Distro Transparency Index (DTI)

Detailed Evaluation

1. Governance Transparency: 0/3

• Availability of governance documents: No (0 points)
• Detail of governance documents: Minimal (0 points)
• Source: Zorin OS Website – no official governance documentation available.

2. Decision Making Transparency: 0/3

• Documented decision-making process: No (0 points)
• Accessibility of meeting minutes: Not available (0 points)
• Source: Zorin OS Forum – no formal documentation found.

3. Economic Transparency: 0/4

• Publication of financial statements: Not published (0 points)
• Detail of financial statements: Minimal (0 points)
• Note: Limited to pricing for Ultimate edition.

4. Economic Accessibility: 0/4

• Access to financial reports: Not available (0 points)
• Ease of access: Difficult (0 points)
• Note: Financial data is not accessible beyond commercial pricing.

5. Source Code Accessibility: 2/4

• Availability of source code: Partial (1 point)
• Ease of access to source code: Moderate (1 point)
• Source: Zorin OS GitHub – only some components available.

6. Public Roadmap Availability: 0/3

• Public roadmap: No (0 points)
• Detail of roadmap: Minimal (0 points)
• Note: No clear development roadmap found.

7. Transparency in Code Review Processes: 0/3

• Documentation of review processes: No (0 points)
• Transparency of review processes: Low (0 points)
• Note: Not publicly documented or visible.

8. Community Participation in Development: 0/4

• Number of active contributors: Low (0 points)
• Accessibility to development processes: Difficult (0 points)
• Source: Zorin OS GitHub – limited contributions visible.

9. Impact of Governance Structure on Transparency: 0/6

• Centralization of decision-making power: Highly centralized (0 points)
• Control and balance mechanisms: Weak (0 points)
• Influence of commercial entities on governance: Significant (0 points)

Final Score: 5.88/100

Concluding Analysis

Zorin OS demonstrates limited transparency and accessibility across most of the evaluated areas.

• Partial accessibility of source code for some components.

• Formal governance documentation and transparent decision-making processes.
• Publication and accessibility of financial information.
• Introduction of a public development roadmap.
• Establishing structured code review processes.
• Encouraging broader community participation in development.
• Implementing control and balance mechanisms in governance.
• Reducing commercial influence over project decisions.

While Zorin OS has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and appeal to users transitioning from Windows, it significantly lacks the formal structures of transparency expected in open-source projects. The strong emphasis on user experience appears to take precedence over governance and community participation.

This is reflected in its low transparency score of 5.88/100. Improving transparency practices would strengthen the project's position within the open-source ecosystem and enhance trust within its community.