The Rise and Fall of Ubuntu: What Happened? | Tech History

[@moosesnWoop]

I'm sad you glossed over WHY it's called Ubuntu. Ubuntu is SUCH a great name for open source. It's a South African term which loosely translates to "I am because we are" and it's a catch all term to express human community. It's so fitting and sort of fate in a way, that the most used Linux distro is "Ubuntu" and open source, free to community "i exist because you exist" ideology.

[@UToobSteak]

Ubuntu 11.04 is where my linux journey began. I'm one that loved Unity right away. It was so handy when you got a handle on it. Scopes was great too. It made it easy to find everything. I even used a Nexus 4 with Ubuntu Touch for a couple years. I still have Ubuntu on my desktop, and dual boot Linux Mint and Kali on my laptop. I still learn new things linux can do every day! Good video, man

[@WeirdTreeThing]

My first experience with linux was ubuntu 16.04. I loved the way unity worked and looked back then. I wasn't very happy when they switched to gnome with ubuntu 18.04 but continued to use it because it was what I was used to and didn't want to change. Then 20.04 rolled out and completely changed the way the ubuntu desktop looked like. I didn't like the way it looked and how slow it ran on my old pc. Then I discovered ubuntu unity and installed it right away. I was happy to have unity back while having an up to date version of ubuntu. But eventually I wanted to move on to something else and switched to arch with xfce. After that I tried out a lot of different distros and DEs/WMs and ended up with arch and Hyprland as of writing this. Ubuntu 16.04 and the unity desktop will always have a special place in my heart as where my linux journey started.

[@stephenhosking7384]

Yes, we remember the first time we installed Linux and got something special, which was so different from Windows! For me, it was RedHat 5.2, way back in 1998! We also remember a few of the other "ah.. ah..!" moments along the way. For me, the KDE desktop. I never liked gnome, which right from the start struck me as zealotry. :)

[@MarkyShaw]

Dude, I really enjoyed that video. Learned lots of history that eluded me for years when I took a break with Ubuntu. Was pleased with their latest release after bit of Gnome tweaking. Thank you for sharing!

[@DistrosProjects]

Glad you learned something!

[@marinoceccotti9155]

I used Ubuntu since the Hardy Heron. I gave up when they got rid of Gnome 2 for Unity. I also remember my utter dismay seeing an Amazon logo in the menu. I then switched to Mint Mate.

[@w00denh3arts]

How dare you, not have more subscribers. Your content is amazing!

[@beautifulislam67]

I am using Ubuntu 22.04, it is great. 🙂

[@channel-zz8kk]

Truly a great documentary! I was surprised when you said that you didn't know much about Linux before 2018; you researched this so thoroughly that I thought you were a user since the 2000s. I'm cautiously optimistic for the future of Ubuntu, there's still so much potential.

[@karstenberg3954]

yeah, absolutely! He's done a great job on research and testing it all in virtual machines instead of just using screenshots!

[@felcynchannel840]

I wanted a history of Ubuntu in a well presented and organized manner! I got just that and learned a lot. I’ve gotten into Ubuntu a lot more as of late. My grandpas PC from 2012-2013 ish was quite sluggish on windows 10. Put in a SSD and asked if he would be willing to try Ubuntu and man he’s loving it. For him it’s simple enough for what he’s doing mail and web searches. He didn’t like thunderbird which I don’t blame him! Lol

[@shu35627]

despite getting so much hate by community here i am..... using ubuntu still with unity desktop... what can i say now.. i can't seems to use DE other than UNITY.. so even if i try other distros none seems to fit my need and usability .. unity is just that perfect for me.. 🙃🙃 been using ubuntu since 6 years now .. in these years i tried different distros and desktop environments but again switched to ubuntu for unity..

[@Sugar95]

Absolutely brilliant video, love these small documentaries. Still love and use the Unity desktop every day, they'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands haha.

[@marloelefant7500]

This video shows me how quickly things are going in the Ubuntu world. Every 5 years or so, they introduce some drastic changes that initially spark controversy, but get loved by users later on. To me, Ubuntu was always a strong pillar in the ever changing Linux world, but this video demonstrated how futile it actually is.

