{"id":2625,"date":"2025-10-26T22:06:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/?p=2625"},"modified":"2025-11-03T14:22:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T05:22:45","slug":"trying-out-zorin-os-for-the-first-time-on-my-old-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/10\/26\/trying-out-zorin-os-for-the-first-time-on-my-old-laptop\/","title":{"rendered":"Trying out Zorin OS for the first time on my old laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This is the old Fujitsu laptop I received from my sister-in-law last Christmas.<\/a> I installed Mint Mate on it, but what I should have done is install Mint XFCE instead because it’s tailored towards operating on older hardware more efficiently. All along, I knew I should have installed Mint XFCE on this laptop instead because it would have probably provided faster speed. So I thought, hey, why not try out ZorinOS<\/a> for an all-new Linux experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Mint, Zorin OS is another Linux distro that caters to Windows refugees. It’s also said to be pretty slim and ideal for older hardware. I figure that this would be an educational experience since for me. So in the picture above, I’m booting up with the install ISO and I like that pulsating Z. It looks neat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Everything has been backed up, which wasn’t a problem since this is just a secondary computer for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Proceeding with the install.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here is a screenshot of my desktop. Shantae and her fabulous tits. I moved the panel to the top of the screen because I rather prefer to have it up there. My first Linux experience was on Fedora<\/a>, which had the applications menu at the top. I like having the constant, subconscious “this isn’t Windows” feeling in my mind that this provides. The taskbar is locked, which means it’s locked… except when it isn’t. I don’t get it. I’ll have to figure it out or get used to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This wallpaper image is from the newly-released Shantae Advanced. I bought it on Steam and was disappointed with the incredible slowdown which makes it unplayable. The game is essentially a Gameboy Advanced game, yet the slowdown is intolerable. Shantae: Half Genie Hero is far more graphically intensive, yet slowdown in that game on my system is sporadic and manageable. Half-assed and unforgivable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So Zorin is supposed to be optimized with strong support for Steam. I do not know what that really entails, so I looked it up. This is what Brave’s AI summary responded to my question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zorin OS does not inherently offer more support for Steam than other Linux distributions; rather, its support stems from being based on Ubuntu, which is a widely supported distribution for Steam. The primary advantage lies in the ease of installation and configuration, as Zorin OS includes pre-installed tools and dependencies that streamline the process. For instance, Zorin OS automatically handles Vulkan API dependencies when installing Steam, which simplifies setup for users. Additionally, the system comes with a pre-installed version of Wine, which is beneficial for running Windows games through Steam’s Proton compatibility layer. The Zorin OS software store also includes Lutris, a tool that facilitates the installation and management of games from platforms like the Epic Games Store, Origin, and others, further enhancing gaming accessibility. However, the core Steam functionality is not exclusive to Zorin OS; it is available on any Ubuntu-based distribution, and the main difference is the user-friendly interface and pre-configured defaults that make the experience smoother for beginners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, interesting. Wine comes pre-installed? That’s nice. I still had to install protontricks to get Earthion to play, though. That said, I think the games might load faster than they did on Mint Mate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here I’m installing K-Snip, which seems to function differently on Zorin than on Mint and I don’t know why. Zorin’s software library is a bit more simplified and I don’t know why. So far, I like Mint better. Both are Windows-y, but maybe Zorin is more Windows-ier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zorin comes with Brave as its default web browser. I know that Firefox is run by woke shitlibs who want me dead for disagreeing with them, but I just like Firefox’s customizability and its ability to add a search box rather than having to use the address bar for that. Is it that hard to just provide that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, it appears that this laptop boots up faster with Zorin than Mint Mate, and Steam games seem to load more quickly too. I imagine Mint XFCE would be at least as fast, but for now I’ll continue to get used to Zorin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EDIT October 29th:<\/strong> I’m on day 4 of my Zorin install and I can say that it boots much faster. It takes a shorter time to turn this old laptop on. The Zorin website says, “We’ve streamlined Zorin OS to work on computers as old as 15 years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic Zorin install allows you to switch your appearance between four options, like a Win10 appearance, a Win11 appearance, a GMOME3 appearance, and more of