r/Ubuntu • u/innothavemilk • 9h ago
is the hate about Ubuntu overrated?
I love Ubuntu and canonical but it kinda makes me feel bad seeing that people hate it, is really that like everyone says?
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u/alex9001 9h ago
It's super exaggerated. Ubuntu will let 99% of people do 99% of what they need to do, with 99% satisfaction, on Linux.
And that's true of all the mainstream distros.
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u/1337HxC 8h ago
I feel like Ubuntu gets it from both fronts.
On one end, "ubuntu" is near synonymous with "linux" for non tech savvy users. So they're just like "oh God linux that thing I could never get to install and then broke when I did."
On the other end... the linux community. Ubuntu is, I'd assume, the most widely known distro, which is going to make it catch some hate from the True Linux Users because that's how humans are (Arch user btw, etc).
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u/Son_of_the_Spear 3h ago
From someone who started to use ubuntu after abandoning windows, I see some weird things from those who are deep into linux.
Ubuntu does what I want, and in general problems are easily solved with a bit of searching. I find it no harder to use than how I was screwing with windows before I gave up and abandoned microsoft. I think the reason that their are people who have problems with it is that people seem to think that each variant is a doorway into a community and an identity all rolled into one.
To me it's software, and that's it. Yeah, the Deep Users who live their life as Ubuntu Users can be useful if I am having a problem, but once that is solved, I am backing right out.It is still only software, and if Deep Users of other distros have problems with it, I just walk away, it's not something I am willing to engage with at all.
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u/JohnnyS789 3h ago
I started with Yggdrasil. Every installation experience after that has been an pleasant and welcome improvement!
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u/tomscharbach 8h ago
The phenomenon is exaggerated -- amplified might be more accurate -- existing almost entirely among a small but extremely vocal segment of "standalone" desktop users.
You don't find "hate Ubuntu" among enterprise-level business, government, education and institutional customers or among Ubuntu users who use Ubuntu in or working with those environments.
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u/hardolaf 7h ago
We are slowly replacing Ubuntu with Rocky at work because things in Ubuntu just don't work right a lot of the time because of decisions made by Canonical. 26.04 is just the latest straw with many of our scripts failing because Canonical decided to replace many GNU utilities with Rust utilities by default.
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u/marble-pig 9h ago
People tend to get really protective of their choices in general, not just about distros, so when someone say something bad about a distro they picked, they take it as a personal attack.
Me, personally, think Ubuntu is a great distro, specially if you don't want to have to worry about running commands on the terminal, just turning your computer on and using it. After a while I got a bit frustrated with Snaps, so I decided to try Fedora out and loved it, but I get that for most people, Snaps are very practical, and see no problem with people sticking to it.
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u/BranchLatter4294 9h ago
Most of the hate is from people who have never tried it. I just ignore them. If they are happy with their distro made by a guy living in his parents' basement, that's fine with me.
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u/massive_motto 9h ago
People get real dramatic about distros. I used Ubuntu for years and never had a problem that wasn't my own fault. The gatekeeping in Linux community is something else, like you need to suffer with Arch to be legitimate or whatever.
The basement comment made me laugh because it's true half the time. Some obscure distro maintained by one person who disappears for six months and suddenly your system breaks after an update. At least Canonical has actual support structure.
My only complaint is snaps being slow sometimes but that's minor thing compared to having a system that just works when I need to get things done.
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u/No_Difference8518 2h ago
You are going to get it from two types of people: those who haven't tried it, and those who have been using it for a long time and are disappointed at what it has become.
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u/Chris73m 8h ago
Just see for yourself. Don't look at opinions of others. You can't trust what you read. Those 'hate' posts can come from people that just like to stir things up, a 6 year old, a bot, etc..etc.. You just don't know these days who your talking to. The only opinion that matters, is your own.
