There is a reason for Ubuntu' s popularity: The fact that it is so easy to use and install. However, that is the exception to the rule, not the other way around. I run Ubuntu as one of my three OS's, the other two being Gentoo and WinXP. Whenever friends or family have made up their mind and want to switch to a Linux flavor, I will install Ubuntu for them. Easy to install, easy to use and it's user interface is quite nice. I would never install Gentoo on someone's machine, as it is way too time-consuming to maintain and get those users to learn to maintain the machine. Maemo and Ubuntu are not comparable, in my opinion, in terms of being ready for end users out of the box. Neither would I advice any non-techy to buy an n900.