Ubuntu was easier to install, was freely available, and had a business model. Redhat had given up on the home market, Suse sold out to Microsoft, and Fedora see

Ubuntu was easier to install, was freely available, and had a business model. Redhat had given up on the home market, Suse sold out to Microsoft, and Fedora seemed like a best effort fork that could disappear at any moment. Plus many of us already loved Debian, and were recommending people use Ubuntu as a friendlier Debian. Being "More Recent" Had very little to do with it.