It sure looks like Gnome 3 took the wind out of Gnome's sails. This correlates with my experience as a Gnome user, as it was Gnome 3 where the project really took on a condescending user-demeaning attitude. Gnome 3 is where the project shifted from 'user friendly' to 'assume the user is an imbecile.' I now tell novices to use XFCE instead.

I think it's fine that they assume it; imbecile's need interfaces too.

My problem with GNOME developers is that they consistently deny that they cater to the least technically savvy base and use euphemisms such as “normal people”. They are not “normal” they are technically far less literate than the normal man, and they too of course should be able to own and operate a computer.

GNOME in fact seems to think it's own users to be even less savvy than I do, but they continue to deny this.

The other problem is that everything that Red Hat has it's tendrils in overflows with meaningless marketing language such as that, in general.

I idle in a Linux IRC channel where support is provided voluntarily 24/7x365.

The fact that your assessment doesn't stand up to is that "normal man" seems misplaced. The average person I know cannot figure out how to install Linux much less troubleshoot issues along the way. I don't think this makes them imbeciles or anything of the like. Even GNOMEs definition of a normal person is probably off kilter because the bar for their basic user is so high.

Being able to install Linux is itself something of a quality filter. Without aid from someone competent, those who cannot ascertain how to write an image to a usb stick and get their computer to boot from it won't be using Linux.

There used to be Linux distributions that installed to one's C: drive and booted as a windows launch option; I haven't heard of that being a thing in years.