As you can see here, everyone has their own opinion depending on their experience, what kind of backpacking they do, and how light they want to travel. The constraints; cost, weight, cooking time, bulk, fuel weight, fussiness, availability and compatibility vary from stove to stove. Your particular situation may very from season to season and trip to trip. I think the canister stoves are so popular now because they do have more volatile fuel mixes (work at lower temps than the old butane stoves), they are relatively inexpensive (MSR Pocket Rocket for example), the require less fuss than other stoves, they cook fast enough, and fuel and stove weight are sort of average (More than alcohol stoves, less that gasoline, and simpler to operate than either), safer than other stoves, albeit sometimes less stable. I have owned all types over a few decades, and that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Don't spend too much money on your first stove, you will probably replace it or add to your inventory before long. (all experienced backpackers own more gear in their garage than they could possibly carry even 10 feet)