{"slug": "ubuntu", "name": "Ubuntu", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "Canonical's Debian-based Linux distribution for desktops, servers and cloud.", "recommenders": 38, "commenters": 97, "warners": 22, "score": 23.227, "rising": 5.49, "first": "2025-11-05", "latest": "2026-10-28", "why": "HN commenters like Ubuntu because it just works, with sane defaults and reliable LTS releases, and as an easy switch from Windows for non-technical users.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 40, "neutral": 39, "compare": 2, "warn": 22}, "spark": [2, 1, 11, 1, 1, 2, 1, 5, 2, 4, 7, 3], "listed": true, "loved": ["Just works", "Escape from Windows"], "caveat": "Snap packages", "short_quote": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://ubuntu.com", "pricing": "free", "aliases": ["Ubuntu"], "verdict": [{"text": "HN commenters like Ubuntu because it just works, with sane defaults and reliable LTS releases,", "cites": [{"id": 798554896, "item_id": 49909681, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909681", "by": "ajd555", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu just...worked", "excerpt": "I used to run Arch out of engineering school (that's what we used there), and loved it. But as I started working on my business, I started having less time to simply configure my OS and fight it on a few things. The breaking point for me, when I switched to Ubuntu Desktop, was not being able to connect to my two monitors via a dock (2 display ports). It simply took too much of my time to figure out all the nuances of", "context": "running own business, limited time", "use_case": "desktop OS with dock and monitors", "switched_from": "Arch Linux", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798552752, "item_id": 49909547, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909547", "by": "anon7725", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it has sane defaults and is reliable", "excerpt": "I use it because I like how it looks, it has sane defaults and is reliable. I am an \"LTS to LTS\" type person. My desktop pretty much looks like the default screenshots. Most of my customization comes through scripts and tools that I can install quickly after a reimage. Not a beginner.", "context": "LTS to LTS user, not a beginner", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 770550592, "item_id": 48159412, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48159412", "by": "ColonelBlimp", "date": "2026-05-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect", "excerpt": "My intention is not to dismiss the blog's argument about using Linux but my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect. I'm sure other Linux distros offer a similar experience. I get that every person is different, so what works for someone might be dysfunctional for someone else. But I wonder if there's a growing tendency to over-emphas", "context": "", "use_case": "main computer OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "I love Linux, but I can't quit Windows"}, {"id": 800542320, "item_id": 50033895, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50033895", "by": "newsoftheday", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it has not happened on Ubuntu or Kubuntu since I started using them in 2006", "excerpt": "> Too many times even in the past I do an update the distro and then something stops working and then I have to spend a day fixing. On Ubuntu starting in 2006 and Kubuntu the last several years, what you're describing doesn't and hasn't happened to me. When I've tried other distros over the years, the issue you described has happened to me on: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Fedora SuSE Debian (yes, even Debian but it was w", "context": "uses desktop Linux on several machines", "use_case": "desktop Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "WSL3 Performance is about 5-60% faster than WSL2 depending on the workload"}]}, {"text": " and as an easy switch from Windows for non-technical users.", "cites": [{"id": 747722512, "item_id": 46732657, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46732657", "by": "egeres", "date": "2026-01-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "she's basically set for life", "excerpt": "This Christmas I bought my mom a new computer because her old one (W10) was falling apart. It took some time but I managed to convince her to give ubuntu a try instead of moving to W11. After a week of complaints and stubbornness, she got really surprised about the lack of annoying prompts asking for updates, dark patterns to switch to edge, promotions etc. Now she has fully adapted and for her basic needs (browsing,", "context": "bought mom a new computer", "use_case": "mom's desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows 10", "story": "Hate is a strong word, but I don't like Windows 11"}, {"id": 745257040, "item_id": 46578565, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46578565", "by": "ahf8Aithaex7Nai", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "My last Windows was Windows 95 (or 98?). I've been exclusively using Linux for ~25 years. I use Ubuntu because I've been using it for ~20 years and have better things to do than try out different distros. My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu. I know a Germanist who uses Debian. It's a bit like with cars. If you know someone who really knows about cars, they'll be able t", "context": "exclusive Linux user for ~25 years", "use_case": "daily driver, compiler development", "switched_from": "", "story": "I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too"}, {"id": 751457728, "item_id": 46966108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46966108", "by": "SunshineTheCat", "date": "2026-02-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet", "excerpt": "No comment on the hosting end of things, however, I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet of not getting 87 meaningless windows notifications every time I boot up.", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "The Switch to Linux and the Beginning of My Self-Hosting Journey"}]}, {"text": " The most common complaint is Canonical's aggressive push of Snap packages,", "cites": [{"id": 795396625, "item_id": 49712289, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49712289", "by": "here_to_learn", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages.", "excerpt": "I moved to Fedora from Ubuntu about a year ago for my laptop. My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages. I have had a great experience i.e it gets out of the way and it doesn't fall apart when I update stuff. I was worried about SELinux but find Fedoras defaults just fine and intuitive.", "context": "", "use_case": "laptop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 completes transition to Rust-based coreutils"}, {"id": 791301440, "item_id": 49456340, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456340", "by": "runjake", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw.", "excerpt": "I don't. Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw. I've moved to Debian for servers and Fedora (usually KDE) and Omarchy for desktops. Fedora seems much higher quality than Ubuntu these days and faster! dnf seems comparatively slow compared to apt, but that's the least of my worries.", "context": "", "use_case": "servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 776511249, "item_id": 48531953, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48531953", "by": "pmontra", "date": "2026-06-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "until they started pushing snaps very aggressively", "excerpt": "Probably because it got popular as the easy Linux distro back in the 2000s and that label is sticking. I remember that I attempted to install Debian on my laptop in 2009. It was ugly. I installed Ubuntu 8.04 and it was a totally different and much nicer experience. Because of that I've been on Ubuntu until they started pushing snaps very aggressively. I live booted Debian 11 and realized that its UI was exactly the s", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS on laptop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.1"}, {"id": 801666448, "item_id": 50104153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104153", "by": "nicfio", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I don't like Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "I don't like Ubuntu. It was born with the intent of making Linux more user friendly, it changed policy wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir. And then why use a derivative if I can stay on the original? I love debian: stable, it creates the right environment to feel at ease without the fear that every update can break something. Old software? flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}]}, {"text": " with others reporting updates that break things.", "cites": [{"id": 737596593, "item_id": 46099787, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46099787", "by": "jjaksic", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it literally breaks all the bloody time", "excerpt": "Bazzite is an insanely awesome distro! I used Ubuntu for 8 years constantly fixing issues, from the day I installed it (because it didn't support basic Ryzen), after every distro upgrade, and various other random points, e.g. when installing a package whose dependency overwrote something. Each issue took hours to fix, usually searching forums for arcane command lines and trying everything until something worked (poss", "context": "used Ubuntu for 8 years", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bazzite: Operating System for Linux gaming"}, {"id": 743451952, "item_id": 46465747, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46465747", "by": "tsss", "date": "2026-01-02", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve.", "excerpt": "No, it really isn't. I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve. Last week my desktop completely froze again (as it often does) and Linux broke a mounted NTFS partition when I shut off the power.", "context": "daily Ubuntu user", "use_case": "daily desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux is good now; to feel like you actually own your PC, put Linux on it"}, {"id": 782746672, "item_id": 48921667, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921667", "by": "PaulHoule", "date": "2026-07-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates.", "excerpt": "My two Win 11 machines have been pretty solid for a while, but my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates. When I built the machine about 12 years ago [1] it allocated a /boot partition that was big enough then but not big enough but as Ubuntu grew the /boot was too small to keep as many versions as Ubuntu wanted so kernel upgrades needed manual intervention. And for that machine it is a h", "context": "runs a headless machine with ZFS", "use_case": "headless home server", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Is it just me, or is software buggier across the board?"