Zorin OS: A Possible Windows alternative that runs Windows software?

Do you remember back in 2001, when a Challenger to MIcrosoft Windows emerged, and claimed that it's "Lindows" operating system was Linux that could run Windows software? Many people were intrigued by the possibilities that this hinted at -- no longer would we be dependent on MIcrosoft's buggy software. I watched with delight, and read all I could about it, wondering if they got it working. Then Microsoft sued them, and they just disappeared... Sort of. Kind of.

Just a few years earlier, in 1998, Wine, a Linux API that promised to run Windows programs under Linux, inspired the developers of Lindows to incorporate it into their distribution of Ubuntu. They may very well have accomplished their goal, had they not named it "Lindows", and gone around proclaiming that it worked better than it actually did. The bottom line is that Wine was around since 1998, and at the time, Windows 95 and 98 ruled. Wine actually achieved major accomplishments, and people reported that it really worked. It wasn't perfect. You still had to be fairly skilled to get it working, and well, let's face it, Windows and Mac OSX were designed to be used by any schmuck with a computer. Everything was really easy and designed around a GUI that everyone knew already. Mention Linux to the average Windows or Mac user, and they would likely have said "Huh?". After all, at the time, installing Linux was not a magic carpet ride. It was relatively new, and drivers for various pieces of hardware were difficult to find. You had to recompile the kernel each time you updated something, and well, it was an OS that required a special kind of masochism to use. Today, it's a breeze!

After the near demise of Lindows, Linux continued to improve, and so didn't Wine. Even with the many OS upgrades that Windows went through -- 98, 98SE, Millenium, XP, Windows 7, 8, and 10 -- Wine continued to improve and keep up with each revision of Windows. It actually works, and has worked in the over 20 years of development it's been through. I never tried it, because most of my Linux experience comes from Single Board Computers like the Raspberry Pi, and I know that running Windows apps on a Raspberry Pi is just not really done, because it's not x86-based. But I digress...

So recently, I seriously thought about moving over to Linux. I got a copy of Twister OS for my Raspberry Pi, and was really impressed with how you could mix and match the features of different operating systems to your heart's content, and it had things like DOSBOX to let you run old DOS programs. I quickly fell in love with it, and then was watching my favorite YouTube computer nerd, Christopher Barnatt, and he did a video about Zorin OS. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I had to try it.

So this past weekend, I paid $39 and downloaded Zorin 16 Pro. The difference between Pro and the Free version is that Pro has a ton of apps analogous to what you get with Windows or Mac OSX out of the box, and though I knew how to find and install many of those apps myself, I felt I should contribute to the Zorin project and get some authorized support if I needed it. SO I downloaded the 8GB image, burned it to a USB Stick, and installed it on a spare mini-NUC-clone I had. Yeah -- 8GB is all it takes. It's nice and compact, yet full of features. After the easiest OS install of my life, I was ready. Sound worked. Video playback was choppy, and youtube was kind of bad, too. But then I went to the update center, and found that it wanted to install a bunch of software updates. After the software updates were done, and I rebooted, the video issues were resolved. I think that when you install it, it puts generic video drivers on, then when you do the software updating, it actually detects what video hardware you have and installs the latest driver for it. It's what a lot of operating systems do to avoid crashing during install.

I quickly installed and configured Kodi, and the Fen addon, and then started playing around. The Amazon Prime video player worked. Chrome and Firefox work better than in other Linux distros that I've installed. Chrome synched up with our Google account. So I brought it downstairs, hooked it up to the TV, and it's now our TV PC, which will guaranty that we actually use it and learn more of it's secrets.

For my next installment, I'm going to start using Wine to set up some Windows apps. I have a short list of things I want to really try, before moving onto big Steam-powered games, like the Halo Master Chief Collection.

Software Installation

So Zorin is so modern that like Windows and Mac OSX, it has an app store. Unlike the MIcrosoft and Apple apps stores, however, pretty much everything is free. The App Store is just one of several ways you can install things under Zorin. On the App Store, I found most of the free useful apps I was already using in Windows. I like Notebook++, Raspberry Pi Imager, and Balena Etcher. Balena is the only one of the three that isn't in the store. However, after a brief search, I went to the Balena website, and downloaded the Windows version. This is where Zorin gets interesting. Immediately after opening the download, I got prompted by WINE. It took over the install and guided me through with a series of prompts (which I just selected defaults on), and when all was said and done, there was the Balena Etcher icon in my programs list, and it actually worked! So basically, if your app is an *.EXE or *.COM file, WINE is set up to auto-detect it as Windows software, and offer to install it for you. This works well most of the time.

Steam

So I searched for and installed Steam. It is the Linux version of Steam, so as of this writing, only apps that are made for Linux will be discussed. The good news about the Linux Steam app is that all of my Windows apps show up -- everything I have purchased through steam is there. When you hover over the items, the Install button lights up if it can be installed under your OS. Sadly, only Osmos, Black Mesa, and Doombringer were able to be installed. But they all work perfectly! In fact, Both Black Mesa and Doombringer, which are both FPS games, have much quicker load times. It's a welcome improvement. Even better was the fact that Black Mesa had all of my save games and workshop subscriptions already installed, which was a great surprise!

Osmos, which I don't really play any more, works the exact same way as it does in Windows, but it's just a 2D game, so not as complicated.

Do not install DOXBOX unless it's DOSBOX-X. For some reason, even though I've installed DOSbox on numerous computers and on numerous operating systems, the same version doesn't seem to work correctly. I was unable to mount a C Drive. I settled for DOSBOX-X, which is the same program, but with a more useful user interface. The mount command works as it should, and I was able to play Doom, Star Control, and a few other oldies.

Though there are numerous ports of Quake for Linux, I am not sure if any of them are like Dark Places, offering enhanced effects for modern graphics cards. More research is needed. I'll have to get back to that later. What I really want to do is get something like Battlezone redux working -- which may require me to install the Windows version of Steam, using WINE. I'll have to play with that and do a little how-to about it.

Addendum

So the rest of my Zorin Experience went great. After reading an article about Steam for Linux, I saw how simple it actually is to get all of my favorite games working. In Steam, you simply click on your game, select Properties, then click on the Compatability tab. Check the box "Force the use of a specific Steam Play Compatibility Tool". Then make sure that underneath it, it says "Proton x.xx" (whatever the latest version number is). Mine defaults to Boxtron, whic is more for older DOS apps. After you have selected Proton, just close the pop-up windows, and the install button for the game is now Green. INSTALL AWAY!

Some apps may give an error on install that tell you it can't be installed. Usually it's because Boxtron is still selected as the compatibility tool. Just go back to properties and make sure it's set to Proton. Reinstall.

After installing things like Battlezone Redux, Halo Master Chief Collection, and Call Of Duty Black Ops, I was surprised and psyched. Everything worked! No tweaking, and no issues! At that point, I purchased Doom: Eternal, and spent about 4 hours or more installing this 50GB game. When all was said and done, IT WORKED PERFECTLY. So my transition is now complete. I only have to account for a few random Windows applications that I occasionally use, but they're not critical to me, and I can likely find Linux native versions of them.

GOOD BYE WINDOWS!