[@JamesRichardWiley]

I've been using Ubuntu for ten years and still using it to watch this video. I don't see where the fall is.

[@pietersmit621]

Snap

[@BombataIsReal]

@@pietersmit621 not a big issue

[@Asfgxff]

Ubuntu tried to be apple. The fall began with the failure of Ubuntu One and culminated at 10:35.

[@BombataIsReal]

@@Asfgxff Wow

[@RyanKarolak]

I remember trying out Ubuntu in 2004. I still use Ubuntu as my primary Linux distro. Not because it's the 'best' out there, but I'm very comfortable with Ubuntu and Debian. Ubuntu certainly has had its ups and downs. The auto-sending of search terms to Amazon wasn't good. I didn't like Snaps at first, but I've warmed up a lot to them over time as they got better integrated into the desktop.

[@Tekay37]

that wasnice ride through my memories with ubuntu. I remember using one of the first versions of ubuntu, being the first linux I was able to install that would start with a functional desktop. I remember being annoyed when ubuntu decided to just change how my system looked like. I later switched to linux mint and will likely continue using mint in the future. But ubuntu is the distro that introduced me to the linux world.

[@cosmicusstardust3300]

Ubuntu 20.04 was where my Linux journey began though I didn't stay in the Ubuntu ecosystem long due to a bunch of annoyances I personally ran into with the distro. I eventually ended up on EndeavourOS from a number of distro hopping over the years and finally can call this place my home lol

[@TestadorSmart]

In the year 2010, Ubuntu was light years ahead of Windows, as Windows was still maintaining the Windows XP version, which was 10 years old. Major advancements in Linux at the time included visual effects, sleek design, speed, Compiz Fusion, fast booting, and a virus-free environment. However, when they introduced the Unity interface and tried to focus on Mobile and IoT Convergence, it didn't stand a chance. This made things very complicated, giving Windows the opportunity to regain its space.

[@JohnSmith-qt4pv]

The old ubuntu sound font is fire

[@robonator2945]

genuinely super well made and useful for people getting into linux. I knew most of this already, but even then there were some really interesting bits I didn't know about like Canonical trying to make their own display server from the ground up.

[@fullscale4me]

I learned a lot about a distro I used and then left through many of those years. Well done!

[@rumble1925]

Still the best distro due to how stable it is imo

[@PiddeBas]

Awesome video, only one important feature of Unity you missed, the HUD.

[@louisromero3752]

Woah, this music is such a throwback

[@ThePoliteKitten]

I don't think ubuntu is dead, you can still install it, but i think users don't install it soo much like other distros, but it still makes rolling releases with different desktop enviroments

[@kesierzg]

Thanks, I actually was looking for a video like this some time ago!

[@water_melon_9000]

I was using Ubuntu since 9.04 in both home and professional environments. I dodged the Unity controversy by switching to the XFCE after the Gnome 2 era, but they lost me a couple years ago when they started shoehorning snaps everywhere.

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

Ubuntu will always have a very special place in my heart. The first time I ever tried Linux was with Ubuntu 7.10. I was just 13 and tried it, after a buddy urged be to. I basically used Ubuntu until Gnome 3 came along; I think I used Mint after that. I was using Linux on and off over the years, but I've had my share of most Linux "flavors". Today I don't run Ubuntu anymore - directly. But I do use Ubuntu based Distros. They usually offer anything Ubuntu has and then some. But man, do those Gnome 2 Ubuntu Screens revoke nostalgia.

[@cordovajose5693]

Ubuntu will always have a very special place in my laptop, because it's the only OS/distro I use.

[@doblefazz]

I was only 9 years old when I first tried a Linux based operating system and it was Ubuntu 12.10. I had no idea what I was doing, but I tried to get those fancy window effects to work (I was a sucker for desktop customization and I still am). That obviously didn't work since I was running it on a VM in a PC with 2 GB of RAM and crappy onboard graphics. Fun times. After that the Minecraft era kicked in and I became addicted. But man, I wish I had put more time on trying to learn Linux back then, I was a smart kid. I could've learnt a lot!

[@ConclusiveLion663]

Me too

[@momentomoridoth2007]

I remember installing the first release after coming from debian , my first year with linux full time was 2003, the year I graduated High School. I have not looked back, but linux has come a LONG way since then. lol.

