I played around with Zorin, the Linux distribution supposedly made as a Windows alternative. My experience did not match all the reviews about it nor the claims they make in their marketing.
I found this great review about Zorin if you have an interest in knowing more about it and what the experience may be like for a Windows user. It’s an honest review.
https://novafuture.org/open-source/no-nonsense-full-review-of-zorin-os-the-linux-distribution-targeting-beginners/
Wine requires Linux knowledge to get the configurations correct. I don’t think many Windows users will be able to get any Windows applications running under Wine. And it’s the same Wine that any Linux user can install for free.
If Zorin came packaged with Crossover, then maybe it would run Windows apps better because Crossover would manage the Wine configurations and the required Windows infrastructure installs.
Maybe.
But not many old machines will have the capacity to run Linux, Wine, and a Windows application. But Zorin’s hype leads one to believe that a 15-year-old machine won’t struggle.
You literally just double click the .exe file and it opens. If you can do it on Windows, you can do it on Zorin. That’s the appeal. Obvi some apps won’t work but many will (I’ve done it many times) and some is much better than none. My only gripe is that you have to find and install the Windows app, it doesn’t come pre-installed for some reason.
I’ve already addressed that in the previous comment.