a Win7-style appearance. If you pay for Zorin Pro, there is an option for appearances resembling Chrome OS, Mint, MacOS, and others. I’ve switched it once, but what sucks is that I had to re-configure the keyboard input. Since I depend on Japanese text input, I needed to install Fcitx5 and Mozc to do so. This was a bit annoying, but I got it working again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the old Fujitsu laptop I received from my sister-in-law last Christmas. I installed Mint Mate on it, but what I should have done is install Mint XFCE instead because it’s tailored towards operating on older hardware more efficiently. All along, I knew I should have installed Mint XFCE on this laptop instead because … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Trying out Zorin OS for the first time on my old laptop”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[156,42,155,324],"class_list":["post-2625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","tag-desktop","tag-linux","tag-wallpaper","tag-zorinos"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1957,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2024\/12\/31\/i-got-a-new-hand-me-down-laptop-linux-mint-macross-desktop-wallpaper\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":0},"title":"I got a new hand-me-down laptop! Linux Mint Macross desktop wallpaper","date":"2024-12-31","format":false,"excerpt":"While staying at the in-laws' place, I upgraded my mom-in-law's Fujitsu laptop. I had set her up with Mint Cinnamon nearly 5 years ago and she needed a major update. Going from version 19 to 22, she remarked how nearly identical the versions are, unlike Microsoft where they reinvent the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "anime\/manga"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Desktop-wallpaper-laptop-2024-12.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2208,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/05\/25\/new-nadia-wallpaper-for-my-linux-mint-laptop\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":1},"title":"New Nadia wallpaper for my Linux Mint laptop","date":"2025-05-25","format":false,"excerpt":"More Nadia love in May.","rel":"","context":"In "anime\/manga"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-at-2025-05-25-19-56-07.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1969,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/nostalgic-screenshot-of-fedora-linux-circa-2006-i-found-plus-some-linux-memes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":2},"title":"Nostalgic screenshot of Fedora Linux circa 2006 I found, plus some Linux memes","date":"2025-01-10","format":false,"excerpt":"While doing a Duck Duck Go image search, I found this image of a Fedora desktop, circa 2006. This looks exactly the way my old laptop did after my friend installed Fedora on it, breathing new life into it. This is just so nostalgic for me. That was my first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nostalgia"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Fedora-Linux.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1769,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2024\/10\/23\/new-nadia-desktop-wallpaper-linux-mint-october-2024-plus-mint-22-install-woes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":3},"title":"New Nadia desktop wallpaper Linux Mint October 2024, plus Mint 22 install woes","date":"2024-10-23","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is my newest desktop wallpaper, and it's Nadia with a beautiful sunset. I was running Mint Mate 20 Ulyssa, and my 1TB SSD hard disk was maxing out. In august I bought a 2TB HD, and in September I installed Mint Mate 22 Wilma. It wasn't a smooth experience\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "anime\/manga"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-10-Linux-Mint-desktop.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2718,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/11\/28\/november-2025-linux-desktop-wallpapers\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":4},"title":"November 2025 Linux desktop wallpapers","date":"2025-11-28","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are the desktops to all three of my Linux computers. I've switched from Shantae back to Nadia. First up is my Mint Mate desktop, my main computer. I just recently learned how to set the terminal transparency. Neat effect! Zorin OS on my laptop. I'm still getting used to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "anime\/manga"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-11-desktop-Mint.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1985,"url":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/2025\/01\/30\/monday-morning-windows-10-blues\/","url_meta":{"origin":2625,"position":5},"title":"Monday morning Windows 10 blues","date":"2025-01-30","format":false,"excerpt":"So coming into work Monday morning, I had to put up with this gay crap. The laptop had installed an update Friday evening when I left, then when I turned it on again it wasted more time. The computer couldn't be used for nearly 20 minutes. Let me guess: Windows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "tech"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/KIMG2476-rotated.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2643,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625\/revisions\/2643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevethefish.net\/stuff\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}