While Linux developers and users endlessly argued about, and worked on, different UI environments, display server stacks, etc., Android's UI became the world's most used computer interface environment (around 1.5 billion devices, at last count):

http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/android-statistics/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_syste...

Market relevance aside, I view Ubuntu's return to Gnome as a Good Thing. It means there will be more work towards common goals by Canonical and Red Hat.