Your computer is probably a lot like your car. Neither new nor old, it has a few quirks, but it gets you around reliably, in relative comfort and at low cost.
How would you feel, then, if the big petrol station chains began warning you that their new, improved petrol won’t run in your car. You’ll need to buy a new one?
Car owners accepted such a change once, in the (self-interested) shift away from leaded petrol. In the computer world, software companies try to pull the same stunt every few years.
If you’re a Windows user, and 72 per cent of desktop computer users are, you have probably seen the nagging messages that Windows 10 will – with some exceptions – no longer be supported from October.
RM Block
That means, in simple terms, that your computer running Windows 10 will be more vulnerable to hacker attacks. You can upgrade to Windows 11 for free – unless, that is, you can’t, because your older laptop doesn’t meet Microsoft’s technical requirements. You could buy a new laptop – and the big manufacturers are gearing up for bumper sales.
But you don’t need to. Your laptop is probably fine and could have many happy years of use in advance of it if you heed Dublin-born brothers, Artyom and Kyrill Zorin.
Though aged just 29 and 30 respectively, it is nearly 20 years since they fell in love with Linux, the operating system that powers everything from supercomputers and web providers to gaming consoles and smart devices.
They loved how it ran faster and more efficiently than Windows or Apple’s Mac OS, but back then design and usability were often a secondary concern for Linux developers.
The brothers taught themselves to code and their Ukraine-born parents were key in what happened next. Their father, when they showed him a version of Linux, said it was too much of a leap for his ingrained computing habits and Windows “muscle memory”.
“He was the one who had the idea of making Linux more friendly for people like him,” Artyom Zorin said. Their artist mother, meanwhile, developed the brothers’ appreciation of design.
“We understand how much a well-designed environment can inspire you to do better work and think in different ways,” Artyom said.
They began work on Zorin OS in 2008 and the following year were prize-winners at the Young Scientist Competition.
It was the first of many prizes for an operating system based on a popular version of Linux called Ubuntu but tailored for ease-of-use.
This has remained their calling card for Zorin OS ever since, with at least 10 million downloads and its 18th release due in autumn. Their slick website, a taste of what’s to come, promises future users “a familiar desktop you already know how to use”.
The Zorin brothers are quick to acknowledge their project is possible only because of its solid foundation: a worldwide network of programmers who build the Linux core as an open-source project that leaves the computer code open for others to inspect or modify for user needs.
That is a long way from the approach of the big US tech companies whose products – programs, web services, apps and more – are based on closed code designed to generate huge quantities of user data, which the firms, in turn, sell to their real, corporate customers.
“They are designing products in a way that doesn’t necessarily align with users’ needs. That is not their North star,” Artyom said. “With us, our customers are our users. We pay very close attention to what our users are saying and collect feedback directly. We get a lot of ideas for improvements based on that.”
The Dublin developer brothers are not the first Zorins to take on the US tech giants.
It’s 40 years since Roger Moore in A View to a Kill, in his final outing as James Bond, thwarted the megalomaniac computer chip billionaire Max Zorin. As played by a bug-eyed Christopher Walken, Zorin planned to eliminate his tech competition by flooding Silicon Valley.
The real-life Zorins’ plan is less elaborate, but is part of a wider pushback against Microsoft Windows.
Sensing a moment of opportunity, the usually diverse Linux world has joined forces for what it calls the “End of 10” campaign (endof10.org). Its aim: to flag Linux as a real, mature alternative to a costly forced upgrade that will leave an estimated 240 million computers incompatible with Windows 11.
The Endof10.org campaign makes the case for keeping your existing hardware with new software, saving money on licensing costs and boosting privacy along the way.
Part of this global push, in advance of the October 14th upgrade deadline to Windows 11, are worldwide public events. Joining in is the Dublin Linux Community, with an event on September 13th when curious computer users can try out Linux on text computers – or their own.
I’ve tried many popular versions of Linux over the years but, despite my efforts and ample goodwill, found the operating system more interesting for tinkering with than as a real option for day-to-day use. Even with all the online help forum, none of the most popular versions of Linux for beginners ever worked for me.
But Zorin OS ticks every box in terms of design, functionality and speed.
It’s a seamless experience from start to finish, packed with small, thoughtful touches that can make a big difference.
The free download (as well as a premium, paid-for version) include lots of software and device drivers as standard. That means you get – upfront – what you need to get straight to work. No tinkering, unless, of course, you want to.
After 15 years as an Apple Mac user, the end of software support for my still-functioning laptop has pushed me into the Linux world. Thanks to Zorin OS, I have found once more the quiet life Apple once offered. And at a fraction of the price.
Every machine I have tried Zorin OS on has worked flawlessly. Even a 20-year-old laptop, gathering dust on a shelf, has roared back into life.
The Zorin brothers are always anxious to point out how they are standing on the shoulders of giants. Some of what makes Zorin OS easy to install and use are thanks to recent leaps in the wider Linux world.
Software compatibility concerns – once a killer argument against Linux – are largely a thing of the past.
With a few Windows-only software exceptions, most programs are now available for Linux either natively or through your web browser. Even Word, Excel and PowerPoint run on the web as part of Microsoft’s other Office 365 service.
So how do you know if Linux and Zorin OS are for you? If you want to keep your current laptop, which is technically fine after the Windows 10 deadline, without compromising on computing security or speed, it can be. Or if you want to breathe new life into an older laptop for a child or a parent.
As we drift towards cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), perhaps you are anxious to take back control of your data and privacy while you still can. Or maybe the era of Donald Trump – of sanctions, tariffs, threats and tech bro knee-taking – has you considering your non-US computing options.
Artyom Zorin has no illusions that Windows will remain the platform of choice for computer manufacturers, often locked into long-term contracts with Microsoft. Windows will remain the default, too, for users and companies who are unaware of alternatives and prepared to accept Microsoft’s developer decisions.
Such as built-in Windows 11 AI scanning of your system files or, in the new Recall feature, where Windows will silently capture and store images of whatever is on your screen throughout the day. Ostensibly to allow users track back progress, the security implications of the feature have caused uproar online.
Zorin agrees that the upcoming Windows transition is as an inflection point when schools and businesses learn that, to upgrade, they may have to throw out all their working computers. “Or they can use an operating system that works just as well and helps them save money for things that matter more,” he says.
There is a real alternative to Windows, and it’s made in Dublin 8.
