They fullfil different niches. Elementary is laser focused on macOS converts, pop is focused on gamers + enthusiasts, etc. Ubuntu at its core is a decent operating system, the distributions just make it easier to get an out of the box config that "just works" for your use cases.

Also Flatpak is so much more pleasant than Snap, which is why I'll always go with something based off of Ubuntu.

Are you mixing up Flatpak and Snap? Ubuntu supports snap by default and it’s much more feature rich [1].

I found the ability to install JetBrains products through Snap particularly delightful (they don’t support flatpak).

[1]: https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/Similar-project...

No I'm not. Ubuntu does use Snap, but distros based on top of Ubuntu (like elementary OS or Linux Mint) come with Flatpak instead.

So I'll always take something based on Ubuntu rather than vanilla Ubuntu.

I've used a Ubuntu based os for years. I don't think I've ever had an app that uses flatpak. I have several snaps installed though.

I have to admit though, I can't stand the way the snap folder defaults to a non-hidden folder in your home directory with no easy way to change this.

Any suggestions on distros that play well with Flatpak? The org itself presents only a flat list — of many icons:

https://flatpak.org/setup/

Fedora, Mint, eOS.

Basically anything that's not Ubuntu.

Imagine telling a poet: "Yeah, but there is a poem about love already..."

Great analogy

Well, Ubuntu is a great base (like all the commands on github repos are for Ubuntu). But Ubuntu isn't such a great distribution. So everybody is trying to fix it by pulling their own distro :)

Why not? People have an itch to scratch, let them scratch it. If they want to use Ubuntu as the base, so be it.