}, {"id": 745118368, "item_id": 46569898, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46569898", "by": "rickdg", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24", "excerpt": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/rdp-stopped-working-after-upgrade-from-22-to-24/51559/2 With Linux, you just have to be prepared to hit a bug and find no help coming anytime.", "context": "Ubuntu user", "use_case": "desktop OS with remote desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Just works", "summary": "Many say it runs with little setup or fiddling, unlike distros they left.", "quotes": [{"id": 798554896, "item_id": 49909681, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909681", "by": "ajd555", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu just...worked", "excerpt": "I used to run Arch out of engineering school (that's what we used there), and loved it. But as I started working on my business, I started having less time to simply configure my OS and fight it on a few things. The breaking point for me, when I switched to Ubuntu Desktop, was not being able to connect to my two monitors via a dock (2 display ports). It simply took too much of my time to figure out all the nuances of", "context": "running own business, limited time", "use_case": "desktop OS with dock and monitors", "switched_from": "Arch Linux", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 777431136, "item_id": 48589446, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48589446", "by": "modriano", "date": "2026-06-18", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "everything just worked on the Linux partition. Things opened quickly, things installed easily", "excerpt": "Up until 2019, Windows was my daily driver and had been for the prior ~20. years. I had been regularly ssh-ing into Linux machines, but it didn't seem like a place I could live. Then, in 2019, I built a PC and, wanting to get more proficient in Linux environments, I made it a dual boot setup with a Ubuntu desktop partition and a Windows partition, expecting I'd inevitably get frustrated on the Linux partition by side", "context": "former Windows daily driver for ~20 years, switched in 2019", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "Microsoft new Outlook takes 10 seconds to do what Outlook Classic does instantly"}, {"id": 792373104, "item_id": 49523319, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49523319", "by": "davsti4", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Finally found stability with Ubuntu after a few years, and still use it today", "excerpt": "That was about the time of the Redhat 9 to Fedora shift and I felt the pain too. I was using RH9 for the stability, but then switched to Fedora like everyone was supposed to. Well, that was a big bag of something left on the doorstep. I had to spend countless evenings messing with configs to get the system useable; then upgrades would break things. Finally found stability with Ubuntu after a few years, and still use ", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Fedora", "story": "Get your Windows license refund"}]}, {"label": "Escape from Windows", "summary": "Switchers welcome the absence of Windows and macOS nags, prompts and notifications.", "quotes": [{"id": 751457728, "item_id": 46966108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46966108", "by": "SunshineTheCat", "date": "2026-02-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet", "excerpt": "No comment on the hosting end of things, however, I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet of not getting 87 meaningless windows notifications every time I boot up.", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "The Switch to Linux and the Beginning of My Self-Hosting Journey"}, {"id": 747722512, "item_id": 46732657, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46732657", "by": "egeres", "date": "2026-01-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "she's basically set for life", "excerpt": "This Christmas I bought my mom a new computer because her old one (W10) was falling apart. It took some time but I managed to convince her to give ubuntu a try instead of moving to W11. After a week of complaints and stubbornness, she got really surprised about the lack of annoying prompts asking for updates, dark patterns to switch to edge, promotions etc. Now she has fully adapted and for her basic needs (browsing,", "context": "bought mom a new computer", "use_case": "mom's desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows 10", "story": "Hate is a strong word, but I don't like Windows 11"}, {"id": 741604833, "item_id": 46350302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46350302", "by": "mouselett", "date": "2025-12-21", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've actually taken to installing Ubuntu on the Mac just so I can avoid seeing them.", "excerpt": "I had the same frustrations recently with my MacBook Pro, with macOS constantly telling me about Tahoe despite OCLP--which I used to patch my unsupported Mac to Sonoma--currently not supporting that version of macOS. These notifications aren't able to be disabled, just like in Windows--trust me, I tried to do that. They irritated me so much, that I've actually taken to installing Ubuntu on the Mac just so I can avoid", "context": "", "use_case": "avoid macOS upgrade nags", "switched_from": "macOS", "story": "I can't upgrade to Windows 11, now leave me alone"}]}, {"label": "Non-technical users", "summary": "Commenters install it for parents, partners and friends who aren't computer-savvy.", "quotes": [{"id": 745257040, "item_id": 46578565, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46578565", "by": "ahf8Aithaex7Nai", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "My last Windows was Windows 95 (or 98?). I've been exclusively using Linux for ~25 years. I use Ubuntu because I've been using it for ~20 years and have better things to do than try out different distros. My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu. I know a Germanist who uses Debian. It's a bit like with cars. If you know someone who really knows about cars, they'll be able t", "context": "exclusive Linux user for ~25 years", "use_case": "daily driver, compiler development", "switched_from": "", "story": "I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too"}, {"id": 790849041, "item_id": 49428065, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49428065", "by": "dismalaf", "date": "2026-08-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For something that just works I recommend Fedora or Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "Pretty much all of them. None require online accounts or anything like that. Browser choice is probably more important. For something that just works I recommend Fedora or Ubuntu. It's what I'd put on my mom or wife's PC. Currently using Omarchy on my laptop though which is a tad more exotic, it's Arch + Hyprland and is pretty polished for that stack (at least the current version, 4.0) but still a tiny bit of jank.", "context": "", "use_case": "beginner-friendly desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "MS Paint and Photos inivisibly watermark even locally generated output with GUID"}, {"id": 743550401, "item_id": 46471900, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46471900", "by": "cryptica", "date": "2026-01-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "IMO Ubuntu is the simplest general-purpose one.", "excerpt": "I love the fact that there are different Linux distros optimized for every person. I started using Linux almost a decade ago; starting with Ubuntu, then I moved to Kubuntu and now I'm on Omarchy which is even more optimized for developers. I feel very comfortable recommending Linux to people now though I would recommend a different distro depending on who is asking. IMO Ubuntu is the simplest general-purpose one. Kub", "context": "Linux user for almost a decade", "use_case": "general-purpose desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop"}]}, {"label": "Stable LTS releases", "summary": "Users value the release schedule, maturity and LTS-to-LTS reliability.", "quotes": [{"id": 798553728, "item_id": 49909608, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909608", "by": "BadBadJellyBean", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity.", "excerpt": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity. I don't want to use the latest greatest. I want something that works and has some manpower (and maybe money) behind it. I am not the biggest fan of snap but I know how to