XFCE is great. I switched to xubuntu and loving it. It might be lacking. but I find it far more enjoyable to use than Unity or gnome3. I tried to use both gnome3 and unity. and both had me very frustrated.
Geeks are always bitching. I think this is better than doing nothing. They can't exactly erase the past. I think its a step in the right direction. IE9 is going to be better but still not perfect. But, again, at least its better. I am all for better. Though I would link users to alternative browser... why can't the complaining geeks just use their own banner.