this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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A better question might be why shouldn't they? I'm not being pedantic (at least not intentionally) but if their defining characteristic is that they're nothing special, just a simple Linux distro that does the basic shit easily enough and looks nice - that has major appeal to people unfamiliar with Linux looking to leave other OS's behind. The vast majority of people that use an OS really have very little idea how it works or why. They just want some basic level of understanding and control over it.
Let's use Ubuntu for comparison.
Zorin adds only the following value:
When people see Windows, they expect Windows. Installers, package managers, peripherals like printers, etc. are different from Windows. Pretending to be Windows makes people feel at ease for a moment at the expense of fundamentally misunderstanding what operating system their computer runs on, and it'll trip them up eventually, probably sooner rather than later.
See macOS: It looks and feels different. People don't mistake macOS for Windows. People who use Windows don't expect macOS to behave like Windows, and vice-versa. But hey, let's make macOS look and feel like Windows at first glance. Why can't I run that .exe? What do you mean, I must use an app store? What is HDCP, and why does it prevent me from connecting this laptop to the projector?
For iOS that'd be questions like: Where is the Play Store? Why can't I install that (Android-only) app? I think you get my point.
This is one of the reasons why branding exists. Yet many Linux distros would like to believe they can replicate the Windows experience through a miracle, and fool themselves into thinking that's a good thing for Linux newcomers. It's especially bad for people who don't know they use Linux, like when they use computers at the office, library, etc. with a distro like Zorin.
I mean, most DEs copy Windows (KDE does, Cinnamon does, etc).
Taskbar along the bottom that shows opened programs
Start button that opens a small start menu in the bottom left
Clock in the bottom right
System tray in the bottom right
Frequently have menu bars at the top of apps
Minimise, maximise, close at the top right of each app
etc
So tbh it seems harsh to criticise Zorin for copying Windows when it seems, with the exception of Gnome, that all actual up to date DEs have copied Windows. And if they went with vanilla Gnome they'd not really be offering anything different at all.
Definitely count these other DEs into my criticism. They're part of the problem.