get around it.", "context": "", "use_case": "stable desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798552752, "item_id": 49909547, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909547", "by": "anon7725", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it has sane defaults and is reliable", "excerpt": "I use it because I like how it looks, it has sane defaults and is reliable. I am an \"LTS to LTS\" type person. My desktop pretty much looks like the default screenshots. Most of my customization comes through scripts and tools that I can install quickly after a reimage. Not a beginner.", "context": "LTS to LTS user, not a beginner", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 770550592, "item_id": 48159412, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48159412", "by": "ColonelBlimp", "date": "2026-05-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect", "excerpt": "My intention is not to dismiss the blog's argument about using Linux but my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect. I'm sure other Linux distros offer a similar experience. I get that every person is different, so what works for someone might be dysfunctional for someone else. But I wonder if there's a growing tendency to over-emphas", "context": "", "use_case": "main computer OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "I love Linux, but I can't quit Windows"}]}, {"label": "Compatibility, community", "summary": "A large user base makes fixes easy to find, and the Debian base gives good compatibility.", "quotes": [{"id": 798579856, "item_id": 49911241, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49911241", "by": "ndsipa_pomu", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For me, it's got more up-to-date versions of software than Debian and it's easy to search for solutions to issues as it's got a large user base.", "excerpt": "I use it for work (and a homelab). For me, it's got more up-to-date versions of software than Debian and it's easy to search for solutions to issues as it's got a large user base. I'm not a fan of the various redhat/centos distros as I've had issues in the past with RPM based distributions. It's possible to have problems with DEB based systems, but in my experience it's a lot easier to fix DEB systems than RPM ones.", "context": "uses it for work and a homelab", "use_case": "work and homelab OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 799474256, "item_id": 49967141, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49967141", "by": "nickserv", "date": "2026-10-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the Ubuntu/Debian base is useful for the good compatibility.", "excerpt": "I use it for a bit of everything: dev work (InteliJ), basic 3D modeling/printing (freeCAD, Blender, Orca), light video editing (OBS, Kdenlive), gaming (wine) ... Could probably go with an Arch based distro, but the Ubuntu/Debian base is useful for the good compatibility.", "context": "", "use_case": "general desktop use", "switched_from": "", "story": "The work by Valve's Timur Krist\u00f3f on improving old AMD GPUs on Linux"}, {"id": 745129809, "item_id": 46570613, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46570613", "by": "codegeek", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu is a standard one that you can just start with.", "excerpt": "Every developer should learn the basics of Servers, Linux, VPS hosting etc. It is not that hard especially with the amount of information that's online. You mentioned Golang. For those languages, it is even easier because you literally host a single binary on the VPS. So go ahead, learn it. The naysayers will scare you into thinking that you need someone else to do it for you but you usually don't. Not unless you are", "context": "", "use_case": "VPS operating system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Should I learn Docker to deploy my app in VPS?"}]}, {"label": "Old hardware", "summary": "It keeps aging laptops and Macs usable after their original OS drops support.", "quotes": [{"id": 793462210, "item_id": 49591388, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49591388", "by": "cfstras", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "because of distros like Fedora and Ubuntu, I can keep using a 15y old Samsung notebook", "excerpt": "It\u2018s going to be a godsend for people with M1 macs when Apple or App vendors decide to drop support for them. The hardware is super capable and will make a great fileserver, TV box or HomeAssistant instance once I\u2018m done using it as daily driver. Similarly, because of distros like Fedora and Ubuntu, I can keep using a 15y old Samsung notebook with a modern firefox, whereas Windows 8 already broke Samsung\u2018s display br", "context": "", "use_case": "reviving old laptop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Asahi Linux on M3"}, {"id": 779696544, "item_id": 48731034, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48731034", "by": "jvanderbot", "date": "2026-06-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It was a huge upgrade over her ~2014 macbook air running stock", "excerpt": "I gave my wife a 2012 macbook pro running ubuntu. It was a huge upgrade over her ~2014 macbook air running stock, which couldn't even update itself anymore. It never occured to me to consider it might qualify as a \"challenge\" since it is 14 years old. It just works fantanstically and was my daily driver until 3-4 years ago. I got it off ebay for approximately $100, cleaned it, and put in a new battery.", "context": "", "use_case": "reviving old MacBook", "switched_from": "macOS", "story": "Old Computer Challenge"}, {"id": 745165408, "item_id": 46572838, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46572838", "by": "tianqi", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "after 17 years away from Ubuntu as my daily OS, I'm now considering seriously going back to it.", "excerpt": "Throughout my university years, I used Ubuntu daily on both my laptop and desktop. Even when I had to play World of Warcraft with classmates, I used a virtual machine on Ubuntu. Around 2009, I switched to Mac OS, and I was perfectly happy with it until recently. What I find most annoying is that I have several very old iMacs. Apple disallows their OS upgrading, even though their hardware is still perfectly fine. I've", "context": "does most work in the terminal; old iMacs", "use_case": "daily OS", "switched_from": "macOS", "story": "I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Snap packages", "summary": "Forced Snap packages drove several users to Debian or Fedora.", "quotes": [{"id": 795396625, "item_id": 49712289, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49712289", "by": "here_to_learn", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages.", "excerpt": "I moved to Fedora from Ubuntu about a year ago for my laptop. My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages. I have had a great experience i.e it gets out of the way and it doesn't fall apart when I update stuff. I was worried about SELinux but find Fedoras defaults just fine and intuitive.", "context": "", "use_case": "laptop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 completes transition to Rust-based coreutils"}, {"id": 791301440, "item_id": 49456340, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456340", "by": "runjake", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw.", "excerpt": "I don't. Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw. I've moved to Debian for servers and Fedora (usually KDE) and Omarchy for desktops. Fedora seems much higher quality than Ubuntu these days and faster! dnf seems comparatively slow compared to apt, but that's the least of my worries.", "context": "", "use_case": "servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 776511249, "item_id": 48531953, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48531953", "by": "pmontra", "date": "2026-06-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "until they started pushing snaps very aggressively", "excerpt": "Probably because it got popular as the easy Linux distro back in the 2000s and that label is sticking. I remember that I attempted to install Debian on my laptop in 2009. It was ugly. I installed Ubuntu 8.04 and it was a totally different and much nicer experience. Because of that I've been on Ubuntu until they started pushing snaps very aggressively. I live booted Debian 11 and realized that its UI was exactly the s", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS on laptop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.1"}]}, {"label": "Breaking updates", "summary": "Some report frequent breakage after upgrades and issues that need hours of fixing.", "quotes": [{"id": 737596593, "item_id": 46099787, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46099787", "by": "jjaksic", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it literally breaks all the bloody time", "excerpt": "Bazzite is an insanely awesome distro! I used Ubuntu for 8 years constantly fixing issues, from the day I installed it (because it didn't support basic Ryzen), after every distro upgrade, and various other random points, e.g. when installing a package whose dependency overwrote something. Each issue took hours to fix, usually searching forums for arcane command lines and trying everything until something worked (poss", "context": "used Ubuntu for 8 years", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bazzite: Operating System for Linux gaming"}, {"id": 743451952, "item_id": 46465747, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46465747", "by": "tsss", "date": "2026-01-02", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve.", "excerpt": "No, it really isn't. I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve. Last week my desktop completely froze again (as it often does) and Linux broke a mounted NTFS partition when I shut off the power.", "context": "daily Ubuntu user", "use_case": "daily desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux is good now; to feel like you actually own your PC, put Linux on it"}, {"id": 782746672, "item_id": 48921667, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921667", "by": "PaulHoule", "date": "2026-07-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates.", "excerpt": "My two Win 11 machines have been pretty solid for a while, but my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates. When I built the machine about 12 years ago [1] it allocated a /boot partition that was big enough then but not big enough but as Ubuntu grew the /boot was too small to keep as many versions as Ubuntu wanted so kernel upgrades needed manual intervention. And for that machine it is a h", "context": "runs a headless machine with ZFS", "use_case": "headless home server", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Is it just me, or is software buggier across the board?"