When I first read this article, I got ready to post a hasty reply with all my pet hates about Gnome 3, Unity, etc, etc.

Then I remembered the original reason I started using Linux, as a native Windows user, and that is "Choice". So you don't like Gnome. Guess what? Don't use it! You have so many other choices of window managers available to you.

Shed a tear for those users on proprietary systems who don't have choice. Don't like the new Start menu? Nobody cares.