I've been trying out the Linux Mint LMDE edition (which is based on Debian) and I'm totally impressed with the Mate desktop. First of all, and like all other things Mint, it's a beautiful implementation, with a nice mixture of greys and accent colors. Next, and more importantly, Linux Mint with Mate desktop eschews all current rage of making your desktop look like a mobile phone, and gives users back the ability to do cherished things like customizing their panel and menu that we all grew to love under Gnome 2.

Users can select either the main distro (current release 13), based on Ubuntu, or the rolling LMDE spin, based on Debian Wheezy. Unless you are very comfortable with Linux, and specifically with Debian, I highly recommend the mainline Ubunty-based variety (Linux Mint 12 and now 13).

So if you are sick of the Unity and Gnome 3 madness, and just want your desktop back, give Linux Mint with Mate desktop a try.

Serious question: since Mate is basically a Gnome 2 fork, isn't it all but doomed as more and more apps target Gnome 3 compatibility? Will it be obsolete soon?

Not for another 5 years, I think. Because that's how long all the apps included with Ubuntu 12.04 / Mint 13 will be supported, and most of them work fine with GTK+ 2.

I also wouldn't worry too much about what desktop options I'll have in 2017. The options available at that time will probably be very different from anything we have now.

Cinnamon is the Gnome 3 implementation of the same philosophy. I would put a bigger bet on Cinnamon, since the Gnome 3 infrastructure means it wont be going obsolete anytime soon.

Fair enough. I like Cinnamon OK, but I really like some of the finishes touches Mate is putting on Gnome2 (e.g., finally putting a "open terminal" and "open as root" option on the Mate fork of Nautilus, which I've pined for for years ever since enjoying that feature on LXDE's PcMan file manager).

Also, I'm confident that Mate won't be experiencing any major compatibility issues for several years from now, if ever. Along with Cinnamon, it's now the main desktop environment for the 3rd largest Linux distro, and the fastest growing one (Mint).

BTW, I like what I've seen of the Gnome3 SDK. It's just the interface that I hate. I don't understand why all the biggest distros (except for Mint) are moving toward exclusively offering a mobile-like OS for desktop. I could totally understand a special edition for netbooks, but Unity is now the only interface officialy available for Ubuntu. It all seems to be part of the dumbing-down of the desktop. Given that the biggest group of potential Linux users are Windows power users, who love being able to modify every little facet of their desktop OS, I just don't get it.

But it's a Gnome 3 FORK.. They won't be able to keep up with mainstream gnome. They even forked Mutter, the window manager! They should build on top of Gnome 3, not freakin fork it

Only two components have been forked: mutter and gnome-shell. It's reasonable to assume they can keep up with those.

What is Cinnamon like for multi monitors? Can you have a seperate taskbar on each monitor for example?

Mint is awesome, been using it for a while now. Will have to test this release as soon as I have done my usual month or so wait to guard against the bleeding edge factor.