Great design is not just about making software looking pretty, or about the ease of use. It's about both, since people judge both aspects at the same time. We like the software we use to look good, while it's easy to use and let's you do what you want without getting in your way.
Software needs to have both in order to be the best it possible can, if one is lacking it'll suffer as a whole. Being the best in one area is not enough to compensate for the lack of the other, no matter how well it's executed.
Yet, as with anything else that deals with people, there is no single implementation that'll be universally liked by all. There a few things that every implementation would have in common, but everything else will be different depending on the people using it.
That's why having different users interfaces on Linux is not a bad thing, since it let's people to choose the best one for their needs. If you don't like one, use another that better suit you. There is choice, and there are several great one out there for you to try out before settling for the one that better suits your needs.
Having options gives people power, since they can choose what they want to have and discard those things that they don't. Linux, and the open source community in general, give users just that. It's a user centric model, that allows users to choose what they want while having a say on the development of the software they use.
I prefer software built by a community, than software done behind closed doors without any feedback by a community of users. At the end users are the ones who are going to be working with the software, so our voice should be part of the process.
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