When comparing Zorin OS vs Hardened Gentoo, the Slant community recommends Hardened Gentoo for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for misanthropes?” Hardened Gentoo is ranked 36th while Zorin OS is ranked 48th. The most important reason people chose Hardened Gentoo is:
Your only real options for a widely supported hardened distro are the Red Had distros (Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora) of which Fedora is your best bet for a desktop , or Gentoo. You can make a hardened kernel in Gentoo while stripping unnecessary features, creating a much smaller attack surface, and using in-kernel mitigations others don’t.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Stable
Pro Good Selection of pre-installed software
New users may be unaware of what software is available for Linux, but Zorin includes a good selection for everyday tasks out of the box.
Pro Windows desktop style
The desktop UI was made to resemble Windows 7, but alternative settings are available.
Pro Ubuntu-based
Zorin is compatible with Ubuntu's sizable repositories of Free Software.
Pro Bundles tools for changing the look and feel of the distribution
Zorin includes look changer and theme changer.
Pro Partial Windows compatibility
Zorin includes WINE and PlayOnLinux to run many Windows applications and games.
Pro Installer can set up dual boot
Pro Ubuntu got too big
Ubuntu uses too much resources, Zorin uses less.
Pro Accessibility features
Pro Zorin Connect
Allows syncing notifications with your phone.
Pro Low resources consumption
Pro Supports custom hardened kernels
Your only real options for a widely supported hardened distro are the Red Had distros (Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora) of which Fedora is your best bet for a desktop , or Gentoo. You can make a hardened kernel in Gentoo while stripping unnecessary features, creating a much smaller attack surface, and using in-kernel mitigations others don’t.
Pro Comprehensive hardened guide in wiki
From SELinux to PaX to AppArmor to.... The wiki has got you covered.
Pro Fully customized kernel that prevents server-side malwares with SSO mechanisms
Out of CentOS /RedHat/Fedora a hardened kernel is very easy to make.
Pro Best defense against NOP-sled malwares, even with ROP/COP mechanisms
Out of CentOS/RedHat/Fedora/OpenSUSE/Slackware/FreeBSD/Mandriva and Arch, only Gentoo can best protect you against NOP-sled malwares, even with ROP/COP mechanisms.
Cons
Con Limited desktop styles in Free Version
All free editions only offer Windows XP, 2000, and 7 and Gnome 2. You have to pay $9-10 in order to get Unity (Ubuntu) and Mac OS X themes.
Con Even with v16 Pro, zero tech support replies
Do not pay for Pro. You’re supposed to get tech support with your $39 purchase. After contacting them a few months ago about the inability to install build tools due to their wonky custom versions, to date there has been no answer. You could find a friend and get them to send you the theme and look packages. The rest is all available easily in the Ubuntu catalog.