If you let the lowest common denominator dictate your user interface you end up with dumbed down rubbish. To paraphrase an old Unix saying "Linux is user friendly, it is just choosy who it's friends are".

If you stick with the old then you are stuck in the old. Gnome 3 Shell with javascript extensions is the most innovative thing I have seen in desktops for years. What is truly different in the user interface of Windows 7 compared with Windows95. Prettier, more functionality sure, but still a desktop with a toolbar on the bottom and a start menu.