}]}, {"label": "Slow and bloated", "summary": "Some found it slower and heavier than Debian or lighter distros.", "quotes": [{"id": 762403569, "item_id": 47650223, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47650223", "by": "TacticalCoder", "date": "2026-04-05", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I couldn't understand why everything was that slow compared to Debian", "excerpt": "I had a machine (an AMD 3700X with 32 GB of RAM and a fast NVMe SSD) on which I used to run Debian. Then about 2.5 years ago I bought a new one and gave my wife the 3700X: I figured out she'd be more at ease so I installed Ubuntu on it. I couldn't understand why everything was that slow compared to Debian and didn't want to bother looking into it so... After a few weeks: got rid of Ubuntu, installed her Debian. A sim", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu now requires more RAM than Windows 11"}, {"id": 754078832, "item_id": 47129927, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47129927", "by": "h4kunamata", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu used to be the distro to go do, used to.", "excerpt": "Ubuntu used to be the distro to go do, used to. - SNAP which is only managed and supported by them - Tried to reinvent the wheel with sudo-rs - They are heavily focused into cloud, servers and business - Following the Rust hype train I used Ubuntu for 13y or so, it is a Windows within Linux world. Bloated, kernel panic, heavy, privacy issues. Debian still the king to be used as servers, Mint Cinnamon is the king for ", "context": "used Ubuntu for 13 years", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "What it means that Ubuntu is using Rust"}, {"id": 739034674, "item_id": 46189667, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46189667", "by": "compounding_it", "date": "2025-12-08", "stance": "warn", "quote": "It once took ubuntu 18.04 30 minutes to boot on an old dual core intel network box", "excerpt": "Distros like these help troubleshoot boxes that are old/slow but also not used as computers in the traditional sense. For example network boxes, NAS, video recording boxes etc that can't run the latest LTS ubuntu well but can boot a distro like DSL. getting a vga out on these things with a fast to boot distro helps you fix things like corrupt drives, bad partitioning, bad boot loaders etc which needs a few terminal c", "context": "", "use_case": "old hardware", "switched_from": "", "story": "Damn Small Linux"}]}, {"label": "Canonical direction", "summary": "Some distrust Canonical's leadership and feel non-enterprise users are second-class.", "quotes": [{"id": 798552672, "item_id": 49909542, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909542", "by": "Retr0id", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "they managed to make me feel like a second-class citizen as a not-enterprise-customer", "excerpt": "It used to be my \"it just works\" distro for systems I didn't want to spend time configuring, but they managed to make me feel like a second-class citizen as a not-enterprise-customer (not really anything specific, just a lot of small cuts). I appreciate that they're running a business, but the Fedora/RHEL split feels much cleaner, and Fedora is my current go-to in instances where I used to reach for Ubuntu. (Or I use", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 768488049, "item_id": 48030503, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48030503", "by": "TutleCpt", "date": "2026-05-05", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Canonical's recent problems show that its leadership is extremely poor.", "excerpt": "Canonical's recent problems show that its leadership is extremely poor. They don't know the first thing about communicating during a major outage. And they know nothing about corporate responsibility. Already switched to Debian vanilla.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu Is Run by \"N00bs\" (and It Shows)"}, {"id": 762430337, "item_id": 47651896, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47651896", "by": "hnarn", "date": "2026-04-05", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I don\u2019t see what value prop Ubuntu even has anymore", "excerpt": "I switched to Debian a long time ago for both desktops and servers. For me personally I don\u2019t see what value prop Ubuntu even has anymore, apart from maybe having ZFS in the kernel. Support maybe? I\u2019ve never used it personally so I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s any good, but for any serious shop willing to spend money on support I\u2019d probably go with RHEL anyway.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu now requires more RAM than Windows 11"}]}, {"label": "Hardware issues", "summary": "Users report failures with specific UEFI firmware and early Ryzen support.", "quotes": [{"id": 802430016, "item_id": 50151876, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151876", "by": "pjmlp", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "last time I used a system like Ubuntu was last year, where it failed to work with a GIGABYTE BRIX Mini-PC UEFI firmware", "excerpt": "Yes, they are always changing, I know Linux since 1996, use it as part of my work, last time I used a system like Ubuntu was last year, where it failed to work with a GIGABYTE BRIX Mini-PC UEFI firmware when starting from internal SSD, which I eventually gave up after several weeks trying various workarounds.", "context": "Linux user since 1996, uses it for work", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.3"}, {"id": 737596593, "item_id": 46099787, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46099787", "by": "jjaksic", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it literally breaks all the bloody time", "excerpt": "Bazzite is an insanely awesome distro! I used Ubuntu for 8 years constantly fixing issues, from the day I installed it (because it didn't support basic Ryzen), after every distro upgrade, and various other random points, e.g. when installing a package whose dependency overwrote something. Each issue took hours to fix, usually searching forums for arcane command lines and trying everything until something worked (poss", "context": "used Ubuntu for 8 years", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bazzite: Operating System for Linux gaming"}]}, {"label": "Desktop rough edges", "summary": "Users cite poor native search, default tiling quirks and remote desktop breaking in 24.04.", "quotes": [{"id": 795481104, "item_id": 49717569, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717569", "by": "abustamam", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu native search is pretty bad too", "excerpt": "I thought i was going to greener pastures when I switched from Windows to Ubuntu but Ubuntu native search is pretty bad too. I typed \"printer\" so I can get to my printer settings and the first three are printer icons/emoji. I cant imagine why these would be more important", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27"}, {"id": 766177264, "item_id": 47886079, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47886079", "by": "teekert", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu remains my nr. 2 choice, after NixOS", "excerpt": "It's nice as always, but I have some issues. * Select - Middle-click paste does not seem to work * When something requires a password (ie just tried a bitlocker volume) the whole screen is blocked, so no password manager for you (unless you copy it before, or cancel - unplug drive-copy password - replug drive - paste.) * The default tiling does not jive with me, sometimes I don't even know what it wants (it always tr", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released"}, {"id": 745118368, "item_id": 46569898, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46569898", "by": "rickdg", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24", "excerpt": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/rdp-stopped-working-after-upgrade-from-22-to-24/51559/2 With Linux, you just have to be prepared to hit a bug and find no help coming anytime.", "context": "Ubuntu user", "use_case": "desktop OS with remote desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great"}]}], "who": [{"by": "Liftyee", "context": "student using ThinkPad with stylus", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50279903", "date": "2026-10-28"}, {"by": "ndsipa_pomu", "context": "admins Ubuntu servers for work", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50107194", "date": "2026-10-15"}, {"by": "BigTTYGothGF", "context": "Linux user since 1994", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50078514", "date": "2026-10-13"}, {"by": "newsoftheday", "context": "uses desktop Linux on several