Have you tried Linux Mint? I also used to have Ubuntu installed, but switched to Mint a few years ago - if nothing else, it seems far less heavy to me.
No. However, I was following up with the update to Linux Mint recently and it looks great. I'm thinking of trying it out when I find the time and the right machine to reinstall.
There is just a lot of maintenance work on them and a lot of files. I'd hate to lose anything of importance.
Linux is safer and it is worth spending the time to learn it.