It doesn't matter where and when you consult it, but the use of GNOME it is usually always above 30% of all installations. Nearby, breathing down the neck I would say, is KDE, but GNOME is above. Reasons? I can think of at least a couple and I think both are somewhat to blame: it's the default desktop used by Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora, and it's very easy to use. As a bonus, he gets along quite well with Wayland, but my choice is another.
I think I am part of an endangered breed: I am a Linux user who does not like to customize too much what comes by default. I prefer to choose a distro that offers me what I want than another, for whatever reason, and change it... so that it looks like something that it is not. I usually stick to something that uses KDE, and I've used Kubuntu, Manjaro and in the future I might switch to KDE neon, but in KDE for more than 4 years now. The reason is the same as the one that makes me opt for Vivaldi: many options after scratch installation.
GNOME is simple, and that's not always a good thing
An example: I write in blogs. If you're reading me right now, I think it's something you've noticed, right? Many of the images that I add to my articles are screenshots, and others are (or I try to be) images without rights that I have to touch up to make them look good on our network. Currently, header images have to be 1200px wide, and my laptop screen renders screenshots at 1920px wide. If I'm on KDE, I can resize image directly with Gwenview, your default viewer. This is something that cannot be done after a fresh install with the GNOME viewer. Yes, you can install plugins and even do it directly with Nautilus, but you have to do extra tinkering which I don't like to do.
And this happens with many of the GNOME applications. His philosophy is simplicity, simplicity, something anyone can use without thinking too much, and this causes the apps in the project and those in its circle to do less than they could.
As for resizing images, the I-don't-know-what-related Budgie does offer this possibility, and its image viewer isn't complex either. In the menu, you choose to resize and you can do this without relying on third-party plugins or apps.
Insufficient simple apps for demanding users
Another example is the document viewer. When you open a PDF it allows you to see it, but little else. Okular allows you to do everything, such as create arrow-shaped annotations, mark up text with a felt-tip pen, and even sign documents, and that's something that GNOME Document Viewer doesn't allow you to do, always speaking in its native state. The Terminal app, same thing. It is used to write commands, but it does not allow you to put one window next to the other like Konsole. And speaking of Konsole, Applications like Kate or Dolphin have it integrated, and that offers new possibilities.
But it works better with Wayland and PipeWire
Not everything is bad, and in fact this article is not to criticize GNOME, but rather to explain why it is not the best for me and I don't think it is for the most demanding users. As a positive, they go two or three steps ahead of KDE when working with Wayland. In 21.04 they started using Wayland by default in some configurations, and already in 2023 it has improved to the point that it also does it with part of NVIDIA cards.
On the other hand, KDE keep working for it. It can be used, but the experience is diminished when you have to use third-party software, which is the majority of programs out there. KDE offers a lot for those of us who prefer more options, and GNOME offers what is necessary for those who want something mature and simple. My choice is clear, but I understand and respect the majority that stays with GNOME, a majority that I don't think I'll ever join.
To my taste it over-simplifies things, it looks like a cell phone interface.
Hello. Well, I must be number two. Maybe not for the same reasons as you because I don't have a blog, I don't use programs to do specific things. That is to say, I am a normal user who is on the wrong side of those who, no matter how much they use certain programs for the fact that they are free software, although in the end I give up due to my absolute inability to retain knowledge. Well, that's a problem of mine in my daily life, so it's not because of the computer or anything like that. The fact is that Gnome seems too overloaded for my taste. In other words, I want to have the things I usually use in front of me and not have to leave a screen to be able to use a program. Perhaps, or surely, something can be done to make that happen with Gnome but I have never wanted to stay and investigate. I used Cinnamon for years until my laptop couldn't handle it. Now I have switched to Mate, which is the one I have used in the last two years. Ugh, what a farce I've let go. Finally, a greeting and sorry to Gnome users for my words.
Strongly agree. I think Gnome has such a high share for being the default desktop for major distros. I have tried it several times, for periods of weeks, I don't quite like it, too simplified, I have a hard time finding how to do things. With KDE the opposite happens to me, I like the appearance and style, but too many options, very loaded. I find the perfect balance in Cinnamon, a matter of taste.
You said it perfectly, Cinnamon is the balance
Hello
Since I discovered Mate, I haven't moved from there.
I love!
I think similar. In my case I use something simpler, Cinnamon.
I've just tried Nobara, which uses Gnome (and KDE), and while it's usable and has some good stuff, I've had to “tweak” it to look like… Cinnamon. I was unable to find programs.
Wayland support, one of the reasons why I was encouraged, leaves a lot to be desired with third-party applications and Nvidia card. OBS, Gnome itself, Lutris, KDEnLive... have display problems, and I haven't found any differences in games.