Why I don't recommend Ubuntu anymore

Turns out I missed that Ubuntu 22.04 will actually use GNOME 42. Doesn't really defeat my point, as it hasn't been current for a while now, and it still doesn't have updates to most of its apps, but mistakes need to be addressed :)

I remember installing Ubuntu (one or two versions before the introduction of Unity) on an old computer as a kid (11 or 12 yo). I was so proud of myself, because it was quite some work & lots of learning. But still, just goes to show how user-friendly it all was. The first pre-teen accessible Linux distro.

This video wasn't just a good critique of the current state of Ubuntu, it made me think about and appreciate just how much influence Ubuntu has had over the years and how much it has changed the desktop Linux space for the better. So, even if it's no longer the king, it has changed things for the better and now that change is a permanent part of the culture in the Linux world, and that is a success story in itself.

Glad you posted the video. I’m still a noob running LTS 20.04 and I love it. I had a 2011 iMac with SSD and 32 G ram that was unfortunately no longer supported with Mac OS 😩 so I installed Ubuntu and it was a JOY 🤩like getting a new computer.

Aw man, I still really, really miss Unity. Ubuntu really haven't felt the same since they dropped Unity. Like their entire focus shifted to IoT/Server, and user experience/desktop is more an afterthought these days.

Kubuntu seems to avoid most of the Ubuntu drama for me, but the slow encroachment of Snaps (replacing Firefox by default is scummy!) is certainly worrying.

From my perspective the idea that Ubuntu chooses a version of Gnome and locks in for an extended time is an advantage. Fewer changes translate into fewer problems.

I'm using Zorin OS as my daily driver, which is based on Ubuntu. Got introduced to Ubuntu back in 2007 in my first year "Intro to C Programming" course. This is a balanced review without question, but too many people in the Linux community are inflicted with fanboyism and elitist superiority complexes. Basically, just use whatever you are most productive on and don't feel like you have to explain. All the other stuff is just inconsequential side-issues.

Avoiding the encroachment of snaps in Ubuntu 20.04 pretty much got me stuck on Ubuntu Mate 18.04 until 2021 and eventually pushed me to Manjaro. On the one hand I'm very satisfied with Manjaro, but leaving Ubuntu after about 12 years of almost continuous use (my first version was 8.04) felt like betraying an old friend.

I started off with Linux Mint 7... Wow that feels like an eternity ago. I haven't used Ubuntu on a desktop since 10.04 but still run an install as my main container server. Server edition is dependable enough.

Just my opinion: on my workstation I tend to choose some kind of compromise between usability/stability/productivity: install a LTS rather than a rolling release, and choose a "light" desktop like xfce or lxde (or whatever suits your preferences). I've been using GNU/Linux distributions of all kinds since 1996. At that time I discovered Slackware (the whole distrib took a few 3.5" floppies), no desktop (unable to run Xfree86 on my old AMD K6 for a while), plain old terminal, and a bit later RedHat 4 (the one that came with the book, a boot floppy and a CD, "simple" text/ncurses installer which could detect quite well my SoundBlaster audio device and guess the X11 server configuration). We used to spend days/weeks to learn how to build a usable kernel, just configuring a point-to-point connection to my first internet provider was a challenge using a serial 28KBauds modem. First browser: text mode lynx and then NCSA Mosaic. Loading the simplest HTML web pages could take almost a minute. But I was so fed up by the infamous "Blue Screen of Death" of MS Windows when I had to learn to code in C/C++ that I never wanted to reinstall MS Win95 and successors on my PCs. I spent my fair share of nights and days trying out any distributions (Debian, RH, Mandrake, Gentoo, Suse...) and was more attracted to tweaking and fiddling with them than being productive. Now I just need something reliable, no need to support some fancy hardware but rather working out of the box on a 4 year old mid-range PC. And XUbuntu 20.04 simply does the job (as many others would do), even if it's far from perfect, it can run my rather bloated "corporate" IDE, a bunch of text/graphic/audio applications, scanner/printer, allow me to connect easily to lots of electronic devices/microcontrollers (Arduino, BluePills, RP2040, ESP32, etc.) and have fun with lots of home automation projects.

I started with Linux Mint some weeks ago and I already feel very comfortable with it. It is like using windows in a cleaner, more customizable way with the option to get into the terminal-knowledge any time (etc.!). Everything is nicely explained or windows-like and also can be very nice to look at if you customize it, which is also important for me. I find every programm I use on a daily base. I also installed windows in dual boot, (which didnt work out at first, but then, after Mint updated, it just worked for some reason - it kinda fixed itself) but never used windows yet for now, which speaks for itself... I tried Ubuntu with gnome desktop, but I didnt really like it and it also didnt feel as customizable to me. I would recommend Mint (y)

Remember my first uni project as a sound designer was to design a full replacement for Windows system sounds. I used Ubuntu as an inspiration. I had to use Windows back for udk and max but Ubuntu really caught my imagination and I always went back to it when I didn't need those tools.

I tried other distros, but Ubuntu LTS versions are always leading in my book. Also, now with Flatpak, all I do is install everything as flatpak and enjoy the stable updates and everything just works.

As someone who uses Ubuntu 20.04 as daily driver... I really feel most of these issues apply to a lot of people who don't have to work with a lot of other students or engineers. If you're in a relatively green dev team, we need compatibility and machines to be as similar a possible to debug issues... Specially in pandemic times when we can't go over and see into other persons workstation. We still use ubuntu 20.04... honestly i wouldn't even bother using bleeding edge versions... Some of our workstations still use 18.04 cause of stability and support. And i don't see myself using Arch or Manjaro simply because of lack of support and troubleshooting. Ubuntu still wins for me just because of the community size and support.

I have fond memories of Ubuntu going back at least as far as Feisty Fawn. It really made Linux accessible and useful as a daily driver desktop, rather than experimental and somewhat nerdy before that (with other distros). A few years ago, tiring of the Ubuntu desktop environment, I was looking around for a suitable alternative and tried several, and was about to plump for Linux Mint when I saw a glowing article about MX Linux and decided to give it a try. I was blown away by how comprehensive, and slick, and Windows-like, the desktop environment is. Conky has customised the desktop beautifully also (system info displayed in transparent layers over the incredibly beautiful supplied desktop artwork). I’m still heavily into Windows 7/10/11 but love using MX Linux on a daily basis too.

In my opinion I would say "no distro is the best" each come with their own flaws, and uniqueness as well. Besides, the distro you choose to install on your computer should depend on the task you intend to carry out with it. If any distro don't fit into the task you need it for, you can take it off and instal something else to fit your needs. I think I prefer that mindset rather than throwing shades at different Linux distros.

I am a long time Linux user (Since Slackware was on diskettes!) and have shifted around desktop distros. I am quite happy with Kubuntu at the moment, being it contains the goodness of Ubuntu without snap and the KDE Plasma desktop is quite powerful.

Ubuntu's delayed release of things like the latest Gnome is on the other hand an advantage as it allows them to iron out problems.

14 years ago I switched completely from Windows to Linux. Whether PC, laptop or HTPC. My choice was Ubuntu. Actually, I am also one of those who would like to test the latest innovations first. That's why I also play with the idea of trying something different. But after 14 years of general satisfaction, it is not easy to change.