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u/ISHx4xPresident 8h ago
Idk anyone that I’ve gotten to give it an honest try that’s hated it. Just the usual stuff like a few things needing the terminal and a quick google at worst, and lack of native Microslop app support (Excel mainly).
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u/bitsandbooks 7h ago
There is hate out there for almost any distribution and operating system, and you will experience it at various times, regardless of your choice… but it's really nothing more than people's personal preference. It's no more significant than a person's choice of Coke or Pepsi.
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u/CupZealous 6h ago
I have been using Linux for 29 years. I have used Madriva, Red Hat, Mandrake, Ubuntu, Gentoo, Arch, Debian, CentOS, and a lot of older discontinued distros over the years that I don't recall the names of off hand. I currently use Ubuntu, it's a great distro for most purposes. There are some very specific ways that using Linux can break Ubuntus package manager and installation partition, which are troublesome to fix if they screw up, which happen when you try to do very niche things. Specifically when you try to do things that aren't supported, like manually install things from source that components of Ubuntu depend on over top of the included version. But so many things just work out of the box or have official support for Ubuntu with guides and documentation to help you get them working on Ubuntu. And Ubuntu seems to have the most community documentation and support as well as being a primary supported distro for installing various things that you might want to(I used to build Android ROMS and unofficial Ubuntu Touch ports and Ubuntu was definitely the distro that they recommended in the docs and which the instructions for setting up those projects were written for)
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u/mooboyj 1h ago
I use Ubuntu on my Mac Air, use it in my Microserver as well. Also have it on a spare old laptop. Used it as my daily in two jobs and have put it on multiple machines for people and setup labs with it.
It works, has an active online community and LTS gives you guaranteed support periods.
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u/Hedwig2222 9h ago
Whilst Ubuntu isn't my favourite or first choice in Distro, I definitely do not understand the hate either. In my opinion Desktop Linux would not be where it is today if it wasn't for Canonical and Ubuntu. Ubuntu was my first distro way back in like 2008-2010. I loved Lucid Lynx. It was probably the most user friendly Linux distro and probably helped bring many new users to the Linux world.
I understand they have made some not so popular choices in the past and I think some of the aggro they got at that specific point in time was justified, but lately it just feels like "the cool thing to do" and hate on Canonical and Ubuntu lol... I think the hate is definitely exaggerated at the moment.
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u/sphericalhors 9h ago
It feels like there is a post like this appears every month here.
Ubuntu is a great distro. As any other distro it has it advantages and disadvantages.
In my opinion Canonical gets more hate than it deserves.
People say that it is a big corporation that forces people to use something.
I don't know why RedHat does not have such reputation, while doing this even more agressively.
They often reject changes from community contributors that will benefit their competitors more than themselves.
One of the latest examples is when GTK developers said that they are going to get rid of theming (GTK is mostly developed by RedHad), because they don't want to support it. So either your distro have a default Fedora/RedHat look, or you need to maintain theming code all by youself.
Another recent example, is when they removed Docker from their repos as soon as they started to ship their own Podman.
And there are a lot of such examples.
I bet this is the reason, why at some point Canonical started developinf their own Unity Desktop.
But at the same time RedHat did a lot of great things that heavily improved Linux ecosystem.
My point is that in comparison with others Canonical definitely does not deserve the hate it gets.
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u/Professional_Way9133 6h ago
RedHat is from US, while Canonical is british. Ofcourse american influencers and redditors will advertise for Fedora. But the truth is Ubuntu is more stable after updates, more polished and more user friendly. In Fedora you have to install manually codecs, Nvidia drivers and enroll them in secure boot, rebuild the kernel module, what kind of nonsense is this???
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u/SevenKitty_01 8h ago
I installed Ubuntu on an old iMac from 2014, it just works the way you need and will let you do whatever you want
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u/ventus1b 8h ago
You gotta stop taking other people’s opinions too seriously.
They ‘hate’ it - so what?
‘Hate’ a distro? Get a life.
