I don't agree with this. I have done Gnome 3.18 for 6 months, did i3 for another 12, and tbh, I found myself with a bog-standard Unity interface on a new machin

I don't agree with this. I have done Gnome 3.18 for 6 months, did i3 for another 12, and tbh, I found myself with a bog-standard Unity interface on a new machine about 3 months ago and I haven't bothered to change it. Why? Because it doesn't try to be clever, it doesn't get in the way, sure I have to use the mouse a tiny bit more, but it just seems nice and vanilla. It works well by being inconspicuous and straightforward, while not trying extra hard to be boring (Cinnamon). And the fonts look crisp like OS/x which, to my detail-oriented eye, is a big deal. Actually the only UI I consider truly interesting, believe it or not, is e17. That feels like being on a Star Trek transporter beaming onto a Romulan Warbird. Real deal no compromise "this ain't Kansas", if that's your thing. Try Terminology for a taster. All the others (KDE) are trying too hard while simultaneously not being truly interesting. Or they're stultifyingly boring (cinnamon - why?) without being resource cheap. On this front, xfce on armbian is a beaut. Cinnamon without the weight. I also give i3 a big thumbs up btw but I just can't live without the tray icon conveniences for bluetooth, dropbox, power down etc.