[@Asidders]

I had no idea Unity was less resource-intensive than Gnome 3+. Unity looked so much better, as well, so it surprised me.

[@softwelveone]

oh man, great video!! the KZbin algorithm introduced me to Ubuntu... I was watching video's on how to JailBreak my 2009 iPhone when I clicked on an Ubuntu video! I got hooked from there on out! KARMIC KOALA!!!

[@ApidaeY]

Making a "rise and fall" video about Ubuntu with only a few years of use? That's a bold claim. As someone who's been using Ubuntu for two decades, I can confidently say it's thriving. Let's not forget Ubuntu's role in making Linux accessible, which is a major reason for its current success. It's everywhere, powering a significant portion of the internet, even this platform we're using. Criticisms exist, of course. Unity wasn't universally loved at the time howver people ironically want it back now, and the Amazon integration wasn't ideal (though data was supposedly anonymized). However, Ubuntu actively innovates, and that deserves praise. Support the pioneers of Linux, They're all crucial to the ecosystem's growth, and diversity is a strength. Let's focus on fostering a positive and constructive environment, not negativity. Ubuntu is great, most people just parrot a comment they read on Reddit.

[@tonywise198]

I got my first Ubuntu CD on the front of a PC magazines (Also Red Hat and Linux Mint for that matter). In the early days I collected all of these amazing operating systems Exciting times.

[@CozumelTy]

Great work on this video.

[@paulhenderson1462]

Fall? With the purchase of Redhat by Big Blue IBM, Ubuntu is more popular than ever! We just migrated 300+ servers to it this past summer (from Centos). Very solid. I guess the "Fall" is just click bait.

[@andersrundgren6557]

I find the constant mucking with the top menu bar interesting. I have just done a painful transition from Windows to MacOS and I still don't get the point of a context-aware top menu. It is illogical and fuzzy when you have tons on applications running on a high resolution screen.

[@alixcozmo]

Great video! Really interesting

[@kodemasterx]

I honestly, I went back to Ubuntu after being on Fedora KDE for a bit, I stripped snaps from the OS and only do regular packages or flapaks other than that Ubuntu still remains as one of the top distros out there regarding the HATE it gets.

[@samvictorguyvandevelde7815]

Sick video; keep it up!

[@DistrosProjects]

Thanks!!

[@freddo22gold]

Thanks for the history lesson Dude

[@awa0927]

lol the “stranger things “ intro music intro tho 😂

[@TheRealEtaoinShrdlu]

I can still remember the excitement I had when I received my 6.06 Dapper CD in the mail 😂😂😂

[@zvzenjoyer-ao]

Do one video on the best Linux distro in your opinion. Subscribed !

[@staninjapan07]

Thanks that was very informative. Happy Linux Mint user.

[@stranded_mariner7695]

oh my god, watching this I realise that I have been using Linux since around 2010.

[@Zgembo121]

Sick intro and its music

[@joshuapettus6973]

If people like GNOME 2, there is always the exellent Ubuntu Mate spin which is a continuation of GNOME 2

[@HikingFeral]

I use Arch and Arch based distros but you will not find me dogging on Ubuntu. I love Debian and Ubuntu and even though I now prefer Arch and believe it is more powerful and better for my needs - Ubuntu and Debian are 2 of the most important, most powerful Linux distributions to have ever ben developed. I use Arch by the way but Arch is for hobbyists, Ubuntu is an extremely important OS both in the public and corporate world, a world which could very easy carry on without Arch and Debian, well...grandad Debian is probably the most stable software I have ever used in 3 decades of computing.

[@lmachado788]

Great video!!

[@swedenreality6082]

Is that TTD music?

[@SteepSix]

I just installed ubuntu on my old dual core laptop that had windows 8 on it. This was my first linux experience... I think it's great. And not just because windows 8 is so crap. It breathed new life into that old laptop which I will now retrofit with a ram boost and an ssd upgrade. Which I wouldn't have bothered with before.

[@cbbcbb6803]

Lots of people could not upgrade Ubuntu 18.04. Python3 somehow seems to have broken the upgrade and no one knows how to fix it. Except to delete it and start over with a "fresh" install. That is not a solution. This is as annoying as heck.

