Since no one mentioned Cinnamon (LinuxMint) let me add that to the discussion. I've been using it exclusively for months and I feel that it is doing what Gnome

Since no one mentioned Cinnamon (LinuxMint) let me add that to the discussion. I've been using it exclusively for months and I feel that it is doing what Gnome3 wanted to achieve. It is simple, intuitive and rock-solid. Never froze or crashed and diagnostic tools are great. LinuxMint is the old Ubuntu which you used to recommend to your friends and family.