I kind of agree with this. The article is not really about Ubuntu, it is about Linux distros in general. I have been using Mandrake/Mandriva for at least eight years. I tried Ubuntu a while ago to see if the buzz was justified. I was unconvinced. The "user-friendliness" was lower than Mandriva. But it seems Mandriva does not have the mind share that Ubuntu seems to have captured.
On the other hand, Ubuntu's success is success for Linux in general, so I have nothing against it. It just surprises me.
Yep. My mom did it, without any instructions. I sent her an apk in an email, thinking I would tell her how to install it later. Then she called and already had it installed.