Neary: GNOME Census

Sure, but hang on, the API was in the discussion but the reasons it was rejected was that it didn't integrate with gnome-shell for gnome 3, nothing in gnome 2 uses it and there was an open question about how it could/should integrate with Gtk+.

Let's be realistic, this same scenario will play out again: either with "Windicators", or with any of the other fundamental UI work that's happening in Ayatana, disconnected from the GNOME stuff. And it's diverging further and further from the vision for GNOME 3. If that's where Canonical wants to go, that's fine though - like I said earlier, I think people need to get over it.