Linux became worse when the commercial alternatives only got better.
This website under Chrome under Ubuntu 12.10 (Unity): http://i.imgur.com/oUTwi.png
This website under Chrome under Mac OS X 10.8.2: http://i.imgur.com/UwTl8.png
This is completely unacceptable as a default experience.
(edit: grammar; screenshots)
After the dumbing down of the past few releases, it isn't really any easier for non-technical people to install and use.
The dumbing down has also driven away a lot of the more technically-inclined users. Unity makes it damn near impossible to get any sort of real work done.
The majority of kids and teens, along with the elderly, could not care any less about it.
It's a lot like Firefox. Yeah, it's still around, but without any real focus. At some point, the stragglers who are still using it will move on to something else, and there's nobody new coming to replace them.
see: wifi; hdmi out; webcam.
I hate Unity 3D but whatever, that's the direction they're going. I don't care about the search "lenses". But just breaking shit from 12.04 to 12.10 is ridiculous. Whoever/whatever is in charge of Canonical needs to be fired. They're ruining the reputation of the brand, not to mention making many consumers absolutely dread the idea of new releases.