I have used Linux on and off for 15 years. I consider myself a casual user and stuck to the mainstream DEs (mostly KDE, XFCE and some Cinnamon). Gnome has been a hurdle for me before and after the big version 40 changes, I couldn’t get my head around how they handled the workspaces and workflow. At some point I I tried out an extension hat changed all of it.
It moves the workspaces to a vertical panel and the programs onto a horizontal panel. In a workspace you can view the programs full screen or tile them.
Several Programs inside a Workspace. It’s basically they same way Gnome works. However for some reason it just makes sense in my brain. No idea why. (I’m looking at WMs that work in a similar way atm. Maybe I’ll take the plunge away from DEs at some point)
Has such a small change ever saved a Desktop Environment for you and is essential if you ever install it?
i3/window manager. When I log in to gnome I feel like I’m being dragged through molasses. I have an anxiety attack every time I see a window floating in front of another. My wrists creak and crack as my hand dances between keyboard and mouse. It almost lessens my interaction with the linux community because so many people are passionate about and discuss desktop environments and yet I don’t really see one unless I’m having issues.