When you're making controversial decisions, it tends to help to be right.
But Canonical (and every other distro) are in a somewhat difficult position. UI isn't just an incredible hard problem. There's also a dearth of talent because the relevant people aren't a natural part of the OSS community.
And, most importantly, UI suffers tremendously from the bazaar-model of development. It needs someone with near-dictatorial powers, and excellent taste, who can control the complete user experience from init to shutdown.
But Canonical (and every other distro) are in a somewhat difficult position. UI isn't just an incredible hard problem. There's also a dearth of talent because the relevant people aren't a natural part of the OSS community.
And, most importantly, UI suffers tremendously from the bazaar-model of development. It needs someone with near-dictatorial powers, and excellent taste, who can control the complete user experience from init to shutdown.