SpecsUpdate
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Pros
Pro Very polished
GNOME has a well-rounded set of features meaning that any user will be able to get around it and not miss anything from other desktops.
Pro Lots of apps
Dozens of great apps are made specifically for GNOME.
Pro GTK >=2 is written for GNOME
GTK is now a GNOME project so the desktop will be compatible with the latest versions.
Pro Extensions
They provide the user with a plethora of customizations and tweaks.
Pro Dynamic workspaces
Setting provides for effortless workspace management.
Pro Activities overview
Grid-style app menu.
Cons
Con Hides many settings
GNOME sometimes reduces the whole interface to the absolute minimum, a few examples:
- GNOME hides many advanced options/settings in its interfaces
- Toolbars can't be edited without external tools
- Menubars have been removed in favor of a hamburger menu
- Newer GTK versions remove icons inside popupmenus and menu mnemonics
Con Standardized
The desktop layout is not as modifiable as some other options, and certain settings require additional software (such as Gnome Tweak Tool) to reasonably modify.
Con No tray support by default
An extension has to be installed to get tray support.
Con Designed for tablets before desktops
Said a million times already by the other cons but the design is for tablets, even though the primary usecase is on laptops.