machines", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50033895", "date": "2026-10-10"}, {"by": "ajd555", "context": "running own business, limited time", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909681", "date": "2026-09-30"}, {"by": "anon7725", "context": "LTS to LTS user, not a beginner", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909547", "date": "2026-09-30"}, {"by": "lproven", "context": "owns ThinkPad X200/X220 machines", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49896293", "date": "2026-09-29"}, {"by": "cpburns2009", "context": "Linux user since 2008", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49603894", "date": "2026-09-07"}, {"by": "ProllyInfamous", "context": "blue-collar electrician", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49239175", "date": "2026-08-09"}, {"by": "cmrdporcupine", "context": "ASUS GX10 / DGX Spark user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48808873", "date": "2026-07-06"}, {"by": "kordlessagain", "context": "homelab owner", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48744879", "date": "2026-07-01"}, {"by": "dustinkirkland", "context": "former Canonical product management lead", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619467", "date": "2026-06-21"}], "tags": ["for non-technical users", "for Windows switchers", "for older hardware", "for servers and homelabs", "for LTS users"], "use_cases": ["desktop os", "daily os", "laptop os", "servers", "daily driver", "daily driver os"], "compared": [{"slug": "debian", "name": "Debian", "co": 30, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 9}, {"slug": "windows", "name": "Windows", "co": 11, "switched_from": 14, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "fedora", "name": "Fedora", "co": 22, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 5}, {"slug": "macos", "name": "macOS", "co": 13, "switched_from": 5, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "nixos", "name": "NixOS", "co": 8, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "gentoo", "name": "Gentoo", "co": 6, "switched_from": 3, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "arch-linux", "name": "Arch Linux", "co": 8, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "omarchy", "name": "Omarchy", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 2}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908757", "title": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available", "mentions": 5}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445382", "title": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?", "mentions": 5}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46795864", "title": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46566465", "title": "I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50114359", "title": "Last rites for Gentoo's Chromium package", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50102423", "title": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released", "mentions": 3}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2, "compare": 1, "neutral": 2, "warn": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 3, "warn": 1, "recommend": 1, "compare": 1}, "2026-01": {"warn": 2, "neutral": 10, "recommend": 11}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1, "warn": 1}, "2026-03": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 2, "recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"warn": 2, "recommend": 2}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {"neutral": 3, "warn": 1, "recommend": 5}, "2026-07": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 2, "warn": 1}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 7, "recommend": 4, "warn": 3}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 7, "neutral": 3, "warn": 4}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 7, "warn": 4}}, "quotes": [{"id": 804479968, "item_id": 50279998, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50279998", "by": "yipinwong", "date": "2026-10-28", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "You tell me 22.04 LT (which is one I use), oh yeah, that's a good one.", "excerpt": "I do not agree. As an example, Linux distros say, Ubuntu got its project \"names\" as well as SEMVERs. But people rarely use project names but uses versions. You tell me, I use \"Jammy Jellyfish\". I will be like WTF dood. You tell me 22.04 LT (which is one I use), oh yeah, that's a good one. Same thing here. companies can call whatever SOTA whatever they want. But in the end people will refer to them as just Gemini 4 or", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gemini 4 Carbon"}, {"id": 804478449, "item_id": 50279903, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50279903", "by": "Liftyee", "date": "2026-10-28", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Xournalpp works ok, Ubuntu 24.04", "excerpt": "I use a stylus to take lecture notes and solve problem sheets on my ThinkPad X13. Xournalpp works ok, Ubuntu 24.04, though there was a mutter bug that I had Sol patch out. Only better than paper because of data storage, honestly carrying a notebook is lighter than the usb c second display I use. When I have it folded, it's intuitive to use the touchscreen like a tablet. But I wouldn't want to run the i3 setup I have ", "context": "student using ThinkPad with stylus", "use_case": "laptop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and Touch"}, {"id": 802430016, "item_id": 50151876, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151876", "by": "pjmlp", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "last time I used a system like Ubuntu was last year, where it failed to work with a GIGABYTE BRIX Mini-PC UEFI firmware", "excerpt": "Yes, they are always changing, I know Linux since 1996, use it as part of my work, last time I used a system like Ubuntu was last year, where it failed to work with a GIGABYTE BRIX Mini-PC UEFI firmware when starting from internal SSD, which I eventually gave up after several weeks trying various workarounds.", "context": "Linux user since 1996, uses it for work", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.3"}, {"id": 802118736, "item_id": 50132421, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50132421", "by": "president_zippy", "date": "2026-10-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "the longer I use it, the more it makes me wish I was using OpenBSD w/ xfce", "excerpt": "I've been forced to use Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 at my job for the past 4 years, and the longer I use it, the more it makes me wish I was using OpenBSD w/ xfce.", "context": "forced to use Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 at their job", "use_case": "work desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Solar surpasses nuclear power globally for first time"}, {"id": 801847633, "item_id": 50115477, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115477", "by": "pvdebbe", "date": "2026-10-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "they just have all this crap that I don't have to tolerate on my gentoo installs.", "excerpt": "Daily Gentoo desktop user since 2007. Compilations/ricing is one thing, the variety and flexibility of the portage and USE flag system is another. For me it just makes sense to stay with this proven distro. I use Ubuntu variants on my work PC and they just have all this crap that I don't have to tolerate on my gentoo installs.", "context": "", "use_case": "work PC", "switched_from": "", "story": "Last rites for Gentoo's Chromium package"}, {"id": 801846562, "item_id": 50115410, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115410", "by": "contingencies", "date": "2026-10-16", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'd started to err to Ubuntu at some point.", "excerpt": "I used it on an off as my daily machine for around 15-20 years I think. It is fast in terms of execution-on-hardware speed, and genuinely puts you in control. For a certain kind of user this is more important than anything. These days I'm on OSX mostly because of the frequency of business trips meant I needed something small and portable a few years ago, and now the hardware is so much better than what you can get fo", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "Gentoo", "story": "Last rites for Gentoo's Chromium package"}, {"id": 801844465, "item_id": 50115279, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115279", "by": "kleiba2", "date": "2026-10-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Eventually, I switched to Ubuntu and never looked back.", "excerpt": "I tried Gentoo some 20 years ago or so for fun at home. I guess my naive thinking was that software specifically compiled for my hardware would run noticeably faster and \"better\". But I didn't last for very long. I remember starting the install for a bigger app before going to bed, only to find the thing still building when I woke up. And as for the dream of more tailored builds, I never really noticed anything much ", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Gentoo", "story": "Last rites for Gentoo's Chromium package"}, {"id": 801715105, "item_id": 50107194, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50107194", "by": "ndsipa_pomu", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've been using Ubuntu for years and admin a whole bunch of Ubuntu servers for work", "excerpt": "I've been using Ubuntu for years and admin a whole bunch of Ubuntu servers for work - I originally chose it due to it having more recent packages than Debian and it's relatively easy to find information on fixes due to its popularity. What bugs me the most with snap is that the system insists that I close down e.g firefox or signal, so that it can be updated. That's annoying as are the frequent notifications that the", "context": "admins Ubuntu servers for work", "use_case": "servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801671680, "item_id": 50104480, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104480", "by": "surgical_fire", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Ubuntu is fine, and it was the distro that got me into Linux.", "excerpt": "Ubuntu is fine, and it was the distro that got me into Linux. For years I ran on Mint, and I still adore it. But on my daily driver I switched to OpenSUSE Tumbleweed and I am really enjoying it so far.