[jorgecastillo]

I could write more but I don't want to. Whether Ubuntu is the best Linux distribution or not is debatable, whether Ubuntu has made or not made significant contributions to desktop Linux is also debatable, saying otherwise is ludicrous. Preference of one distribution over another comes down to personal taste, individual experiences with hardware support and individual experiences with the maintenance of the system. However the marketing effort Ubuntu made is undeniable, I don't remember any other distributions that made such commitment to promoting desktop Linux.

[alipang]

I'd say for sure it's one of the best "gateway" desktop linuxes. The only competition here I see are the ones based on Ubuntu, like Mint.