Switching From Zorin OS 18.1 to Ubuntu Linux After 1 Month

This is a follow-up to my last computer post comparing Zorin OS, Linux Mint, and Ubuntu Linux. I ended up switching from Zorin back to Ubuntu in less than a month because of something about dark themes. I think. It doesn’t matter and I don’t want to figure it out.

Zorin OS Linux Micro Review

There is a lot of negative talk about Ubuntu from the “cool kids” in the Linux world and I’m here to tell you that Ubuntu is still the king of “just works”. I have a bunch of projects I want to work on at my computer and adjusting the computer is not one of them.

I completely fell hook, line, and sinker for the rational to use Zorin OS after discussing it with Gemini. I was very much looking forward to using the latest flatpack versions of software with the “rock solid” base of an older LTS version of Ubuntu.

My first disappointment was when I tried to customize my desktop with a dark theme. I found the grey highlighted one to be the only choice I could use.

All the other choices added a shady haze over the whole application window instead of just using the color for highlights. This is green.

This is orange.

I honestly don’t know how anyone could work with that much of a “mask” over their workspace. Maybe I’m too old, but it is way to hard to read the text for me.

Flatpack Permissions

If you end up using Zorin OS with flatpacks, you will want to install the program flatseal. Flatpacks are providing you with extra “sandboxed” security, but in doing that, they can’t access parts of the file-system you need them to. You might love this security. You can manage the permissions of each app individually. To me, it was a minor annoyance I was willing to put up with.

LibreOffice Dark Theme Fail

I was switching back and forth between Ubuntu Linux and Zorin OS using a switch on my desk. I started migrating files over and didn’t favor one over the other. The final thing that made me switch back to Ubuntu Linux was the graphics fail when I tried to use LibreOffice on Zorin OS 18.1 with my dark theme. Some stuff was just very hard to read (the left number column) and a couple things were complete graphic fails (boxes instead of numbers).

Welp. I’ve seen enough. If you have a solution to this problem where I “just have to do this”, I’m not really interested. I probably use less than ten apps in the whole operating system. If the office suite doesn’t work “out of the box” I’m not interested.

Remarks

Like I said in the beginning, I completely believed that Zorin OS was going to be a better fit for me, but it did not turn out to be the case. I did buy the Pro version of Zorin OS to get the Ubuntu layout and I don’t regret supporting the project. As for right now, though, I’m going back to what “just works”.