This is such a huge impact on day-to-day usage of the OS by users, why would they constrain it?
I believe that they constrain it because they have no respect for their users.
Gnome 41 got better battery management.
You can play most top games on Linux now thanks to proton.
Some operating systems are improving every release, but they are found in the Linux world now. The suckers are the one who bought into the mac or Windows ecosystem and believed all the shit about privacy and security.
I use Linux too, but GNOME is a pretty bad example of iterative improvement IMO. Ever since they ditched the "Unity" interface, most people agree that it's gone downhill.
GNOME has been moving in the right direction for a long time in my opinion, their concentration on making it easier for developers is really starting to pay off too.
Just look at the smallish but beautifully polished apps that have appeared over the last year or two, Apostrophe, Shortwave, Fragments, Polari, Contrast, Cozy, Obfuscate, etc.
I won't be upgrading for this reason alone. This is not about being used to the old way and not wanting change, it's about not wanting to switch to something that is objectively worse and will make me less productive.