I was in the same boat around 2012. After 11 years of linux on the desktop and crappy student laptop, I needed a proper laptop for freelance jobs. Bought a macbook to put linux on. Ruined macos on day one. Reinstalled macos. Got used to it. Loved that all the hardware and software just works. Never installed ubuntu desktop again.

Would like to use linux again on the desktop, but macos is so nicely integrated with everything. The desktop experience is so much better than the gnome or kde version of the day. I code embedded c and web (python). Also do the occasional cad drawing and 3d printing. All this software just works on mac. Even corporate slack works okay, ms teams as well. Word, even! It sucks to be a linux desktop user or fanboy in professional environments. Not a mac fanboy, would switch if there was something better.

One drawback is that docker is just awfully slow compared to running it on native linux.

"Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."

A reference to the freedom from corporate bondage you trade away for convenience in macos.

(I don't have any significant issues with Ubuntu Mate, but I don't use it for many things however.)

From a practical point of view the software works pretty well (I've got M1 Air, Big Sur) but I can understand if people want independence from Apple.

It seems that virtualized Ubuntu with UTM works ok: https://youtu.be/hnwK-nkXolc