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801666448, "item_id": 50104153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104153", "by": "nicfio", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I don't like Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "I don't like Ubuntu. It was born with the intent of making Linux more user friendly, it changed policy wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir. And then why use a derivative if I can stay on the original? I love debian: stable, it creates the right environment to feel at ease without the fear that every update can break something. Old software? flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801434337, "item_id": 50089646, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50089646", "by": "joinjune", "date": "2026-10-14", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "after upgrading our desktops to Ubuntu from Windows 11", "excerpt": "We used several different LLM's and our own skills to build out some novel approaches to document creation with new workflows using QEMU in Linux after upgrading our desktops to Ubuntu from Windows 11.", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows 11", "story": "Running Windows desktop tests from Linux with disposable VMs"}, {"id": 801256224, "item_id": 50078514, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50078514", "by": "BigTTYGothGF", "date": "2026-10-13", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Nowadays I use ubuntu", "excerpt": "> The Ubuntu users are only there because I started using linux in 1994 with slackware. Nowadays I use ubuntu, I've spent too many hours of my life tweaking my linux installs.", "context": "Linux user since 1994", "use_case": "daily OS", "switched_from": "Slackware", "story": "A plea not to use uv-build"}, {"id": 800542320, "item_id": 50033895, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50033895", "by": "newsoftheday", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it has not happened on Ubuntu or Kubuntu since I started using them in 2006", "excerpt": "> Too many times even in the past I do an update the distro and then something stops working and then I have to spend a day fixing. On Ubuntu starting in 2006 and Kubuntu the last several years, what you're describing doesn't and hasn't happened to me. When I've tried other distros over the years, the issue you described has happened to me on: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Fedora SuSE Debian (yes, even Debian but it was w", "context": "uses desktop Linux on several machines", "use_case": "desktop Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "WSL3 Performance is about 5-60% faster than WSL2 depending on the workload"}, {"id": 799474256, "item_id": 49967141, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49967141", "by": "nickserv", "date": "2026-10-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the Ubuntu/Debian base is useful for the good compatibility.", "excerpt": "I use it for a bit of everything: dev work (InteliJ), basic 3D modeling/printing (freeCAD, Blender, Orca), light video editing (OBS, Kdenlive), gaming (wine) ... Could probably go with an Arch based distro, but the Ubuntu/Debian base is useful for the good compatibility.", "context": "", "use_case": "general desktop use", "switched_from": "", "story": "The work by Valve's Timur Krist\u00f3f on improving old AMD GPUs on Linux"}, {"id": 798579856, "item_id": 49911241, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49911241", "by": "ndsipa_pomu", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For me, it's got more up-to-date versions of software than Debian and it's easy to search for solutions to issues as it's got a large user base.", "excerpt": "I use it for work (and a homelab). For me, it's got more up-to-date versions of software than Debian and it's easy to search for solutions to issues as it's got a large user base. I'm not a fan of the various redhat/centos distros as I've had issues in the past with RPM based distributions. It's possible to have problems with DEB based systems, but in my experience it's a lot easier to fix DEB systems than RPM ones.", "context": "uses it for work and a homelab", "use_case": "work and homelab OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798554896, "item_id": 49909681, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909681", "by": "ajd555", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu just...worked", "excerpt": "I used to run Arch out of engineering school (that's what we used there), and loved it. But as I started working on my business, I started having less time to simply configure my OS and fight it on a few things. The breaking point for me, when I switched to Ubuntu Desktop, was not being able to connect to my two monitors via a dock (2 display ports). It simply took too much of my time to figure out all the nuances of", "context": "running own business, limited time", "use_case": "desktop OS with dock and monitors", "switched_from": "Arch Linux", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798553728, "item_id": 49909608, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909608", "by": "BadBadJellyBean", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity.", "excerpt": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity. I don't want to use the latest greatest. I want something that works and has some manpower (and maybe money) behind it. I am not the biggest fan of snap but I know how to get around it.", "context": "", "use_case": "stable desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798552752, "item_id": 49909547, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909547", "by": "anon7725", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it has sane defaults and is reliable", "excerpt": "I use it because I like how it looks, it has sane defaults and is reliable. I am an \"LTS to LTS\" type person. My desktop pretty much looks like the default screenshots. Most of my customization comes through scripts and tools that I can install quickly after a reimage. Not a beginner.", "context": "LTS to LTS user, not a beginner", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798552672, "item_id": 49909542, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909542", "by": "Retr0id", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "they managed to make me feel like a second-class citizen as a not-enterprise-customer", "excerpt": "It used to be my \"it just works\" distro for systems I didn't want to spend time configuring, but they managed to make me feel like a second-class citizen as a not-enterprise-customer (not really anything specific, just a lot of small cuts). I appreciate that they're running a business, but the Fedora/RHEL split feels much cleaner, and Fedora is my current go-to in instances where I used to reach for Ubuntu. (Or I use", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 798340692, "item_id": 49896293, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49896293", "by": "lproven", "date": "2026-09-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I run Haiku, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Ubuntu, and Pop OS, and all of them go like stink and are daily-drivable", "excerpt": "Indeed. I know of two \"best laptops ever made\": Drew DeVault says it's the X200: https://drewdevault.com/blog/Fucking-laptops/ \u00ab The best laptop ever made is the ThinkPad X200, and I have two of them. \u00bb He has a very strong case. I own one. It is certainly one of the best ever. On the other hand, Brad Taunt says it is the X220: https://btxx.org/posts/x220/ \u00ab The X220 ThinkPad is the greatest laptop ever made and you\u2019", "context": "owns ThinkPad X200/X220 machines", "use_case": "daily use on ThinkPad X220", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google ending ChromeOS support two years early"}, {"id": 797227168, "item_id": 49826698, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49826698", "by": "geon", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I ran ubuntu on it a couple of years until I switched to macos to do ios dev.", "excerpt": "Very impressive to pull off such a compact build in 2003! I built a Shuttle xpc cube in 2008. I though that was tiny. I specifically used a laptop hard drive to reduce noice. I think it was this exact model: https://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/s/o2HKpeLmrA It was my firts step away from windows. I ran ubuntu on it a couple of years until I switched to macos to do ios dev.", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "The \"Windows XP Box\" (2003)"}, {"id": 796880704, "item_id": 49805044, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49805044", "by": "mettamage", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I used Ubuntu as a daily driver for a while, and then I went back to MacOS and life was so much better.", "excerpt": "Thank you for saying this. This is how I feel. I used Ubuntu as a daily driver for a while, and then I went back to MacOS and life was so much better.", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver", "switched_from": "", "story": "I said no and Apple said yes"}, {"id": 796782290, "item_id": 49798893, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49798893", "by": "liendolucas", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "running bhyve as daily driver with Ubuntu for development purposes", "excerpt": "Running FreeBSD on a Lenovo Thinkbook 16 G7 ARP that was bought brand new less than a year ago. Everything except the wifi works flawlessly (daily driver for working). And the wifi is easily fixable either buying a non expensive dongle or waiting for the next release. Also running bhyve as daily driver with Ubuntu for development purposes. Everything works without issues, perfectly.", "context": "", "use_case": "development VM guest", "switched_from": "", "story": "I said no and Apple said yes"}, {"id": 795481104, "item_id": 49717569, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717569", "by": "abustamam", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu native search is pretty bad too", "excerpt": "I thought i was going to greener pastures when I switched from Windows to Ubuntu but Ubuntu native search is pretty bad too. I typed \"printer\" so I can get to my printer settings and the first three are printer icons/emoji. I cant imagine why these would be more important", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27"}, {"id": 795396625, "item_id": 49712289, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49712289", "by": "here_to_learn", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages.", "excerpt": "I moved to Fedora from Ubuntu about a year ago for my laptop. My main motivation was not be defaulted to snap packages. I have had a great experience i.e it gets out of the way and it doesn't fall apart when I update stuff. I was worried about SELinux but find Fedoras defaults just fine and intuitive.", "context": "", "use_case": "laptop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 completes transition to Rust-based coreutils"}, {"id": 793662304, "item_id": 49603894, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49603894", "by": "cpburns2009", "date": "2026-09-07", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Soon after I found wifi worked on Ubuntu out of the box and switched to that for years.", "excerpt": "Back when I switched to Linux in 2008, I had a similar wifi driver problem on my new Dell laptop. Eventually I found a different release of the Windows driver cab file strangely with an identical version but this one worked on Fedora. Soon after I found wifi worked on Ubuntu out of the box and switched to that for years.", "context": "Linux user since 2008", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Fedora", "story": "Using a Linux Laptop in 2026"}, {"id": 793462210, "item_id": 49591388, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49591388", "by": "cfstras", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "because of distros like Fedora and Ubuntu, I can keep using a 15y old Samsung notebook", "excerpt": "It\u2018s going to be a godsend for people with M1 macs when Apple or App vendors decide to drop support for them. The hardware is super capable and will make a great fileserver, TV box or HomeAssistant instance once I\u2018m done using it as daily driver. Similarly, because of distros like Fedora and Ubuntu, I can keep using a 15y old Samsung notebook with a modern firefox, whereas Windows 8 already broke Samsung\u2018s display br", "context": "", "use_case": "reviving old laptop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Asahi Linux on M3"}, {"id": 792373104, "item_id": 49523319, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49523319", "by": "davsti4", "date": "2026-09-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Finally found stability with Ubuntu after a few years, and still use it today", "excerpt": "That was about the time of the Redhat 9 to Fedora shift and I felt the pain too. I was using RH9 for the stability, but then switched to Fedora like everyone was supposed to. Well, that was a big bag of something left on the doorstep. I had to spend countless evenings messing with configs to get the system useable; then upgrades would break things. Finally found stability with Ubuntu after a few years, and still use ", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Fedora", "story": "Get your Windows license refund"}, {"id": 792153264, "item_id": 49509579, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49509579", "by": "lproven", "date": "2026-08-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "when I switched from SUSE to Ubuntu in 2004", "excerpt": "Before I was a Linux type I was a Windows expert, and when I went freelance in 1996, I built myself a fairly serious NT 4 rig: Pentium II 450, 192MB of RAM (I think), and dual Matrox Millennium cards so I could drive dual 14-15 inch CRT (glass) screens as a single big display. I think I kept those cards, as a pair, in my next 3 or 4 PCs \u2013 I know I was still using them about a decade later, because when I switched fro", "context": "Linux user and former freelance Windows expert", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "SUSE", "story": "Matrox: Graphics for Professionals"}, {"id": 791956864, "item_id": 49497304, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49497304", "by": "ProllyInfamous", "date": "2026-08-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "An Ubuntu running a 5070Ti is now my main operating system.", "excerpt": "I've been ignoring Linux since the early 90s. Would always install some variant, think it was \"pretty cool\" for a few days, then revert back to \"whatever MacOS was offering\" (for my daily driver). ---- 2026: I just finished building my third Ubuntu Linux machine, this year (gave the first one to my brother). An Ubuntu running a 5070Ti is now my main operating system.", "context": "", "use_case": "main desktop OS", "switched_from": "macOS", "story": "California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law"}, {"id": 791547200, "item_id": 49471700, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49471700", "by": "Sha1rholder", "date": "2026-08-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Simply because Ubuntu uses apt.", "excerpt": "Simply because Ubuntu uses apt. 1. TrueNAS and PVE are based on Debian (apt); 2. the OS images provided by major Chinese cloud vendors like Aliyun and Tencent Cloud that use dnf (like Rocky Linux and Fedora) are MUCH older than Debian and Ubuntu. I simply want my environment to be more consistent and scripts more reusable.", "context": "", "use_case": "consistent environment and reusable scripts", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 791363424, "item_id": 49460214, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49460214", "by": "ValtteriL", "date": "2026-08-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Ubuntu as the base minimizes the friction and support needed", "excerpt": "I use it at work for ubiquity. Every new member with Linux experience at least feels familiar with it, and therefore can get to speed faster and with confidence. When we build containers to be used or built on by other teams, Ubuntu as the base minimizes the friction and support needed for the same reason. There are Arch/Fedora/etc users too, but Ubuntu is the common denominator. I think it is good enough. At home I ", "context": "", "use_case": "work and container base", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 791301440, "item_id": 49456340, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456340", "by": "runjake", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw.", "excerpt": "I don't. Ubuntu forcing snap and other non-standard junk on server was the last straw. I've moved to Debian for servers and Fedora (usually KDE) and Omarchy for desktops. Fedora seems much higher quality than Ubuntu these days and faster! dnf seems comparatively slow compared to apt, but that's the least of my worries.", "context": "", "use_case": "servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 791173762, "item_id": 49448360, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49448360", "by": "troupo", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Ubuntu. Debian. Fedora especiall via Bazzite. Arch via CachyOS.", "excerpt": "> It\u2019s a really strong UX that\u2019s rapidly improving without a profit motive and people are excited about it. /r/unixporn is all about that. They don't get a $10 million fund though. > Closest thing to the \u201cit just works\u201d experience that Mac was always known for and it runs great on older hardware. Ubuntu. Debian. Fedora especiall via Bazzite. Arch via CachyOS. > Small example, running Zoom on i3 caused a tile cascade ", "context": "", "use_case": "it just works desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Omarchy development practices lead to predictable security issues"}, {"id": 791130432, "item_id": 49445652, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445652", "by": "krpovmu", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "warn", "quote": "that piece-of-junk Ubuntu", "excerpt": "Because my company has a contract with Micro$lop, and they have a bunch of malware that only works on that piece-of-junk Ubuntu", "context": "company has a contract with Microsoft", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 791127392, "item_id": 49445462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445462", "by": "bytestrix", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "people are using Ubuntu because of stability and community", "excerpt": "umm i think that people are using Ubuntu because of stability and community, and also people get used to of that now even if they try to use some other os they wont be comfortable, there are alooot of different better OS but for those people ubuntu is like their favorite food , I use arch BTW", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Why do you use Ubuntu?"