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u/schul697 9h ago
I was like that. I used Mint, Fedora, that Fedora-based gaming distro... in the end, I never stuck with them for more than a few days. It was Ubuntu that got me to stop using Windows. People criticize Snap a lot, but I don't even use it; I simply download what I need as a .deb file.
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u/PeyredB 8h ago
Canonical has made some bad decisions that people criticize it for, such as Unity and Snaps. I certainly don't hate Ubuntu over it though (I'm a dedicated Xubuntu user); this is probably just serious Linux guys, who tend to be programmers. Programmers are often the types who think there is One Right Way to do something, and react poorly to anything else. So maybe that's part of it.
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u/HCharlesB 3h ago
Ubuntu is a great distro and they contribute a lot to Linux et al.
They're a bit opinionated and if their opinions align with the users, it makes for a frictionless experience.
I prefer a more vanilla experience and have settled on Debian, I would not fault anyone for choosing Ubuntu nor discount their contributions.
Linux would certainly be lesser without them.
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u/ebens1689 9h ago
You could say that Ubuntu has done a lot for Linux / FOSS. Ubuntu wants to get stacked delivering a quality product for industry use, which is perfectly reasonable. However, that means they may have goals/desires that aren't always perfectly in line with those of individual, private Linux users.
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u/V-Right_In_2-V 9h ago
It’s simultaneously hated but also the most popular distro. I have 3 other distros on an external hard drive, and Ubuntu is the only one I have zero issues with. It’s been rock solid for me
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u/somecoolname42 8h ago
If you have time to hate an OS that someone else is using, that doesn't impact your life at all ever, beat yourself in the dick with a hammer to give yourself some real problems to gain perspective in life. You can apply this to any nerd shit.
If you like a thing, and it works for you, why do you care what other people think about it? I like carpet, a lot of people don't. I buy carpet. I don't think about non carpet users much, as it doesn't make my life any different. Haters are going to hate, so just shake that off, and go on with your life.
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u/vmartell22 8h ago
I use Arch, btw
[ OK, I realized, if I don't clarify, I am gonna get karma crapped - I KID I KID! 😄 I use ubuntu, just thought it would be a funny joke to interject with that! ]
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u/hardolaf 7h ago
I use Ubuntu and Rocky at work, then SteamOS and CachyOS at home. In terms of issues with all of my Linux usage, almost every issue that I run into is because Canonical decided to be special with Ubuntu
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u/Professional_Way9133 7h ago
Snaps are not the best, but you can ignore them, there are plenty of options. Otherwise, after I did some distrohopping I realised Ubuntu is the most polished Linux distro: stuff works, fonts look clean in most apps, even with screen scaling and many other small things.
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u/holasoyeldavid 6h ago
I love Ubuntu. It works perfectly for me and it's cute. From my political view, I would love Ubuntu were made by a community. Sadly not, but anyway, thanks Canonical and congrats for you amazing work! Anyway, the OS i use it's not important for the people around me :)
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u/quasimodoca 6h ago
Yes, Ubuntu is in use in major companies and organizations all over the world.
Cloud and infrastructure
AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure all offer Ubuntu as a first-class default image. Ubuntu is among the most-used guest OSes on public cloud. Microsoft ships Ubuntu as the default WSL distro and maintains an Azure-tuned Ubuntu kernel with Canonical. OpenStack deployments frequently run on Ubuntu.
Large companies (per Canonical case studies and public reports)
Netflix runs much of its cloud fleet on Ubuntu. Walmart has been reported as an Ubuntu user. Telecom: Deutsche Telekom, AT&T, and Ericsson use it for cloud and NFV infrastructure. Dell, Lenovo, and HP certify and sell hardware with Ubuntu preinstalled. Dell and Lenovo also offer Ubuntu workstations.
Government and public sector
The French Gendarmerie migrated on the order of 70,000+ desktops to Ubuntu. Various other governments and universities run it on desktops and servers.