[@brom1787]

Yes, thats the reson im gonna Switch because having to Reinstall anyway

[@s1cler]

6:28 we will se about that!

[@joeblow8593]

Good video, thanks.

[@rahb1]

I started with 5.10 (which I really liked, apart from its obvious failings at the time) and have struggled with some of the changes since then, as I am now 70. My last download was 22.04 LTS and I am starting to wonder if there is a better distro for me? I mostly use Macs, and do NOT want to go back to the pain of Windows (which won't run on this hardware anyway).

[@youtubeoneverything4581]

nice documentary

[@PHDWhom]

What happened? Nothing. Ubuntu is still as strong and as popular as ever, and you got my click with your clickbait title, so kudos for that, I suppose. Ubuntu never fell.

[@Alexander-ix2jp]

+1

[@aayushsrivastava9569]

The user experience isn't as good as it used to be. The OS is very slow

[@freedomgoddess]

the newer ubuntu versions cannot beat 17.04, and they seemingly never will.

[@i-use-4rch-btw]

Yeah… it’s just that there’s a LOT more people who hate Ubuntu today than there were in 2004, even taking into account how much smaller the Linux community was then

[@mihajlocolic01]

Average youtube clickbait

[@4Nanook]

I don't see the downfall you claim, and as for the Gnome-3, I didn't like it either but there was a very simple fix for this, Mate, a Gnome-2 clone ported to GTK--3 (and I hope they follow through with GTK-4). Ubuntu even made a Mate spin just in case typing apt install mate-desktop-extra. It is identical to Gnome-2 except perhaps visually a bit more polished, but the menus remained and the layout the same. This continues into the present with 24.04 which I am currently using.

[@B5152g]

I wish minimalistic actually meant lighter, gnome shell is heavy for the basic stuff it actually does.

[@mariotanggo]

Love the ship it era, mine was sent from the netherland. 😊

[@RonLaws]

Ubuntu's werid Desktop choices are why I use Linux Mint. It takes the solid foundation of ubuntu that made it great from the early days, ditches gnomes identity crisis of a desktop, removes Canonicle's snap fapping and replaces it all with a clean, traditional UI with all the easy to use benefits, the way it should have been done. I guess you could call Mint "Ubuntu done right"

[@ArchLars]

Ubuntu was created because Debian was annoying to install for regular users, now Debian is as simple as Ubuntu to install so idk why people use Ubuntu anymore to be honest. Just use Debian if you want the apt environment. Switching to Cinnamon was also a breeze on Debian, so I will say the same about Mint.

[@DonMr]

Great video.

[@DistrosProjects]

Thanks!

[@grxgghxrpxr]

love this video 💗

[@mjdxp5688]

Feels like Ubuntu went from being for humans to being for nobody. I really think things started to nosedive around when GNOME 2 was abandoned and Amazon was added to the panel. Things haven't really gotten any better and there's little reason to run Ubuntu anymore when alternatives such as Linux Mint which feel much more like the original pre-Unity Ubuntu exist.

[@dinozaurpickupline4221]

I hope can follow more content,cheers

[@foxdavani4091]

Why is this the rise and fall? Ubuntu did not fall. Ubuntu is still an excellent operating system, a very modern operating system and one with a bright future. It did not fall. Putting it under that title. Makes it sound like the operating system has come to an end.

[@foxdavani4091]

Maybe but I’m not the kind of person that likes bait and switch titles like this. They make me very angry because they mislead people. America has had so much misleading in the last 40 years that we are the generation that should be honest and rebuild America, not continue this misleading nonsense with these kind of titles. @ckgamingchannel8066

For me personally when Ubuntu killed unity that's when Ubuntu died for me. A couple years ago I tried Ubuntu again when it started using gnome again and I was very disappointed and angry like I tried to drag some files out of a folder to the desktop and it didn't allow me to do that. Like WHAT?!. Edit: Still like Ubuntu tho, but it feels the best version of Ubuntu is dead. Nowadays I use Windows and MacOS but if I was to use Linux again I think I would go with kde plasma, kde neon or even try that Ubuntu unity disto (tho I heard it was buggy so I might just wait a few years to see it fleshed out)

[@Ray_of_Light62]

The rise, yes. The fall, less so. I use Debian, but I recognise the role if Ubuntu in the Linux world, even if I don't like it...

