[addicted]

I agree with your point and disagree with the OP’s but I do believe that the proliferation of Linux DEs and recreation of basically the same software can often go beyond what is good.

One of the biggest things holding Linux behind today is the lack of a common vision. I think it’s no coincidence that Linux on the desktop really took hold only after Canonical started promoting Ubuntu. With Cqnonical retreating into the server space and basically abandoning desktops, I fear we are about to enter another era of Linux desktop stagnation at a time when arguably we need it most (OSX and Windows are increasingly becoming tied down, and the fastest growing OS is ChromeOS which isn’t just tied down but is also potentially a privacy nightmare).

[snazz]

That’s part of the reason that I’m an OpenBSD user, because there is a much smaller development team that has more of a cohesive vision. However, that doesn’t get in the way of user freedom. I’m just of the opinion that another desktop environment or window manager (or text editor, etc) that doesn’t take off isn’t an issue at all and it often pressures the incumbent to innovate and adopt new features.

Competition and a common vision don’t need to be mutually exclusive.