Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users

Keyboard shortcuts are of no use when my fingers are off the keyboard, which is most of the time. And to reiterate, i do not need to see workspaces and a huge stack of oversized icons hiding my desktop when I only want to make the dock visible.

The reasons Gnome3 is widely criticized are legitimate and are rooted in its purposeful and deliberate reductions in capability. (Pointing to extensions is inappropriate because they are unsupported by Gnome and often break with upgrades. I.e., they are undependable.)

Much of the defense of Gnome3 amounts to an attack on the character and working preferences of those who do not like it. Obviously, that is also inappropriate. The burden is on Gnome3 enthusiasts to explain what new non-style capabilities it delivers compared to its predecessor or its contempoaries.

To be specific, I like the look of Gnome3, but it wants me to change more than a decade's worth of Linux habits for no perceptible increase in capability, speed, or ease of use. Why, then, should I bother?