Yet they'll gladly buy iPhones.

But I'm not ruling it out because I've been having a hell of a time getting my Linux desktop (Ubuntu 11 something or other) to play nice with gtkpod.

I haven't tried Gnome 3 or Win8 yet. iOS is okay, and Unity seems like a OSX/NeXT ripoff. I keep things simple...as few icons as possible and a plain black desktop is what I like to look at.

To answer the question- I don't hate new GUIs, I just don't use them.

I normally use Ubuntu 11.04, but I have an old workstation with XP on it I boot up once or twice a month to play games. Except for the more exotic iterations I believe I've used almost every OS Microsoft has made since DOS, and overall I don't think any of them are terrible...I mostly got into Linux just to learn something new and because I liked the "free" aspect.

And since they were a jackass anyway I don't feel like it was a bad thing.

Beyond that, Facebook seems to be relying on the "more bells and whistles" approach...and if you're like me and crave simplicity, it's not helping.

I'm a "I know I don't do it right but I'm proficient enough for my needs" typist. With no training whatsoever I can hit 40 wpm on my Model M (with minimal peeking at the keyboard) once I get warmed up....if I actually bothered to learn how to type correctly who knows how fast I'd be.

Summer in the Bay Area ends after Halloween.

...it doesn't sound like you're ready to make a complete break.

I've been known to ignore the web for months at a time. Once in a while I get bored and decide to reconnect with the world in a more tangible way. Or I'm traveling and don't want to deal with the hassle of public computers. I'll still check my email whenever it's convenient, but I spent a good portion of my life not being constantly available so I don't mind flexing my autonomy occasionally.

Whatever the reason, it's never stressful. In fact, I usually feel more relaxed because I feel like I'm making better use of my free time by accomplishing things I would put off otherwise.

Ever since I got used to Fluxbox, I haven't seen much of a purpose in having them. I like the clean look, and not having icons in no way slows me down.