A lot of us have a DE we swore we’d never leave, and then we left it. For me it was years i3wm before I quietly slid over to something simpler to manage. Not out of frustration, just curiosity that turned into a permanent move. Well, is anything permanent with Linux? 
What made you finally switch desktop environments, and did you end up where you expected?
For me it wasn’t really a “one-time exit story”, more like a cycle.
I started with GNOME because it was the default and felt modern, then moved to KDE Plasma for customization and visual control. After that I experimented with lighter environments like XFCE to understand performance trade-offs, especially on low-end hardware.
What made me switch wasn’t frustration either - it was curiosity and the need to understand how each environment behaves under different constraints (performance, workflow, stability).
Interestingly, I realized that no DE is “perfect” - each one optimizes for a different philosophy:
GNOME > simplicity & workflow focus
KDE > flexibility & power users
XFCE > efficiency & stability
Right now, I don’t really stick to one permanently. I choose based on the machine and use case. On low-spec systems, I lean toward lighter setups, while on more capable machines I can enjoy richer environments.
What’s Your Linux Desktop Environment Exit Story?
For me death, unless Mate would cease to exist. It is the only Desktop I will use.
I thought that Gnome 2 at Ubuntu 8 and 10 was virtually perfect DE. And no distro hopping made me change my mind since then. That’s why I use Mate DE now and, hopefully, in a foreseeable future.