Sadly, I'm sure most of the newcomers to #Linux will still land in #Ubuntu. That's the power of brand recognition (heck, many people seeking a free office suite still opt for all-but-dead Open Office, just because they know the name). What I think this means is that the name of Linux as a viable OS for lay people will get tarnished in the coming years.
@eladhen
I haven't seen any bad reviews so I don't know what you're referring to.
What alternative would you recommend? There are very few distros that focus on desktop experience and are beginner friendly. Ubuntu is the only one I've ever seen my non-tech friends use.
@nixy
#LinuxMint is the first that comes to mind, but even in the #Ubuntu flavors, #UbuntuMATE does a great job. The fact that your non-tech friends only know of and use Vanilla Ubuntu is the exact point I made in my followup toot...
@eladhen
I'm still not clear on how Ubuntu tarnishes the Linux experience. Since you went on to suggest an Ubuntu flavor I'm assuming this is about problems in vanilla Ubuntu.
Even seeing problems (such as switching back to Xorg) I'm very optimistic about Ubuntu 18.04 and the Linux desktop experience for the average consumer in the coming years.
@nixy
Switching back to xorg is the right thing to do. Wayland isn't ready. If Ubuntu MATE is the same as Ubuntu then Linux Mint is also Ubuntu and all is fine.