Do you mean by saying that they don't like change? Truthfully most computer
users don't but GNOME users especially don't like it. They tend to be more
old school. Most Ubuntu users who complain aren't thinking about the future,
but the past. Their motto is, if it isn't broken why fix it? Most Ubuntu
users want straight up GNOME. I listen to dozens of podcasts each week, read
numerous blogs and subscribe to hundreds of RSS feeds. You would not believe
the complaining. I think that I am being gentle, if anything.

Maybe, they are just whiners. First they hate the brown and orange, now it
is aubergine that they hate. Some even want brown and orange to return. They
don't want GIMP replaced and now don't like Shotwell and think that F-Spot
is just great. Wait a minute, they complained that F-Spot trashed EXIF data.
They don't like the notifications, but now that they are changing them they
all of a sudden defend them. They hated the sound applet when it was
horizontal and then hate it when it is switched to vertical. They hate the
MeMenu because it is linked to Gwibber which overuses their resources. They
hate the Music Store because it does not have ogg file support and is linked
to Ubuntu One, but they like Ubuntu One because it can sync their Tomboy
notes. They hate switching buttons to the left and the new theme because it
is too Mac like but proudly state that Ubuntu is not like KDE which is too
Windows like because it has the panel on the bottom, forgetting that GNOME
has one on the top and bottom. They complain that KDE has too many settings
but they are always looking for workarounds for GNOME limitations. I could
go on and on... but, you get the idea.

BTW, I like both GNOME and KDE. When I used KDE 3.5 I looked forward to KDE
4.0 and even put up with its crashes and problems because I knew that the
kinks would work out. I had faith and patience. I look forward to GNOME 3 in
the same way. I know that their will be problems, but don't care. It is all
part of being part of something. You take the bad with the good. I don't
feel that the rest of the community shares my values. I see Linux as
organic.It is a growing and living entity to me and I want to be part of
that change. I get the feeling that many Linux users increasingly see it as
a static product like Windows. But Windows users don't complain nearly as
much; they are even willing to pay for the privilege.

I agree that users should try both and use what works for them. I don't
think that users should try to impose their values on others. That is why we
have choice. If you don't like something then try something else. That
applies to desktop environment and distribution. Personally, I am not wild
about buttons on the left because I use a mixed environment, but am not one
to get my knickers in a knot over it. A computer is a tool. The OS is the
toy.