Designing for newcomers
Distro Walk – Zorin OS
© Lead Image © venimo, 123RF.com
Artyom and Kyrill Zorin set out to design a user-friendly operating system, resulting in Zorin OS, a favorite among new users. Bruce talks to Artyom about Zorin OS and where the project is headed.
First released in 2009 by brothers Artyom and Kyrill Zorin, Zorin OS [1] quickly became known as a Debian-derivative with a minimalist desktop interface based on Gnome. Today, Zorin continues to tweak its desktop, but has also become known for its appeal to new users – particularly for its Zorin Appearance app, which in some editions emulates the design of other operating systems, including Windows 10 in Zorin 16 [2]. In addition, Zorin 16 also supports a wide variety of installation methods, ranging from apt and Wine to Snap and Flatpak.
In a break from this column's normal format, I interviewed Artyom to find out more about Zorin OS, including its past, present, and future.
Linux Magazine (LM) : How did you and Kyrill get involved with free software?
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