I have Ubuntu installed on a 2012 Macbook Pro w 8g mem. It is somewhat sluggish especially when opening apps. I have used it a while and have become quite comfortable with the interface and commands. I wanted something ‘snappier’ so I installed Manjaro Xfce on a 2012 Macbook Air w 8g mem. It was noticeably faster but the interface sucks, IMO. I changed Manjaro-Gnome interface and had both the good response and better usability of the interface.
Here is the problem/challenge: I tried to do some installs and updates from the terminal on Manjaro and I found that the same commands in Ubuntu are quite different in Manjaro. Seems stupid to me, at least at this point in my Linux journey, to learn two different command structures.
looking for guidance that I am thinking right that using two different commands sets is not smart, confusing, combersome for a home user?
Is there something else I should try (different distro?, make Ubuntu ‘snappier’?) in order to have the Ubuntu type commands and nice gnome type interface as well as faster performance of apps?
On Manjaro I have access to both flat-pak and snap apps. Can I also have access to these via Ubuntu based system?
The commands are different between Ubuntu and Manjaro because they are based on different distributions. Ubuntu is based on Debian, which uses apt (advanced packaging tool), while Manjaro is based on Arch, which uses pacman (package manager). Both are feature filled package managers, but it’s understandable that you would prefer one over the other.
Zorin is also based on Ubuntu, so you would have commands like apt available to you. The default interface for Zorin is also the one that you prefer.
Yes, Ubuntu has access to both flatpak and snap apps. Install snapd by typing sudo apt install snapd, then you can use snap install. Flatpak was intended to make it easier to install packages across distributions, to provide a more consistent set of commands (which, this issue is related to answer #1). For flatpak, simply run sudo apt install flatpak, then you can flatpak search <application name> (you don’t need the < and >).
Hey @ronbillock!
And again, @sycuso thank you so much for your assistance! You’re awesome!
Manjaro also has a decent graphical interface for its applications called pamac. Though the terminal commands for updates are different. Below, I’ll post the full update process for Debian/Ubuntu/Zorin update/upgrade process, and below it, the Arch/Manjaro one:
The Debian/Ubuntu needs the update first to renew its databases to see if there are any upgrades available. Then it commits those upgrades with the upgrade command.
On the other hand, all Arch-based distros, like Manjaro, have the philosophy of “type as less as possible” - therefore they replaced the full words with simple letters.
So, in pacman the letter S stands for Sync, the y stands for check database, and the u stands for update. Now, if you put in two y it forces an update on the database and the upgrade is done via a single command.
In regards to Zorin, I highly recommend it as it’s one of the most well-taken-care-of distro out there. It is snappier than Ubuntu, which is considered sort of “Vanilla” edition (though I think Fedora wins that title). If you do want a snappier version of Ubuntu, you might want to also consider Ubuntu Budgie. It’s a lighter version of the Gnome environment (though based on it), which is basically what Ubuntu runs on. I personally run Zorin 16 Pro and I am happy as a bee.
If Zorin still seems slow, then Ubuntu Budgie might prove a good speed boost.
I am now planning on changing my MacBook Pro from Ubuntu to Zorin Pro since Zorin worked so well on my other Macbook Air. Since I am already on Ubuntu is there a ‘simple’ way to change to the Zorin distro without doing a full reformat/install? Commands? Zorin is quick and user friendly and flexible. Now my favorite! Thanks
I would like to try Zorin Pro but they want you to pay for it and I didn’t want to really pay to try it out and then not really like it. Is it really that good? Any many say that Linux is free but there are several that want you to pay, I can see why but not all are free.
Zorin core is free. Zorin Pro is pretty much the same but you are willing to pay $39 to support the development. I used the free Zorin first to try it and now I have a second machine I am willing to pay $39 to put on a second machine and support development. You want just free then just use the Zorin core download.
I went ahead and paid the $39 and install the program. I can use it on both computers I have and reinstall when I want if necessary. I like it and will set it up the way I need.
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