Vanilla OS

I am REALLY impressed with @VanillaOSLinux so far (and, no, they're not paying me to say this!) If I weren't a developer, I wouldn't have needed to enter a single command to set up or use my software or hardware (although the initial OS installation is a bit scary, as it would be for any operating system after the fact). That's mind-blowing. Vanilla takes care of system updates (and protects you from mayhem if things go wrong), and the Gnome app store automatically checks for updates to software you install there. GSConnect was already installed (I think) and it automatically connected to the KDE Connect app I had already installed on my phone when I went through the torture of trying to get this to work on Qubes. It just worked instantly after I paired my phone to the laptop. ZERO configuration. THIS is what Microsoft fears. Seriously, if you don't mind making a few switches, this is the OS to get. (Linux is no slouch. Many packages are available to use, and are as good, if not better than their Windows counterparts. For example, OnlyOffice is extremely adept at handling Office documents...) Give it a try! I'm planning on donating to these guys. It's a worthwhile cause... Nice!

This Holiday Season, we’re giving back to the world of Linux & Open Source by donating to 10 amazing projects and communities 🎁 - GNU Image Manipulation Program (@GIMP_Official) received €500 from Zorin OS. The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a powerful image editor that's perfect for beginners & experts who want to retouch photos and create visual content. Our team uses the GNU Image Manipulation Program as a tool when creating Zorin OS, and it's included in Zorin OS Pro. - Dash to Panel received $500 CAD from Zorin OS (contributed throughout 2025). The Dash to Panel extension provides a user-friendly taskbar for the GNOME desktop environment. It builds on top of the Zorin Taskbar codebase we originally created in 2016, and the great work by the Dash to Panel team contributes back upstream into Zorin OS. - Bottles (@usebottles) received €500 from Zorin OS. Bottles makes it easier to use Windows software on Linux by creating containerised environments. It has a database of Windows apps and game launchers that tailor each container for maximum compatibility. Bottles is included as a default component of the Windows App Support feature in Zorin OS. - Kdenlive received €500 from Zorin OS. Kdenlive is a video editing app that offers advanced editing features, a variety of effects & transitions, colour correction, audio post-production, and rendering tools. It's a capable alternative to software like Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and VEGAS Pro, and it's included in Zorin OS Pro. - Inkscape (@inkscape) received $500 USD from Zorin OS. Inkscape is a vector graphics editor similar to CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator. It offers a rich set of features and is widely used for both artistic and technical illustrations, such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagramming, and UI prototyping. We use Inkscape to help us design and build Zorin OS. It's also pre-installed in Zorin OS Pro. - Tiling Shell received €500 from Zorin OS (contributed throughout 2025). The Tiling Shell extension powers the advanced window tiling feature introduced in Zorin OS 18. It allows you to drag a window to the top of the screen, and a pop-up will appear where you can drop it on one of the predefined layouts to arrange your windows. This feature makes advanced window tiling intuitive for both newcomers and power users, boosting productivity for everyone. - Krita received €500 from Zorin OS. Krita is a digital art studio, perfect for sketching and painting. It's widely used by artists for creating concept art, comics, textures for rendering, and matte paintings, and it's included in Zorin OS Pro. - WinBoat (@winboat_app) received $500 USD from Zorin OS. WinBoat is an exciting new project with the goal of running virtually any Windows app on Linux, seamlessly through a containerised Windows environment. It's currently pre-release software and a work in progress. However, it represents a promising step towards being able to run all of your favourite Windows apps in Zorin OS in the near future. - Dublin Linux Community (@dublinlinux) received €500 from Zorin OS (contributed throughout 2025). The Dublin Linux Community helps to spread Linux and Open Source software in our hometown of Dublin, Ireland. They organise meetups and events, like the End of Windows 10 Linux Install Fest, which our team collaborated on earlier this year. - Tech Bridges to Malawi (@TechK252452) received $500 USD from Zorin OS. Tech Bridges to Malawi is a family-run philanthropic endeavour that delivers Zorin OS-powered computers with educational content and training to schools in rural Malawi, Africa. Their amazing work has already impacted the lives of 14,000 students, providing kids in one of the poorest countries in the world with a better education and a brighter future. We believe these donations will advance the missions of the above projects and make Linux & the Open Source ecosystem an even stronger alternative to Big Tech, for the benefit of all. None of this would be possible without the support of those who contributed to Zorin OS by purchasing Zorin OS Pro or donating directly. We want to extend an enormous thanks to each and every one of you! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season! Here's to an incredible 2026 🎉