Yes, I read it and I know the settings are being redesigned. The system settings is just one example and perhaps the most egregious. It's also the one that is still a constant annoyance after years of using KDE when trying to find something.
Try a different heavy DE and see if you can even find the settings these days. I hadn't used KDE since back when they first released 4 and have just started using it again. I'm loving it - a heavyweight DE where things are properly integrated (sorry XFCE and similar) and that you can actually personally tune the settings for. The settings can be a little difficult to find... but at least they're there to be found :)
Seriously, it was a rhetorical statement that didn't mean "no-one can literally find the settings", but "you're not allowed to change much these days". Gnome 3.x in particular is horribly bad. KDE allows a lot of tweaking.
I sort of guessed, but decided to answer literally because people can just find a GUI that works for them on Linux can they not?
My understanding of Gnome desktop is that customisation is being offloaded to third party extensions. I admit rapid changes in API for extensions means breakage at present, but I'm hoping for asymptotic stability as the interface matures. When that happens it will be like visual emacs one hopes... hack on your GUI for the things you need.
It is? My girlfriend uses KDE, and I never found difficult to find stuff using the integrated search. On the other hand, if they would recreate print settings, I wouldn't have to explain that typing http://localhost:631/ in a browser is the most intuitive way of managing printers.
That he has someone close to him that uses it that doesn't mind when he jumps on the system, so he does it occasionally? There may or may not have been something implied by stating his/her girlfriend used it, but assuming a negative implication does not lead to useful conversation, IMHO.
