Zorin OS Educational

Zorin OS Educational is an open source Linux flavor engineered to be distributed and used in schools, universities, or any other educational facility. It is based on the highly acclaimed Ubuntu Linux operating system.

It is a totally free distribution of Linux that looks similar to the Windows 7/Vista operating systems from Microsoft. It is based on the Linux kernel architecture, so it is completely open source, which means that anyone can modify it and redistribute it.

Based on Ubuntu, distributed as 32-bit/64-bit Live DVDs

As mentioned, Zorin OS is based on Ubuntu OS, which has been declared as one of the most popular free operating system in the world. However, Zorin OS has been crafted to perfection welcoming all Windows users.

It is distributed as two Live DVD ISO images, supporting the 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, engineered to be deployed on USB thumb drives or blank DVD discs. Its boot menu looks identical with the one found on many other Zorin OS flavors.

Boot options

From the boot prompt you can start an existing operating system, run a memory test, as well as to install the operating system without testing it first (not recommended), or use the safe graphics mode in case the first option doesn’t recognise you video card.

Educational and default applications

Among the included educational applications, we can mention Celestia 3D space visualizer, GCompris educational suite, GeoGebra geometry and algebra software, Kanagram anagram creator, KBruch fraction calculator, as well as the Tux Math, Tux Paint and Tux Typing programs.

Default applications include the Google Chrome web browser, Mozilla Thunderbird email and news client, Empathy multi-protocol instant messenger, Calibre ebook library management software, LibreOffice office suite, GIMP image editor, and the FreeCAD and LibreCAD open source CAD applications.

Bottom line

Summing up, Zorin OS Educational is a very good alternative to the expensive Microsoft Windows operating systems, specifically engineered to be easy-to-use by students in various educational institutions.

What is new in this release:

• Zorin OS 12.4 introduces an updated hardware enablement stack. The newly-included Linux kernel 4.15, as well as an updated X server graphics stack, add compatibility for newer computers and hardware in Zorin OS. In addition, new patches for system vulnerabilities are included in this release, so you can have the peace of mind knowing that you're using the most secure version of Zorin OS ever.

What is new in version 12.3:

• Zorin OS 6.4 Educational includes newly updated software, a newer kernel out of the box and bug fixes. As Zorin OS 6.4 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 it is an LTS (Long Term Support) release, provided with 5 years of security updates.
• Users who already have installed earlier versions of the Zorin OS 6 Educational series of operating systems do not need to get Zorin OS 6.4 Educational as all the aforementioned updates and improvements in 6.4 can be applied by installing the latest updates from the Update Manager.

What is new in version :

• Zorin OS 6.4 Educational includes newly updated software, a newer kernel out of the box and bug fixes. As Zorin OS 6.4 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 it is an LTS (Long Term Support) release, provided with 5 years of security updates.
• Users who already have installed earlier versions of the Zorin OS 6 Educational series of operating systems do not need to get Zorin OS 6.4 Educational as all the aforementioned updates and improvements in 6.4 can be applied by installing the latest updates from the Update Manager.

What is new in version 9:

• Zorin OS 6.4 Educational includes newly updated software, a newer kernel out of the box and bug fixes. As Zorin OS 6.4 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 it is an LTS (Long Term Support) release, provided with 5 years of security updates.
• Users who already have installed earlier versions of the Zorin OS 6 Educational series of operating systems do not need to get Zorin OS 6.4 Educational as all the aforementioned updates and improvements in 6.4 can be applied by installing the latest updates from the Update Manager.

What is new in version 7:

• The Zorin OS Team have released the Educational, Business, Multimedia and Gaming editions of Zorin OS 7. Zorin OS 7 brings about a plethora of changes and improvements such as a wide array of updated software, the Linux Kernel version 3.8, the introduction of new software and an enormous design overhaul.
• The Zorin Look Changer is integrated into Zorin OS 7, which allows users to choose between the Windows 7, XP and GNOME 2 graphical interfaces in Educational as well as the Mac OS X, Unity and Windows 2000 interfaces in the Premium editions of Zorin OS. As always, Zorin OS 7 uses the Zorin Desktop environment with Zorin Menu for unparalleled customization and ease-of-use. We also include our Zorin Web Browser Manager, Zorin Background Plus (Premium only) and other programs from our earlier versions.
• Zorin OS 7 is based on Ubuntu 13.04.

What is new in version 6.1:

• Zorin OS 6.1 Educational builds on top of our popular previous release of Zorin OS 6 Educational with newly updated software and a newer kernel out of the box. As Zorin OS 6.1 is based on Ubuntu 12.04 it is an LTS (Long Term Support) release, provided with 5 years of security updates.
• Users who already have Zorin OS 6 Educational installed do not need to get Zorin OS 6.1 Educational as all the aforementioned updates and improvements in 6.1 can be applied by installing the latest updates from the Update Manager.