows or move away from it entirely" crowd. That's not a slight on anyone at all, just my own perception of the userbase, which I believe is intended since many Linux users want to stay away from anything "Windows"-like at all. They most certainly aren't going to want an XP or 7 UI. I use Zorin OS to introduce people to the world of Linux and help them seamlessly migrate into it either as their sole OS of choice, or as an optional OS to dual boot into when they are done Gaming in Windows or using Windows-only applications.

In my own case, I run Ubuntu 10.04.3LTS on my main desktop and main laptop, both 32-bit Desktop Editions. I run Debian and CentOS for servers. On my spare laptop, I run Zorin OS. Had this issue happened on my main desktop or laptop, I'd be pissed. I use my computers to get real-world work done as I own a small, IT company. Downtime = money for myself and my customers.

In my email, I requested such an alert box, as well as a way to back/restore (export/import) settings by choice, as well as a way to automatically create "restore Points" whenever a gnome theme is added/removed and/or right before the UI is switched between XP/7/gnome2.

I think Zorin OS has some really good potential to help out, and people are looking for a good gnome2 distro to easy people into. Right now I know Linux Mint has a huge community and attracts many expatriates from Windows....and Zorin OS's Look Changer could be a real winner to help attract more people. We are a very small community with huge potential.

I LIKE Zorin OS and I WANT to see it succeed. Believe me when I say, if I didn't want it to succeed, if I didn't care, I wouldn't say a thing. I'd just move on. I may be ranting here a bit, and sue me if I am....but I don't think anyone should worry about when people complain, they should worry about when they don't. When apathy sets in, when people no longer care, that is the death knoll of any software project, job, home, family, relationship, everything.

Obsidian1723 to the Zorin World.... Do you hear me??

vampire8

Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:41:15 am

Am I missing where to look for a response on this from Zorin? Has the look changer bug been fixed? I am looking to switch my entire town government to Linux and Zorin looks great, except the look changer does not work!!!!!! Please, can someone let me know the status of look changer? Much appreciated! I like the speed and look of Zorin more than Mint but I may have to go to Mint if Zorin stays "broken".

Obsidian1723

Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:22:53 pm

vampire8 wrote:Am I missing where to look for a response on this from Zorin? Has the look changer bug been fixed? I am looking to switch my entire town government to Linux and Zorin looks great, except the look changer does not work!!!!!! Please, can someone let me know the status of look changer? Much appreciated! I like the speed and look of Zorin more than Mint but I may have to go to Mint if Zorin stays "broken".


Devs, see, this poster above just 2nded my point. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I am trying to yell "FIRE!!!!!!!" and hope someone brings the water before we lose the house.

@swarfendor437 - Thanks man!!

vampire8

Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:24:18 am

It appears that this board does not get much traffic and is not read by the Zorin Group. I finally found a way to get look changer to work sometimes. However, there has been no response from the Zorin staff. Unfortunately I will have to move on to another distro, Zorin looked very promising. I wish you luck but if you want more users, you must be responsive, even if you do not have a fix, an acknowledgement would have been appreciated.

Obsidian1723

Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:23:25 pm

vampire8 wrote:It appears that this board does not get much traffic and is not read by the Zorin Group. I finally found a way to get look changer to work sometimes. However, there has been no response from the Zorin staff. Unfortunately I will have to move on to another distro, Zorin looked very promising. I wish you luck but if you want more users, you must be responsive, even if you do not have a fix, an acknowledgement would have been appreciated.


FWIW, I've emailed your post to the developers.

I am tending to agree with you.

AZorin

Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:19:09 pm

We apologize for the late response. Unfortunately we are currently very busy working on Zorin OS 6 and we have been unable to interact with our community lately. We can announce to you that we are working on resolving some, if not all of these issues with the Zorin Look Changer for Zorin OS 6.

Obsidian1723

Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:12:42 pm

That's good that the Look Changer is getting fixed, but Zorin OS 6 will be based on 11.04 or 11.10 of Ubuntu, which is an unstable build since Ubuntu pulls non-LTS releases from debian-unstable vs. the LTS releases which are pulled from debian-testing. Stability is still an issue and a point of concern for many people.

(See my other thread where I couldn't get the Ultimate version to install. We also discussed it in email. Also see my other thread where I talk about LTS vs Non-LTS. No need in repeating everything from both threads in here.)

Ubuntu non-LTS versions (and consequently any forks of them....) are notoriously unstable and with code that is ever-changing because they are betas for the next Ubuntu LTS release. In the CentOS community this issue has been resolved by moving over to a rolling release - and this is something Ubuntu needs to do. This would affect all Ubuntu forks as well; but that's only part of the fix. Ubuntu in general has become more buggy in their non-LTS releases starting with 9.10, and this affects all forks of Ubuntu, like it or not.

I realize that the only way Zorin OS can mitigate things like instability coming from Ubuntu, would be to fork Debian directly, which would be a good idea for the sake of stability. (Linux Mint has done that with their LMDE).

I'm glad you're fixing the Look Changer, but it appears to me that:

1) The Look Changer issue will only be fixed in Zorin OS 6 and not in Zorin OS 3.1 which is an LTS release of Zorin OS based on Ubuntu 10.04.3LTS. I can see not changing it in Zorin OS 4 and 5, but certainly it should be fixed in the LTS, don't you think so?

2) There are still some pretty big issues left unresolved with the LTS version of Zorin.

3) Ignoring stability for features is the Microsoft way, not the way of Linux. Certainly Ubuntu/Canonical follow this trend by pushing out a release every 6 months and then immediately begin focusing on the next release. This is where Debian does it right. They release after a few years and get it right. I think the "release at all costs' trend is disturbing and sad.

AZorin

Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:54:19 pm

Zorin OS Core 3.1 LTS doesn't have any issues with the Look Changer apart from changing the theme back to default. We will do our best to address this issue in Zorin OS Core 3.2 LTS.

Obsidian1723

Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:30:56 pm

AZorin wrote:Zorin OS Core 3.1 LTS doesn't have any issues with the Look Changer apart from changing the theme back to default. We will do our best to address this issue in Zorin OS Core 3.2 LTS.


I think it's a big issue with it resetting like that, but if it's going to be addressed and you are indeed going to make a Zorin OS Core 3.2 LTS, (which includes a fx and/or alert /and/or backup/restore options), then I think that's all anyone could ask. Thank you in advance :)

vampire8

Sun Oct 09, 2011 12:43:35 am

Zorin Team, Thank you for responding. I will watch the site for the new release of Zorin and check it out then and see how the look changer works. Good luck with the programming!