When comparing Zorin OS vs Google's Web Starter Kit, the Slant community recommends Google's Web Starter Kit for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distros that run entirely in RAM?” Google's Web Starter Kit is ranked 10th while Zorin OS is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Google's Web Starter Kit is:
Since a lot of web designers these days don't use the plain old CSS, instead they use a CSS pre-processor (like Sass or Less). Thanks to Sass support web designers can easily add GWK to their workflows.
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 Sass support
Since a lot of web designers these days don't use the plain old CSS, instead they use a CSS pre-processor (like Sass or Less). Thanks to Sass support web designers can easily add GWK to their workflows.
Pro CSS vendor autoprefixing
Starter Kit includes Autoprefixer that takes care of vendor prefixes.
Pro High PageSpeed Insights performance score
Since the base skeleton provided by the Web Starter kit is authored by Google itself, it's pretty much understood that the template is optimized to the max, for performance. If you test a site (on Google PageSpeed Insights) built by the GWK you can be sure that it'll always achieve a very high score.
Pro Responsive
Since most of the websites that are currently being built (or any website that was built after 2012) are responsive, a 'scaffold-ed' website skeleton without any responsiveness would be pretty useless.
Pro Live browser reloading
Helps to build website faster by refreshing the page automatically as you save the source file changes.
Pro Performance optimization
Gulp script includes tools for image optimization, JavaScript & CSS minification & optimization and HTML minification.
Pro Built-in HTTP server
In case you want to try out your shiny new site on your mobile phone or another PC. Just type in the command gulp serve
and load up the provided server address from another device to see how your website looks and performs.
Pro Google-friendly style guide
Pro Includes a gulp build script
If you use the Gulp build system and are familiar with its environment, you can directly use Web Starter Kit's Gulp build script to build your next GWK based project.
Pro BrowserSync for synchronized browser testing
BrowserSync offers a browser live-update solution across multiple devices. And it works with basically every desktop and mobile browser. Even IE7.
Pro Yeoman generator
There's a Yeoman generator for Google's Web Starter Kit available. To install (requires Node, Ruby, Gulp, and Sass):
sudo npm install -g yo generator-web-starter-kit
cd project-root-directory/
yo web-starter-kit
npm install
gulp serve
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.
Con Deprecated
Visitors to the official docs will see a warning: "Warning: Web Starter Kit is no longer supported."
Con Can't be used with Less
The framework CSS is built on Sass, which adds dependencies to the build chain. There's no option to use Less.
Con Rather poor documentation
