People compare gnome to Desktops with a 30 year old interface which is painfully cumbersome but that they are used to.

I was on the no Gnome camp after Gnome 2 but came back around Gnome 40 (2022) and I was surprised at how simple and stable it is. I agree that many things that are extensions should be built in, but I also agree with the filosophy of not spreading resources to thin and if people want a feature, they can build it.

I only use two or three extensions but mostly need only one: Forge.

I still use Niri as my primary environment but I think that Gnome is good.

I grind my teeth every time I need to use an environment with an old style menu and cumbersome tiling.

C'mon. End users haven't used drop down menues to start apps for a long time. The iOS/Android drawer style is more comfortable and can adapt to the user's organizational preferences.