The Ubuntu changes make me cringe - I like how windows are now, and this sort of change makes me hesitant to upgrade.

I like using Ubuntu, but several times when I've upgraded it trashed my system, or features didn't work right on an upgraded system while they did on a fresh install.

Those are the issues I think they need to work on - making it flawless for the masses to use. A bad upgrade experience for a normal user and they'll go running back to Mac/Windows. On top of that changing things like this will make it harder for normal users to find the buttons they're used to.

I'm not anti-progress, but it seems like you should make significant changes after you have a large market share.