I think the real reason people recommend mint is, while deep down they know users will have a better time on Ubuntu, they cannot stand the idea of recommending that company’s product directly.

I have no guilt when I say Ubuntu, and their managing company, have pulled enough shit over the years that it’s not a good first choice for a new user.

But in practice the similarities are only skin deep and to me if they’re already going to need to learn all the ways it differs from windows, why not put the same effort into learning something that also varies

The average user never leaves the web browser. The average gamer never leaves the web browser and steam. Skin deep is as far as most people ever go.

This not a condemnation, but it’s important to be aware of the differences between the average user, the average gamer, and the average Linux user. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/computer-skill-levels/