Just go Debian.

Ubuntu used to bring a bit of spit and polish at a time when most Linux distros lacked that. Nowadays it brings nothing worthwhile to the table anymore, it's just brand recognition, but what it does bring is aggravation for experienced users.

I had this realization a few years ago when I found myself fighting against 20.04 and I asked myself: what exactly is Ubuntu doing for me that plain Debian can't? The answer was nothing really, so I moved all my Ubuntu VMs over to Debian Bullseye and never looked back.

For my server I simply switched to Debian and add the packages I need on top, without all that proprietary snap crap.

For desktop I'm tempted to switch to an atomic distro like Fedora Silverblue (Gnome) or Fedora Onyx (Budgie), and for the Steam Deck I'd go with Bazzite.

Then...I guess stop using it? What's your issue exactly? You have a plethora of alternatives.

I was a long-time Xubuntu fan, tried Ubuntu directly from canonical for my new laptop.

It's been a bit rocky, all things considered. I think I'm trying something else next time, maybe mint or whatever. Maybe Xubuntu, but only if this snap shit has been cut out.