I think it depends a lot on who you're recommending something to. A fellow developer who wants to be productive? Probably Arch or CachyOS. Someone curious about Linux but needs a lot of existing resources and hand-holding? Probably still Ubuntu, or maybe Mint. Someone who wants to really dig into things and see something new? TempleOS (RIP Terry). Someone who likes the same type of programming languages as myself? Mezzano.