Hi guys, I just fumbled my way around breaking this out into its own topic.
I think it’s a great question and deservers more visibility. It will also ensure that this isn’t a side-topic drift but the main topic it deserves.
For me personally, I recently chose to switch from GNOME and I3 to XFCE on both desktop and PC maybe for similar reasons as MATE users. Maybe?..
I really want the desktop out of the way, I don’t want endless getting-started config/tweaking (i3/Sway), nor to I want the system to be sluggish (GNOME).
Actually working on an article about how important this decision is especially on most laptops.
But we do indeed have a wide range of preferences in our community. So as @Brian_Masinick said it would be enlightening to hear the reasons everyone went with their specific choice(s) of DE or WM.