We are just a few weeks away from the end of 2023, and what a year this has been. This year has been all about open-source software, privacy, cybersecurity and, of course, AI.
Although Christmas Eve approaches, there are still plenty of new app and distro releases being introduced. One such release has been the long-awaited Zorin OS 17 that we had the courtesy to look at earlier this month thanks to Zorin OS 17 Beta.
If you are a Windows-first user, you might just think of ditching it for good because Zorin OS 17 features exciting UX additions to consider it as a daily driver.
But, the wait is now over. The stable version is out, and without further ado, let's dive in!
🆕 Zorin OS 17: What's New?
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Linux kernel 6.2, Zorin OS 17 is a long-term supported release (Until June 2027) based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS that has been said to be
Zorin OS's most advanced version ever.
Some key highlights of the Zorin OS 17 release include:
UI/UX Improvements
Better Performance
Updated Application Suite
New Desktop LayoutsUI/UX Improvements
Let's start with the star of this release,
Spatial Desktop, which sees a 3D desktop cube being added to Zorin OS that allows you to seamlessly switch between workspaces. It is not enabled by default. You can choose to toggle the effect if you like it.
According to the devs, this is
meant to give users better contextual awareness of what's happening.
Thanks to that, there is also a new
Spatial Window Switcher that replaces the usual 2D window-switching dialogue with a 3D switcher.
Zorin OS 17 also features
advanced window tiling as you can see above, it allows for various kinds of window tiling with support for keyboard shortcuts.
Zorin Menu has been revamped for a faster search experience, it also supports universal search, letting you search for anything on your system.
There is also
a new quick settings menu similar to what you might have seen on many popular distros.
Better PerformanceThe developers have claimed that
speed was one of their priorities when working on Zorin OS 17, which has resulted in it running better on a wide variety of hardware configurations, both old and new.
Furthermore, thanks to the performance optimizations implemented across the board,
apps now open faster, loading times are reduced, and animations are more fluid.
Updated Application Suite
With this release, the
software store sees an upgrade, it is now faster, with new design elements all around. The
weather app also sees a similar treatment, with a more pleasant-looking interface and some new options.
There is also
a new power mode option under the settings menu that lets you tweak your system's performance.
New Desktop Layouts
Left: GNOME-2 Layout Right: ChromeOS LayoutAnd finally, we have the
two new desktop layouts with Zorin OS 17; one is a
GNOME-2-like layout, and the other is a
ChromeOS-like layout.
🛠️
Other Changes and ImprovementsThose were just the highlights of the release, here are some other changes that you shouldn't miss:
Implementation of
Parental Controls feature.
Updated drivers for better compatibility with newer hardware.
New Zorin branding that is now bolder and more refined looking.
The
RDP protocol is now the default when Remote Desktop sharing is enabled.
For more details on this release, you can go through the official
announcement.
📥
Download Zorin OS 17Zorin OS 17 Core and Pro are available to download from the
official website right now. Keep in mind that the Pro variant is a paid offering that has some added perks like additional layout options and pre-installed apps.
For existing users; If you were running
Zorin OS 17 Core Beta, then you just have to run the Software Updater to get the stable Zorin OS 17 release.
However,
users of Zorin OS 16.x, will have to wait a few more weeks to get the upgrade. This will most likely be made available through the Software Updater app.
If you are running an even
older Zorin OS build, then I suggest you refer to the official
upgrade guide.
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