I think Gnome have got it right - your correct, they are just lacking the pretties.

But I think Ubuntu (and other distro) teams haven't made use of the Window managers well at all. Menu's, applications and other bits and pieces are just too confusing for the average Joe user.

UI extends even beyond the windows themselves.

As someone commented I think Linux devs are waking up to how important UI and user interaction is. But

- It's a mess, and a hell of a job to fix

- No one with the proper expertise is involved in the projects

- It's not a glamorous thing to be doing (compare to "cutting edge" stuff

- There seems to be this ingrained anti-M$ vibe that means no one can take influence from them. ?? UI is one thing M$ tend to do really well in Windows. They spend a LOT of money researching it.....