[@theworstredstoner0950]

it used to use xfce?

[@xspager]

Early Ubuntu was so good looking

[@ps.rialarco]

I was a Debian user, and suddenly I became seduced when they promise to send CDs to my house, and a total lover when they ACTUALLY did it. For real. For free. And now, after 20 years (well, after OSX, and Windows, and Fedora, Manjaro, Neon, Fedora again, Ubuntu, and Fedora again again), I came back. Because.

[@SearchFinger]

Linux Mint is Ubuntu without the bad bits and it's what I prefer. ;-)

[@florianvanbondoc3539]

quality content here

[@ultimateavenger5627]

For me ubuntu is the only distro which fits best to me.

[@metaorior]

Ubuntu is the best

[@_salience_]

The Linux “elite”never want anything to gain too much popularity. Ubuntu began to appeal to the masses so it’s out. Simple as that. Has Canonical made all the right choices, no. Is it now evil, lol no.

[@koningbolo4700]

2:21 Rickrolling??

[@annamariaisland1960]

I haven't used Ubuntu in years (got swallowed by Mac OS), but am sad that it's gone the way of Red Het etc. I suppose when the business model is to give away software to single users but sell a bigger product to corporate customers that eventually the latter will control the design.

[@varunchib-b]

I want distro comparison video please.

[@nsr-ints]

Though it's no longer the spearhead of OSS community as it was, it still exists, now just as another player.

[@garth56]

Do you know what the DE was based on..Do you have any idea what drove this DE...????

[@SaulGRCanalYT]

Reasons why i use Ubuntu 1: None 2: I'm using Fedora BTW

[@SaulGRCanalYT]

If you misunderstood me, I DON'T USE UBUNTU

[@sybsygstgstsgysg5330]

I cant believe how much his voice has changed in 2 years lol

[@DistrosProjects]

Yup! It's surprising even to me looking back at my older content.

[@GraniteFaun]

Project does get into trouble and bad rep, still going strong: "the project is dying!!!!!!"

[@jajajajavidal5389]

Ubuntu 10.04 was amazing

[@ArniesTech]

Unity was indeed an eye pleaser for me. But none the less, Ubuntu is still the #1 driving force in Linux Desktop 🙏

[@balloney2175]

I am Ubuntu lover.

[@IndigoJo]

GNOME 2 was brilliant. Not immediately on release (I remember the early versions on SUSE 8.1) but after a few minor releases it was. Stable and unobtrusive. I used to program with Qt but it fitted seamlessly into GNOME with the GTK style. GNOME 3 is and always was a dog. They ruined a great desktop. Mind you, KDE got better with version 5 but Ubuntu was never hot on KDE.

[@Matt2010]

If ya ask me, Linux Mint is way better.

[@moosesnWoop]

idk about you guys but I still run ubuntu on WSL,

[@dustojnikhummer]

To me, going to Gnome3 was a strike one and Snaps still are a strike 2.

[@vla2uv]

There's no fall of Ubuntu, by the opposite it rose more than you think!

[@youpie]

I would probably use Ubuntu if it didn't use snaps, or at least better supported flatpaks

[@lunaticsugarboo9759]

Make a video on fedora and pop os too

[@ericjohnson5990]

I hated the snap store. Don’t get wrong, I think Ubuntu is a pretty good choice for the desktop. I just personally wouldn’t choose it for that reason.

[@B5152g]

Pretty much everyone does, Ubuntu has the habit of making drastic changes every couple of years or so that makes their long time users mad..

[@brandon26]

What fall?

[@HaraldEngels]

I am using Ubuntu since 2008. Although I tested many other distros I am always using Ubuntu as my daily workhorse. I can't see any "fall" of Ubuntu. This term is just clickbait.

[@Sahil-cb6im]

im using kubuntu 22.10,fast,latest package,stable

[@bsdslacker]

Ubuntu has no downfall, it is still better than using Windows or the other crystal shit.