Robotics and AI
ROS (Robot Operating System) targets Ubuntu as its primary platform. NVIDIA's CUDA and AI tooling also treat Ubuntu LTS as the reference distro.
It is one of the most used, if not the most used Linux distro's in the world.
Some data shows Red Hat ahead, others show Ubuntu. Regardless it's only a couple points either way.
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u/AshuraBaron 6h ago
Linux users hold a grudge like no other. Many of the complaints are things that happened many years and were changed or fixed. Everyone wants to feel like their choice of distro is the best and all others are trash or ranked below it. Just your average day in Linux land. If you like Ubuntu use it. Don't worry about other peoples feelings about it.
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u/SiderealBright 5h ago
It's not a great distro, but if you like it run with it. You can't care what other Linux users think about your distro choice. There is always hate to be found. Don't go looking for it, just use and enjoy your chosen distro.
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u/cesclaveria 5h ago
I’ve been using Ubuntu 4.10, I’ve read many, many posts of people complaining about Ubuntu receiving hate but then neither in real life or online I’ve encountered any hate towards Ubuntu.
So, if for whatever reason you are dealing with toxic people giving you grief for the OS you use, cut them off, they are likely useless and worthless.
This whole feels incredibly stupid.
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u/ibrahimlefou 4h ago
I use Ubuntu for almost 20 years (don’t remember that exactly date) and I love it !!
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u/Huge_Drama_4942 3h ago
If you let what other people think make your decisions, you will never be happy with anything in your life. If you enjoy Ubuntu, use it.
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u/ItsWinterInNevada 3h ago
Ubuntu as a product is fine. Not a big fan of snaps but thats whatever. They're not essential. You can just use apt.
I dont refuse to use Ubuntu because of Ubuntu. I refuse to use it because of Canonical. But I also refuse to use Fedora because of Red Hat. Or openSuse because of Suse. I dont like distros tied to companies.
Debian fits my needs just perfectly and works pretty flawlessly.
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u/O_martelo_de_deus 3h ago
Eu vim do passado, comecei no Unix, passei pelo começo do Linux, configurações horríveis, trabalhosas, um dia conheci o Ubuntu, hoje uso no server, no desktop... Nem me aventuro mais, lembro que uma parte do time de ti queria inventar moda por purismo com software livre, eu preferiria trocar o cara de infra do que trocar o Ubuntu.
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u/Pandamyst 3h ago edited 3h ago
I'm using Ubuntu / Kubuntu since 20 years, after using Slackware, Redhat, Mandrake. I had fun, and a system where I could make a lot of things, with a lot of fun, but also a lot of time to install, correct, and quite often, after playing with the configuration, it was unstable. It was a great moment to learn how to use, configure, and understand. When I got on Ubuntu, it was easy and stable, which is perfect for a system used everyday with ease. I didn't like unity and got on kubuntu after that and still happy like that. The Linux universe is really big and everyone can find what they need and want. We’ll never get anywhere if we keep taking shots at other distributions instead of embracing the diversity and letting everyone find what works best for them.
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u/Neither_Loan6419 3h ago
Hate just means the age of Ubuntu has arrived. If it is hated, it is probably reactionary hate, due to Ubuntu becoming the mainstream choice. The rebel in us no longer sees Ubuntu as counterculture. It isn't "cool" any more. It is just a good operating system that works and is free.
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u/Vegetable-Squirrel98 2h ago
I started on vanilla ubuntu, tried dozens of things, and finally I'm back on vanilla ubuntu
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u/saileesaileesailee 1h ago
the hate is pretty overexaggerated, I love using Ubuntu personally! it was just a bit annoying getting rid of snaps
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u/SadZookeepergame5639 23m ago
Slackware (harder than Arch, easier than Gentoo [slightly]) was my intro to Linux (in 1995)... I'd used UNIX (mostly SunOS / Solaris) before then so was comfortable in the shell and using vi...
