Ubuntu also has a history of things that go pretty well: Easy setup for average users including nonfree drivers, reaching a point of popularity where developers

Ubuntu also has a history of things that go pretty well: Easy setup for average users including nonfree drivers, reaching a point of popularity where developers target Ubuntu first, PPAs as lightweight repositories for own packages, huge offspring of distros based on it. Not everything is black and white, and while Ubuntu has failed in some aspects, it succeeded in others. Also, they are not hesitant to admit a failure, upstart is a thing of the past with Ubuntu using systemd, unity and "their phone thing" are being discontinued with focus shifting to the Gnome desktop and the traditional PC/Laptop/server market.