> "we have to cater to what 96% of users know"
Indeed.
Just recently saw a talk "Are we stuck with the same Desktop UX forever? | Ubuntu Summit 25.10" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZTOjd_bOQ) where Scott Jenson (Apple/Google UX) laments we stopped innovating on Desktop.
Such appeal to conformity is indeed quite sad from GNOME.
Yeah, I had to create a user on many language versions just to keep the old skin.
I fail to see a point in wasting 2/3 of my screen estate to whitespace.
Having a 60 days consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service whether a falling hot-stage ring (essentially dumb steel piece) causes danger to fish is just silly.