Released December 8, Zorin OS 16 Lite is a slimmed down version of the full (GNOME Shell based) Zorin OS 16 release. It’s still based on Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS and Linux Kernel 5.11 but comes with a user experience crafted from Xfce 4.16 and companion utilities.

And at first glance it’s hard to tell them apart; this semi-skimmed spin looks similar to its full-fat family member. Both use a traditional desktop layout, both come with a bright default theme, colourful icon set, and high-quality wallpapers.

I'm a big fan of Windows 11, and I highly recommend it. With that said, the operating system has a huge problem -- it is incompatible with many older computers. This is by design, as Microsoft purposely blocks some older hardware. While there are ways to bypass the compatibility check, Microsoft can close them at any time, including possibly blocking future updates. It just isn't worth the hassle, folks. Ultimately, if the Windows 11 installer says your PC is incompatible, you should either stay on Windows 10 while it is supported or switch to Linux.

So, if you want something new and feel like switching to Linux but don’t know which operating system to choose for your old PC, we might be able to help you with that.

Zorin OS 16 Lite, which was actually released today, should be an excellent Linux-based Windows 11 alternative for aging devices.

Although its distribution is based on Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS and uses Xfce 4.16 as its desktop environment, Zorin is actually going to feel rather familiar to Windows users.

It comes with pre-installed software, which makes it great for beginners, who can start using it right after installation, and, it even offers a simple way to install and run Windows programs.

And it even looks almost exactly like Windows 11, making this transition even smoother than you might actually expect.

If you want to switch to Linux but don’t know which distro to choose for your aging PC, Zorin OS 16 Lite is probably the perfect choice.

Zorin OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution designed especially for newcomers to Linux. There are several ways you can get started with Zorin OS.

There is Zorin OS Core which is the free edition of the distro and comes with GNOME as a desktop environment. If you prefer the Xfce, you can try Zorin OS Lite, which is targeted for basic use on low-spec PCs. On top of that, there is also a paid version which is called Zorin OS Pro.

Ultimately the main difference between the Zorin OS Lite and the Core or the Pro version is that the Lite version is going to be using Xfce as the desktop environment while the other versions are going to be using a heavily modified version on GNOME.

Today we are looking at Zorin OS 16 Lite edition. It is based on Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Kernel 5.11, XFCE 4.16, and uses about 1.4 - 1.7 GB of ram when idling. Enjoy!

In this video, we are looking at Zorin OS 16 Lite.

It has been done to beg, but it is already here Zorin OS 16 Lite, the light edition of the most recent version of this popular distribution focused on the common users, with special attention for those who come new, especially from Windows. Or so Zorin OS has always sold herself.

In the case of Zorin OS 16 Lite, whose particularity is to use the Xfce desktop environment (4.16), comes almost four months after its main release, based on a modification of GNOME. What caused the gap between the previous release and the present? There are no details about it.

Thus, Zorin OS 16 Lite comes with the same new features of Zorin OS 16 that we already saw at its launch, both in substance and form, except those of GNOME: based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, including components such as Linux kernel 5.11 or Mesa 21; refined visual theme, new wallpapers, revamped desktop layouts, a new welcome wizard …

Other new features of Zorin OS 16 Lite shared with the main edition of the distro include the flatpa bracketk (via Flathub) pre-installed and enabled by default (for Snap I already had it), as well as improved support for installing Windows applications using “a built-in database that detects popular Windows installation files, so the system can guide you through through the installation process.