Boy, the good ole days are gone when it comes to Windows. I am posting just to help anybody that doesn’t know. This is like a creepy wire tap. If you are actually using Windows 11, make sure to disable and or reduce telemetry in Windows 11 (Privacy). If that actually helps, I am sure there are more ways they send data back but the video link is a simple how to for the telemetry. Here is more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtg_s1GQiMU
PSA, for people sticking to Windows:
You can get a reasonable level of privacy by installing Windows Enterprise via RUFUS, which also has options for removing restrictions during installation. Massgravel is used to activate your copy of Windows, the Github also having .ISOs for you to use with RUFUS.
ShutUp10 is a piece of software that goes a step further, allowing you to toggle off many bad things, uninstall Microsoft’s AI, and gives a description of what you are tweaking does. The premium version also automatically applies your settings at all times, reverting Microsoft’s constant tweaking of your settings.
RUFUS
Massgravel
ShutUp10
0000
I recently attempted my 2nd migration to Linux through ZorinOS, but that didn’t work out. There are still issues with reliability and user friendliness. As a power casual, there were too many jagged edges to let me feel good about daily driving Linux. Hopefully, SteamOS will change that within three or four years. Linux will someday be our solution to the Microsoft problem, but that year hasn’t yet arrived.
May I also recommend: https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat
Something is very wrong with Zorin then.
Reliability and user friendliness are why I use linux. I work from home, I can’t afford to have a computer not be reliable. Its why I use linux, it works, it doesnt change unless I do. As for user friendliness, windows is extremely hostile to decent work flows. It is user unfriendly.
It arrived for me about 20 years ago. Your statement is ridiculous today.
This is easily said but I’ve personally had issues with Mint, Ubuntu and Bazzite as well. SteamOS has been pretty okay though, but not without its own issues either.
I feel like the issue right now with nearly all Linux distros is that it is too easy to break. Linux offers tons of freedom, sure, but the guardrails that are supposed to prevent you from making critical mistakes are few.
With Bazzite for example, I tried to mount my second drive. The config screen (I’m sure it has a name but I forgot) showed some kind of error, but did not make it clear what the problem was. It also gave no clear indication how to fix it. After I figured a reboot might help, I got completely stuck in an unbootable state, with none of the recovery options suggested online working. Had to reinstall the entire OS from USB. What should have been an easy thing to do ended up inexplicably bricking the system.
Microsoft has invested quite a bit in good automatic recovery recently. Just today, Dell pushed a faulty display driver update to my laptop, which meant no more display at all. After rebooting three times, Windows recovery kicked in, automatically uninstalled the faulty update and got the OS in a bootable state again. It displayed a nice message on reboot explaining what it did, and disabled that update from being reinstalled for at least 30 days. Find me a Linux distro that does that.
Like it’s easy to hate on Microsoft (I do it too) but unless we acknowledge why people get stuck on Linux and end up reverting to Windows people just aren’t going to switch. Windows contains a smelly heap of garbage, but there’s a lot going on as well to prevent the user from getting stuck in technical problems that don’t recover automatically.
These are a lot of issues! I have had basically no issues for years. Certainly not bricking or breaking anything.
Windows has been worse for me (on the windows machines I support). Nvidia driver broke (black screen on all accelerated windows) and had to be repaired using a bit of powershell and a roll back tool. No auto fix from windows.
Windows update didn’t complete correctly, hours trying to roll it back, the windows tools did nothing, including the repair tool.
Point is I see far more broken windows than linux at this point.
As for fixing linux? Keep your home and os seperate and its super easy. Try changing hardware on windows and watch the fun of breakage and licensing kick in!
Edit: I want to add: linux can break, sometimes in an update. But it seems like its the user actively doing something. Windows breaks, in bizarre ways usually due to an update. Particularly lately.
This is my current solution too, while Win10’s extended support period lasts… I really hope Adobe will support Linux (or a working emulator is made) by the time I need to leave Win10, because I don’t want to touch Win11 with an 11-foot pole lol
Which issues did you have with Zorin?
Assorted things, but the biggest was with AppImages. You are supposed to make them executable with a properties tab, as ZorinOS is intended to be a Windows-like experience. However, at some point, AppImages stopped launching, even after rebooting the system. There was no error messages, just nothing happening after trying to launch them. That is bad for troubleshooting, and is vexing. After three or four days trying to resolve such issues with Linux, I got fed up and went back to Windows 11 Enterprise.
In any case, I will attempt another Linux migration when the time seems right. I will let Valve cook, they will bring friendliness and reliability to the masses.
Did you try using the built in Software app first?
I assume you are talking about the Snap store: Not everything on Github is necessarily in there. In any case, I am not dealing with Linux’s bullshit anymore until Gabe has properly tamed the beast.
Zorin actually has Flatpak as well.
Why ZorinOS? Maybe try a better distro
Because it is supposed to mix the friendliness of Windows with Linux’s lack of authoritarianism.
Try Mint instead. Its a popular distro that has an old school windows like interface…not an exact match but super close, enough that you’ll be zooming along in no time.
I have used it a lot and have almost no issues except for the very propriety-windows-only software.
I tried Mint three or four years ago. Assorted game launchers weren’t working nicely and my games were laggy. Presumably the work done by Valve would allow Mint to be okay-ish by now, but that also applies to ZorinOS. In any case, I refuse to waste any more time troubleshooting Linux, until it has been given more time to be casualized.
If your thing is games go with Bazzite.
Otherwise Mint is rock solid and in use by the elderly in my family without hiccups.
Check game compatibility on protondb.com
I prefer revisionos playbook over scripts though, never had any strange problems with it.