Distro hopped to Red Hat 5 and 6 late 1990's - then Suse EL (not OpenSuse) 1999/2001 - then 2004 Ubuntu...
Have distrohopped again - Elementary, Fedora, Pop!_OS - but - have always ended up back with Ubuntu... Currently 24.04 on a desktop and a Thinkpad... not ready for Wayland so not ready for Ubuntu 26.04. Ubuntu is the fastest way for me to get me a NIX shell...
BTW - I also use MacOs and I like how easy it is to make Gnome on Ubuntu look and feel like MacOS...
I also run Raspbian on a few different Pi Models (Pi Zero 2W, 3B and 4B) - mostly headless as they're servers... and also a Dell Optiplex "server" running JellyFin on Debian 13...
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u/Nathan_Wildthorn 22m ago
The people who hate Ubuntu are overrated. 🤔🤣 I'm stating this coming from the SCO/UNIX environment. Elitists who enjoy bashing distros are losers.
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u/Charming_Airline7419 6m ago
This is a big one. I'm hardly a reliable judge, since I haven't used Ubuntu. The commentary I've read has the following factors for Ubuntu hate.
Snaps - a lot of people don't like them or complain they cause issues. This is a pretty controversial topic.
Canonical's corporate image - many people migrate to Linux because they're suspicious of big tech, and some feel Canonical behaves like a regular tech corporation.
Telemetry, proprietary software and ads - compared with Microsoft, they're hardly serious offenders, but some have complained these things have crept into Ubuntu.
Design choices that have previously alienated the user base - an example is the Unity desktop, which caused a bruhaha.
In my opinion, a lot of this is fairly niche and purist, with the exception of Snaps. I've seen a lot of complaints about this. But it's not really my place to judge, since I'm not a current Ubuntu user.
The dissing of rival distros and heated debates happen because many Linux users are tech enthusiasts with strong opinions.
At the end of the day, it's your computer. Use the distro that works for you. If that's Ubuntu, stick with it.
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u/JRock1276 9h ago
Don't know of anyone that's actually used it that hates it. They're usually Microsoft junkies that have negative comments about it. They take it personally, kinda like when you tell a snap on guy that you got a better tool for a cheaper price.
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u/buzzfriendly 9h ago
Because we have an irrational need to dislike something and a reason isn't a personal requirement.
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u/Mediocre-Pumpkin6522 9h ago
I've been using Ubuntu for 4 years. GNOME isn't my favorite but Ubuntu tweaks it enough to make it liveable. It works. My other machines are KDE or Cinnamon which I prefer.
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u/Sure-Passion2224 8h ago
I used Ubuntu for years. It was Canonical pushing Snap packages that finally made me change to Debian. Ubuntu (at the time) had Snap enabled by default. An "update" to Firefox converted my .deb installation to the Snap without preserving my bookmarks, extensions, ir other settings. Mint installs with Snap disabled so I still suggest that for newbies.
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u/kudlitan 7h ago
FWIW, you just need to log in to your firefox account and all your profile data will be synced back. There are other reasons to hate snap, mostly ideological, but bookmarks isn't one of them.
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u/mixxituk 8h ago
Kubuntu is great if you want a semi British os
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u/SPACE_GROOVE_LULU 8h ago
I hate Ubuntu when I update stuff and get kernel panic. Other than that, it's nice
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u/Sudden_Office8710 6h ago
It is what it is unfortunately you have to use snap for a lot of the tools so there is no getting around it. Ubuntu just isn’t as stable as other distributions but then again other distributions won’t have the tools I need baked in so it’s a bit of a catch 22 kind of like having to run windows nobody wants to but you do it anyway cause you don’t have an alternative anyone who says they can get away without using it as a desktop is lying to you and themselves
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u/One_Conflict_1987 9h ago
I couldn’t care less what some other person thinks about what Linux distro I’m using.