}, {"id": 791083617, "item_id": 49442726, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49442726", "by": "gerdesj", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've settled on Ubuntu for a simple life.", "excerpt": "IT is a bit of a journey (as is life). I started off with a ZX80 kit and some bluetac ... I've lost count of how many interfaces I've had to fenangle to get a job done. For 20 odd years I rocked Gentoo as my daily driver but my lap can't take the heat any more. Wifey gets Arch and I've settled on Ubuntu for a simple life. Embarrassingly enough, I had to get a \"child\" to explain to me how to get a wine dispenser to wo", "context": "", "use_case": "daily driver OS", "switched_from": "Gentoo", "story": "Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra"}, {"id": 790849041, "item_id": 49428065, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49428065", "by": "dismalaf", "date": "2026-08-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For something that just works I recommend Fedora or Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "Pretty much all of them. None require online accounts or anything like that. Browser choice is probably more important. For something that just works I recommend Fedora or Ubuntu. It's what I'd put on my mom or wife's PC. Currently using Omarchy on my laptop though which is a tad more exotic, it's Arch + Hyprland and is pretty polished for that stack (at least the current version, 4.0) but still a tiny bit of jank.", "context": "", "use_case": "beginner-friendly desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "MS Paint and Photos inivisibly watermark even locally generated output with GUID"}, {"id": 790247875, "item_id": 49390492, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49390492", "by": "Imustaskforhelp", "date": "2026-08-21", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "for servers, I mostly use debian/ubuntu or alpine", "excerpt": "For what its worth, I am part of the very young men you mention* (currently 18) and I have talked to people my age on discord who use Linux. My opinion is that I think that cachyos is a much more suitable option over omarchy. Personally out of so many of the distros that I have tried including Omarchy, I found Cachyos to be somewhat perfectly balanced (atleast for me). So I highly recommend Cachyos if you haven't alr", "context": "", "use_case": "servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Omacom Foundation Launches with $8M"}, {"id": 789595952, "item_id": 49349747, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49349747", "by": "larksimian", "date": "2026-08-18", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I don't love Ubuntu, I just hate modern Windows and find my ubuntu for work popos for gaming setup to be better for me.", "excerpt": "Just ask any of the last gen coding agents to fix this for you and they'll make a script that tweaks a few things and it just works. Is it acceptable? No. Did it solve my endless crashes that I used to get every day? Yes. I don't love Ubuntu, I just hate modern Windows and find my ubuntu for work popos for gaming setup to be better for me. Ymmv.", "context": "", "use_case": "work desktop", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "Linux 7.3 improves performance when running out of vRAM"}, {"id": 782746672, "item_id": 48921667, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921667", "by": "PaulHoule", "date": "2026-07-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates.", "excerpt": "My two Win 11 machines have been pretty solid for a while, but my Ubuntu Linux machine has had a lot of trouble with software updates. When I built the machine about 12 years ago [1] it allocated a /boot partition that was big enough then but not big enough but as Ubuntu grew the /boot was too small to keep as many versions as Ubuntu wanted so kernel upgrades needed manual intervention. And for that machine it is a h", "context": "runs a headless machine with ZFS", "use_case": "headless home server", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Is it just me, or is software buggier across the board?"}, {"id": 776511249, "item_id": 48531953, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48531953", "by": "pmontra", "date": "2026-06-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "until they started pushing snaps very aggressively", "excerpt": "Probably because it got popular as the easy Linux distro back in the 2000s and that label is sticking. I remember that I attempted to install Debian on my laptop in 2009. It was ugly. I installed Ubuntu 8.04 and it was a totally different and much nicer experience. Because of that I've been on Ubuntu until they started pushing snaps very aggressively. I live booted Debian 11 and realized that its UI was exactly the s", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS on laptop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.1"}, {"id": 770550592, "item_id": 48159412, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48159412", "by": "ColonelBlimp", "date": "2026-05-16", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect", "excerpt": "My intention is not to dismiss the blog's argument about using Linux but my experience running an Ubuntu LTS in my main computer has been straightforward, easy and as problem-free as one could expect. I'm sure other Linux distros offer a similar experience. I get that every person is different, so what works for someone might be dysfunctional for someone else. But I wonder if there's a growing tendency to over-emphas", "context": "", "use_case": "main computer OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "I love Linux, but I can't quit Windows"}, {"id": 751457728, "item_id": 46966108, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46966108", "by": "SunshineTheCat", "date": "2026-02-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet", "excerpt": "No comment on the hosting end of things, however, I switched to Ubuntu on my PC a couple of weekends ago and I still have not adjusted to the peace and quiet of not getting 87 meaningless windows notifications every time I boot up.", "context": "", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows", "story": "The Switch to Linux and the Beginning of My Self-Hosting Journey"}, {"id": 747722512, "item_id": 46732657, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46732657", "by": "egeres", "date": "2026-01-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "she's basically set for life", "excerpt": "This Christmas I bought my mom a new computer because her old one (W10) was falling apart. It took some time but I managed to convince her to give ubuntu a try instead of moving to W11. After a week of complaints and stubbornness, she got really surprised about the lack of annoying prompts asking for updates, dark patterns to switch to edge, promotions etc. Now she has fully adapted and for her basic needs (browsing,", "context": "bought mom a new computer", "use_case": "mom's desktop OS", "switched_from": "Windows 10", "story": "Hate is a strong word, but I don't like Windows 11"}, {"id": 745257040, "item_id": 46578565, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46578565", "by": "ahf8Aithaex7Nai", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu.", "excerpt": "My last Windows was Windows 95 (or 98?). I've been exclusively using Linux for ~25 years. I use Ubuntu because I've been using it for ~20 years and have better things to do than try out different distros. My mother, my grandmother, and many of my non-computer-savvy friends also use Ubuntu. I know a Germanist who uses Debian. It's a bit like with cars. If you know someone who really knows about cars, they'll be able t", "context": "exclusive Linux user for ~25 years", "use_case": "daily driver, compiler development", "switched_from": "", "story": "I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too"}, {"id": 745118368, "item_id": 46569898, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46569898", "by": "rickdg", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24", "excerpt": "I use ubuntu and the default remote desktop just stopped working since 24: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/rdp-stopped-working-after-upgrade-from-22-to-24/51559/2 With Linux, you just have to be prepared to hit a bug and find no help coming anytime.", "context": "Ubuntu user", "use_case": "desktop OS with remote desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great"}, {"id": 743451952, "item_id": 46465747, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46465747", "by": "tsss", "date": "2026-01-02", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve.", "excerpt": "No, it really isn't. I use Ubuntu daily and not a month passes without a serious issue that no normal user would be able to solve. Last week my desktop completely froze again (as it often does) and Linux broke a mounted NTFS partition when I shut off the power.", "context": "daily Ubuntu user", "use_case": "daily desktop", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux is good now; to feel like you actually own your PC, put Linux on it"}, {"id": 737596593, "item_id": 46099787, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46099787", "by": "jjaksic", "date": "2025-11-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it literally breaks all the bloody time", "excerpt": "Bazzite is an insanely awesome distro! I used Ubuntu for 8 years constantly fixing issues, from the day I installed it (because it didn't support basic Ryzen), after every distro upgrade, and various other random points, e.g. when installing a package whose dependency overwrote something. Each issue took hours to fix, usually searching forums for arcane command lines and trying everything until something worked (poss", "context": "used Ubuntu for 8 years", "use_case": "desktop OS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bazzite: Operating System for Linux gaming"}]}